How to Replace Segments of a Concrete Sidewalk
- 1). Pound the concrete with the sledgehammer to break it up further and loosen pieces still embedded in the ground.
- 2). Shovel up the concrete and remove it from the walkway. You might need to use a pickaxe to work some of the pieces loose.
- 3). Place 2-by-6 boards on either side of the sidewalk, up against it and aligned with the open sides. Tap stakes on the outside to wedge the boards flush with the sidewalk to close in a framed area for the concrete.
- 4). Put two inches of gravel in the bottom of the open sidewalk area and tamp it down.
- 5). Mix concrete in a wheelbarrow. Follow instructions on the cement package. Pour cement into the opening.
- 6). Place a 2-by-4 over the surface so that it stretches across the sidewalk on either side. Pull the board from one side of the sidewalk to the other to even it out, then let it dry. Once the concrete has dried to the point that it is no longer wet on the surface, hose it down. The concrete will cure harder if it is kept wet longer. Place a piece of plastic sheeting over the surface for a week, lifting it and wetting the surface at least once a day.