Minneapolis Concrete Patios and Slabs
Want a patio, shed pad or walkway poured, not a driveway for cars?
This page covers lighter-load slabs: backyard patios, seating pads, shed pads and similar flatwork. Vehicle driveways are on the driveway page. Patterned decorative work is on the stamped concrete page. Call (612) 800-0342 with a rough size.
Patio vs driveway loading
A patio or pad does not take the same wheel loads as a driveway. Thickness, joint layout and base still matter for freeze and thaw, but the section is built for people, furniture and light storage, not daily vehicle traffic. If cars will park on it, treat it as a driveway job instead.
Finish for wet months
Broom finish is the usual pick here. It gives grip when the slab is wet from snowmelt or spring rain. A hard-troweled smooth surface looks sleek, but it gets slick in our wet months. Colored or stamped options are available when you want a different look; see stamped concrete and the finish choices on the cost calculator.
Slabs, pads and small detached buildings
Shed pads and similar slab-on-grade pads follow the same frost and drainage logic as a patio. Minnesota building rules discuss sand-layer exceptions for some small detached buildings. That is a code topic for your permit path, not legal advice from us. We size the pad for the structure you describe and the site we see.
Joints, curing and the shoulder season
Control joints break up the slab so cracks form on a planned line instead of across the middle of the patio. In shoulder season, when nights still drop near freezing, curing blankets and mix choices help the slab set without early freeze damage. A patio mix should be air-entrained too, like any slab that sits outside through a Minnesota winter.
De-icers on a new patio can scale the surface the same way they do on a driveway. Until a new patio has made it through one winter, plain sand is the better way to deal with ice on it. Furniture with rusty feet or trapped water can also stain; we mention that when we talk finish and sealer options.
What moves the price
- Square footage
- Finish (broom, colored or stamped)
- Breaking up an old patio or slab before the pour (figured at a flat estimated $2 per sq ft)
- Site access and base prep
- Thickness for the use you have in mind
Patio, slab and walkway bands on the calculator share the same finish rates. For a rough range, open the concrete cost calculator and pick Patio or Slab.
How it works
- Call or send the form with the use (patio, pad or walkway) and a rough size.
- We measure, check drainage and subgrade, and settle thickness and finish.
- After you okay the scope, we set forms, pour the slab, finish it and leave cure steps.
Serving Minneapolis and surrounding areas.
Call (612) 800-0342 or send the form below.
- Use: patio, pad or walkway
- Rough square feet
- Old concrete to remove?
- Finish: broom, colored or stamped
- Any grade or drainage issues you already know about