Sidewalks in Laval face salt, freeze-thaw cycles, and water pooling. We pour them to code width and slope, with joints placed so cracks stay hidden. Broom finish grips through ice. Free written estimate.
Sidewalk failure is predictable. A slab poured too thin cannot handle freeze-thaw stress. A base that is not compacted settles unevenly, and the slab follows. Joints spaced at random or too far apart force the concrete to crack wherever it wants, not where you planned.
When all three are done right, the sidewalk stays flat and sound for a decade or more. When one is wrong, you see spalling, settlement, and random fractures within two winters. The fix is not exotic, it is methodical: correct thickness, solid base, joints on a schedule.
Our patio work and driveway pours follow the same logic. If your existing sidewalk is failing in only a few spots, sidewalk repair may save money. If most of it is broken, replacement is the better choice.
Recent work
The sequence
Sidewalk Installation Step by Step
Mark the line and elevation
We stake the centerline, set the width, and establish the slope direction. Elevations are confirmed at both ends and any mid-walk transitions so water flows away from the house.
Dig and compact the base
The path is excavated to subgrade depth, the soil is compacted, soft spots are removed, and a layer of compacted gravel is placed to support the slab.
Set forms and reinforcement
Wooden or metal forms are set to the staked line and elevation. Rebar or wire mesh is positioned at mid-slab height. The base is screeded and checked for slope before the pour begins.
Pour, finish, and cure
Concrete is placed and screeded level, then bull-floated smooth. A broom is dragged across the surface for winter grip. Control joints are saw-cut on schedule, and the slab is protected during cure.
Water management
Slope Is the Difference Between Success and Failure
A sidewalk that slopes toward the house feeds water into the basement. A sidewalk poured level holds water on the surface until it freezes and spalls. The slope must be correct in direction and rate, and it must be confirmed before the pour, not after.
We also coordinate with any adjacent garage floor, entry steps, or neighboring patio so elevations meet cleanly and water flows as planned.
Width, thickness, cure time, joint spacing and when to repair versus replace.
A typical residential sidewalk is several feet wide depending on use and any local code; we confirm the dimension with you and any city or HOA requirement before forming. Custom widths for specific uses (a wider entry walk, a narrower garden path) are common.
A standard residential sidewalk slab is a few inches thick over the prepared base, reinforced with mesh or rebar. Sidewalks that will be driven over (a vehicle crossing) get poured thicker; we adjust based on the use you describe.
You can usually walk on a new sidewalk within a couple of days, but vehicles or heavy loads should wait longer for the concrete to gain full strength. Our crew leaves the schedule with you so you know when each load is safe.
Most old sidewalks crack because joints are spaced wrong, the base is wrong, or the slab is too thin. Correctly jointed slabs crack where the joints tell them to, which is invisible. We size joints to the slab and the conditions.
Yes, often. If only specific sections have failed, walkway repair can replace those sections to match the surrounding slab. Where most of the walk is failing, a full replacement is usually the better value.
Replaced our 30-year-old sidewalk that had four broken sections. New slab is straight, sloped right, broom finish has held grip through two winters with road salt. Worth doing once and properly.
Z. B.
Laval
★★★★★
New build sidewalk, exactly to code width, exactly to the engineer's elevation. Tie-in to the driveway was clean, no lip, water leaves the slab. Trades were impressed with the precision.
Y. J.
Montreal
★★★★★
They explained why our old sidewalk kept cracking, joints were spaced wrong. New one has joints in the right places and zero random cracks after a year. The lesson was free.
W. M.
Terrebonne
★★★★★
Long entry walk with two slope changes done in one pour. Clean joint pattern, level transitions, even broom finish across the whole length. Looks built into the house.
X. D.
Longueuil
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Practical reading on planning, finishes and caring for concrete in Laval.
