Concrete patios are durable and, with some landscaping imagination, can complement your garden, entrance or other landscaping. Some prefer this material as a base for bricks, but if designed creatively, concrete patios can be attractive in their own right.

Building concrete patios require some planning. Buy materials and tools ahead of time, and rent an automatic cement mixer.

Excavate with a garden shovel. Two of these inches are for a bottom layer of gravel and the other four for the concrete. The gravel layer is meant to prevent your concrete patio from cracking during the freezing-thawing cycle. Make sure you establish a grade that slopes away from the house for runoff.

Build a form to hold the gravel and concrete. Sink form into the area excavated for the concrete patio. The top of the form should be level with the ground, if you want the concrete patio to be flushed with ground level.

Pour the gravel, tamping it down firmly. Install reinforcing rebar to unify the slab. Make a grid by placing them at every two feet both from front to back and from left to right of the concrete patio. Unite them with wiring at intersections.

Mix concrete in an automatic cement mixer, first adding water with a garden hose to the mixer, then concrete, then water again — until the mix takes on a uniform, shiny medium gray color.

Pour concrete, starting at end farthest from where your mixer is, building a ramp if necessary. Add filler rocks as you go. Pour as fast as possible. Preparation is crucial here.

Use a screed to level the surface of the concrete, sliding the screed along the top of the form boards. Pull the screed from one end to the other, drawing off excess concrete.

Finish the concrete patio surface with design elements. Running a pushbroom over the concrete patio makes the design both attractive and practical: lines that provide visual interest and a slip-resistant surface.

Lay plastic over the new concrete patio. Concrete must be “cured” properly. The key to curing is not letting it dry out too fast. By laying plastic over the concrete patio, you trap the moisture within. Keep the plastic on for a week. Concrete doesn’t fully cure for three weeks, so even after you’ve removed the plastic, don’t subject the concrete to undue stress.

For award-winning deck designs, great gazebos and well-crafted conservatories, visit Cleveland construction leader Patios Cleveland.