How to Frame for a Collapse While Pouring Concrete

When pouring a concrete wall or a porch with a set of stairs, it’s crucial to set your forms correctly to avoid a collapse when you pour the concrete. Cement is a heavy substance, but it is also difficult to control when wet. The weight and force of wet concrete can easily push against framework that isn’t adequately secured, causing a collapse and a big mess in the process.

Things You'll Need

• Wooden or metal stakes
• Hammer
• 2 by 4s
• 3 1/2 -inch grabber screws
• Power screwdriver

Instructions

1. Determine the number of stakes and 2-by-4s you’ll need based on the length of the project on which you are working. For instance, if you are pouring a retaining wall that is 10 feet long, you will need eight 2-by-4’s and eight stakes: a 2-by-4 and a stake to secure it for every 2 feet along the bottom of the forms and one for every 3 feet along the top of the forms.

2. Set your panels or forms in the positions you want them. Brace a 2-by-4 at each end of the panel. Butt them up against the bottom panel, approximately 1 foot up from the ground. Secure them in place by firmly pounding a stake into the ground at the end of the 2-by-4 with the hammer, and screwing the top end of the 2-by-4 to the panel with a screw and the screwdriver. Repeat the placing of 2-by-4s every two feet along the bottom of the panel.

3. Brace a 2-by-4 at each end of the panel, butted up against the top of the panel in approximately a 45-degree angle, about 2 feet down from the top of the panel. Secure them in place by firmly pounding a stake into the ground at the end of the 2-by-4 with the hammer. Screw the top end of the 2-by-4 to the panel with a screw and the screwdriver. Repeat the placing of 2-by-4s every three feet along the top of the panel.

Tips & Warnings

• If you’re pouring a object with corners, such as a porch or set of steps, you will need to brace the corners at the top and bottom in the same way described here. Screwing an “L” bracket on each corner will further aid in keeping the forms in place and unmoved by wet concrete.

• If you are pouring a wall that has a form on either side (unlike the retaining wall which is poured with one form), you won’t need as many braces. You will only need one every 6 to 8 feet along the bottom and the top on either side of the wall.

• Pouring the concrete wet (with a lot of water in the mix) will increase your chances of collapse during a pour. If you are mixing the concrete yourself, mix it fairly dry. If you are ordering it from a concrete supplier, order a 3 1/2-inch slump. The "dry" concrete will require you to tap your forms with a hammer as the concrete is poured into the forms to make sure the surface of your wall is smooth and not pitted or rocky when you remove the panels.

References

• Matt Siaperas, owner; Customcrete; Pocatello, Idaho

Resources

• "Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures"; Steven Kosmatka; January, 2011