How to Pour a 5×3 Concrete Pad for Trash Cans
Never worked with concrete before? This guide walks you through a small, practical first project: a level, durable pad that keeps trash cans out of dirt and mud—without paying a contractor.
Before You Buy Anything
- Confirm that three bins actually fit inside a 60 × 36-inch rectangle.
- Make sure the pad will not block a gate, vent, meter, drain, or utility access.
- Choose a dry day between roughly 50°F and 80°F, with no rain expected for 24 hours.
- Call 811 before digging, even though the excavation is shallow.
- Plan a slight slope away from the house—never toward it.
- Arrange for one helper on pour day. Twelve bags are a lot for one first-timer to mix quickly.
How Much Concrete Do You Need?
Each 60 lb. bag yields about 0.45 cu. ft.
5 ÷ 0.45 = 11.1 bags. Add a safety margin: buy 13 bags.
Using 60-pound bags is easier on your back than using 80-pound bags. Keep the extra bag sealed; if the base is perfectly accurate and you do not need it, you can return it according to the store’s policy.
Home Depot Shopping List
Product availability and prices vary by store. The links below identify the type of product you need; an equivalent in-stock brand is fine.
| Quantity | Material | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| 13 bags | Quikrete 60 lb. Crack-Resistant Concrete Mix | Fiber-reinforced, 4,000 PSI, approximately 0.45 cu. ft. per bag. Do not buy fast-setting post mix. |
| 6 bags | Pavestone 0.5 cu. ft. Paver Base | Crushed, compactable base—not decorative pea gravel. |
| 1 | 2 in. × 6 in. × 10 ft. inexpensive lumber | Cut into two 5-foot form boards. |
| 1 | 2 in. × 6 in. × 8 ft. inexpensive lumber | Cut into two 3-foot form boards; save the scrap. |
| 1 pack | 24 in. wood grade stakes, 6-pack | Used outside the form to prevent movement. |
| 1 small box | 3 in. exterior construction screws | Easier to remove than nails. |
| 1 strip, if beside a wall or existing slab | Quikrete ½ in. × 4 in. × 5 ft. Expansion Joint | Separates the new pad from the house foundation or existing concrete. |
| As needed | Plastic sheeting | Used to cover the slab while it cures. |
| A small amount | Vegetable oil or commercial form release | A very thin coating helps the wood release later. |
Tools You Need
Borrowing tools is the easiest way to keep this project inexpensive. For a one-time pad, you do not need professional finishing equipment.
- Tape measure, pencil, string, and four layout stakes
- Square—or use the diagonal measurement method below
- Shovel and garden rake
- Hand tamper for soil and gravel
- 4-foot level
- Circular saw, handsaw, or Home Depot cutting service
- Drill/driver and exterior screws
- Wheelbarrow or large concrete mixing tub
- Hoe or shovel for mixing
- Straight 2×4 at least 5 feet long for screeding
- Wood or magnesium hand float
- Finishing trowel and a concrete edger
- Clean, stiff-bristle push broom
- Bucket or marked container for measuring water
- Waterproof gloves, eye protection, long sleeves, boots, and an N95 for dry dust
Step-by-Step Instructions
Choose the finished height and drainage direction
The slab should sit slightly above the surrounding soil so rainwater does not collect on it. If it is next to the house, slope the surface away from the wall by about ⅛ inch per foot. Across a 3-foot depth, the outside edge should be approximately ⅜ inch lower than the house side.
Do not pour concrete directly against siding or stucco weep screed. Keep required clearances and use an expansion-joint strip against a foundation or existing concrete.
Mark a 5×3-foot rectangle
Drive four temporary stakes and run string around the inside dimensions: 60 inches by 36 inches. Measure both diagonals. A perfectly square 5×3 rectangle has diagonals of almost exactly 70 inches. Adjust the corners until both diagonal measurements match.
Excavate about 6 inches
Remove grass, roots, loose soil, and organic material. Dig enough for approximately 2 inches of compacted paver base plus 4 inches of concrete. The exact excavation depth depends on how high you want the finished slab above the nearby soil.
Keep the bottom reasonably flat. Do not simply pour over soft dirt or grass; that is one of the fastest ways to create settlement and cracks.
Compact the native soil
Lightly dampen dusty soil—do not make mud—and compact it firmly with the hand tamper. Walk across it. If your shoes leave deep impressions, compact again.
Build and secure the wood form
Assemble the two 5-foot and two 3-foot boards into a rectangle. Verify the inside measurements and the two 70-inch diagonals. Drive stakes outside the boards and screw the form to the stakes. Stake every corner and the middle of each 5-foot side.
Use the level to set the top of the form at the finished elevation, including the slight slope away from the house. The form must feel solid; wet concrete is heavy and will push weak boards outward.
Add the expansion joint where needed
If one edge touches the house foundation, an existing patio, or another concrete slab, install the ½-inch expansion-joint strip between the old surface and the new pour. The new pad should not be bonded directly to the house.
Add and compact the paver base
Spread the base in two approximately 1-inch layers. Lightly dampen and compact each layer before adding the next. Measure from the compacted base to the top of the form: you want close to 4 inches throughout, with no deep pockets.
Prepare everything before opening the first bag
Place all 13 bags nearby. Measure water, position the mixing tub, wet the tools lightly, and have the screed board, float, edger, broom, and plastic ready. Concrete does not pause while you search for a tool.
Beginner recommendation: one person mixes continuously while the other places and levels the concrete. Start early in the day and avoid hot sun or strong wind.
Mix one bag at a time
Follow the water amount printed on the bag. Begin with the lower amount, mix thoroughly, and add only small amounts of water as needed. The mix should resemble thick oatmeal or stiff peanut butter—not soup. Excess water weakens concrete and increases cracking.
Pour each batch next to the previous wet batch and keep moving so the entire pad is placed continuously.
Place, consolidate, and screed
Use the shovel to push concrete into corners and along the form. Jab the mix gently with the shovel to release trapped air. Slightly overfill the form.
Rest the straight 2×4 on both form edges. With a helper, move it side to side in a short sawing motion while pulling it across the slab. Fill low areas immediately and screed them again.
Float the surface—then wait
After screeding, use the hand float in broad arcs to close small holes and bring the surface together. Do not try to make it perfect yet.
Water may rise to the surface. This is called bleed water. Do not trowel it in and do not add dry cement on top. Wait until the sheen disappears before continuing.
Edge and apply a broom finish
Run the edger around the perimeter once the concrete can hold the rounded edge. Smooth only obvious ridges with the finishing trowel. When a broom leaves clean lines without pulling stones, drag it once across the surface in straight, overlapping passes.
A light broom finish is safer when wet and is easier for a beginner than a perfectly smooth trowel finish.
Cure it slowly
Once the surface is firm enough that plastic will not mark it, cover it loosely with plastic sheeting and weigh down the edges. Keep the slab protected from rapid drying for several days.
- Remove the forms carefully after about 24–48 hours.
- Keep people and pets off for at least 24 hours.
- Wait at least 48–72 hours before rolling full trash cans onto it.
- Concrete continues gaining strength for about 28 days.
Backfill soil around the edges after removing the form, but keep soil below the top surface so water can drain away.
Beginner Mistakes to Avoid
Adding too much water
Soupy concrete feels easier to spread but cures weaker and is more likely to crack or dust.
Skipping compaction
Concrete is only as stable as the soil and base beneath it.
Mixing alone too slowly
For 12–13 bags, recruit a helper or rent a small mixer so every batch joins while still wet.
Making it perfectly level
Outdoor concrete needs a small slope so water moves away from the house.
Finishing over bleed water
Wait for surface water to disappear; trapping it can weaken the top layer.
Using it too soon
A surface can look dry while the concrete underneath is still gaining strength.
How to Save Money Without Cutting Corners
- Borrow a tamper, wheelbarrow, level, saw, and finishing tools.
- Ask Home Depot to make the four form-board cuts if you do not own a saw.
- Use 60-pound bags instead of paying for concrete delivery on such a small project.
- Use fiber-reinforced concrete so this light-duty pad does not require a separate sheet of wire mesh.
- Keep one bag unopened as a reserve and return it if it is not needed and store policy permits.
- Do the excavation and form work one day, then pour early the following morning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I pour directly over dirt?
You can physically do it, but it is not a good beginner shortcut. Loose or organic soil settles. A compacted soil subgrade plus approximately 2 inches of compacted paver base gives this small pad a much better foundation.
Do I need rebar or wire mesh?
For this small, non-structural trash-can pad, fiber-reinforced crack-resistant mix simplifies the project and is designed for many slab-on-grade uses without wire mesh. This does not apply to driveways, buildings, or structural slabs.
Can I use fast-setting concrete?
It is not recommended for a first full slab. It shortens your working time and makes it easier to end up with visible batch lines. Use regular or crack-resistant concrete mix.
Does the slab need a control joint?
A 5×3-foot pad is small enough that a control joint is usually unnecessary. Proper base preparation, fiber-reinforced mix, correct water, and curing matter more. Concrete can still develop hairline cracks; no method guarantees a crack-free slab.
How much should the pad slope?
About ⅛ inch per foot away from the house is appropriate for this project. Across 3 feet, that is approximately ⅜ inch of total drop.
