Concrete Patios in Manhattan, KS

Concrete Patios give a Manhattan, KS backyard a solid, flat place for a table, a grill and chairs, without the weeds and shifting of pavers or the upkeep of a wood deck. A patio is a simpler pour than a driveway, but it still needs a good base, the right slope and joints placed with some thought, because it sits right against your house.

July highs in Manhattan average about 91 degrees, and most of the year's rain falls from May to August. That means a patio has to shed hard rain away from the foundation and be pleasant to use on hot afternoons. Lighter colors and textured finishes stay cooler and give better footing when wet.

Sizing and layout

Think about the furniture first. A six-person table needs space all around it for chairs to slide back, and that takes more room than most people expect. A grill needs a clear zone away from siding. A hot tub or outdoor kitchen needs more concrete under it: HomeGuide lists 4 inches for a typical residential patio and 6 inches, with extra reinforcement, for heavy loads like hot tubs. We also check the back door threshold so the patio ends up low enough that rain can't run into the house.

Surface choices

• Broom finish: gray with a fine texture for footing. The least expensive option.
• Color: added to the mix or stained afterward to cut the glare of plain gray.
• Exposed aggregate: the surface paste is rinsed off to show the stone, giving a rough, grippy finish.
• Stamped: stone, slate or brick patterns; see our Stamped Concrete page.
• Contrasting border: an edge band in another color or texture.

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The build

Sod and topsoil come off, we dig down to firm ground and pack in a crushed rock base. The surface falls gently away from the house, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch per foot, enough to drain while chairs still sit flat. An isolation joint separates the slab from the foundation so the two can move independently. Then come reinforcement, air-entrained concrete, the finish and a joint layout planned to suit the patio's shape, followed by curing.

Old patio, new patio

On older houses, the small slab outside the back door has often sunk toward the house. If it tips water toward the foundation, it is worth replacing. We can remove it and pour a larger patio in its place, or extend a sound existing slab with a doweled joint so the two sections stay level.

Call (785) 509-7585 to talk about a patio in Manhattan or a nearby town.