You can use broken concrete for landscaping your home instead of throwing it away. You can use it for things like your patio or walkways, building a raised flowerbed, and you can dress it up to give it more color.

Finding the Concrete

If you are replacing a concrete driveway with a company like Eagle Rock Concrete Grinding & Polishing, you will likely end up with a large amount of broken concrete. Ask the concrete contractor to set these pieces aside instead of hauling them away. If you are not replacing a driveway, you can visit construction sites to get concrete in some cases. Contact construction companies in your area, and ask if they have concrete available. If you haul the concrete yourself, you may not have to pay for it.

Using Concrete for Patios or Walkways

You can use large pieces of concrete for stones and pavers for your walkway or patios. The concrete pieces will be shaped irregularly, so they will look much like flagstone. You use the pieces just as you would pavers. Dig out the area where you are laying the concrete pieces, put a base of sand, or crushed rock down first, lay the concrete down, and tap on it with a rubber mallet to make the pieces secure.

Building Around a Flowerbed

You can use the concrete pieces around your flowerbed to give it a nice look. Choose pieces that are about the same size so you can stack them evenly and make them level.  This may take time to find all the pieces you need, but once you are finished, they will be sturdy and will not shift as easily. When installing the pieces, dig down six to eight inches into the soil, and four inches of sand where you dug.

Place the concrete pieces in the trench you dug, and tap them down with a rubber mallet to press them into the sand. If there are any spaces between the concrete pieces, fill them in with either dry fast setting concrete mix, or sand.

A benefit of using concrete pieces around your flowerbed is it will keep weeds from growing into the bed.

Dressing Up the Concrete Pieces

The concrete pieces you have are likely plain gray. If you do not want this color for your landscaping, you can dress up the pieces by staining them. You can purchase this stain at most hardware stores. Follow the instructions on how to apply it.

You can stain the pieces a different color, or make them all the same color to give different appearances. One idea is to lay them on the ground, and plant flowers between the pieces to add even more color to your walkway or patio.

Using concrete for your landscaping not only looks good, but also is good for the environment. This is because you are keeping the concrete pieces out of the landfills.

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