How to Prevent Pillow Out When Pouring Concrete

Nothing can ruin a concrete pour project faster than losing the structure due to faulty planning. If the wall of a project "pillows out" the wall of the pour area, you can end up with a time consuming project on your hands. With proper planning you can prevent "pillowing" from happening in the first place.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Make sure the structure you are pouring the concrete into is structurally sound. Concrete, whether wet or dry, is incredibly heavy, so pouring into a flimsy cardboard box is a bad idea. Use a sturdier material like wood.
2. Mix the concrete properly. Moving the concrete too much in the mold can cause it to stay to one side, and can increase the pressure on one side of the pour area. You can also end up with pillowing if the gravel and cement separate from each other and cause the pins on the snap ties to pop, which causes your walls to pillow out.
3. Remove air bubbles, but don't cause a swift shift of the concrete. If there are large air bubbles trapped, the concrete can move quickly across the pour area and put pressure on the walls or can even break the supports.
4. Use supports if pillowing out occurs. If the worst happens and the walls of your pour begin to sag and pillow out, supports against the side like blocks or pieces of heavy wood can be pressed against the outer side of your pour. If this happens, be careful to avoid spilling concrete over the side of the pour area. If too much pressure is on the wall, pillowing out could be the least of your worries, and a blow out can occur on the side of the pour area.

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