Found a blog about repairing concrete forms that saved my Saturday

I had a big slab pour go sideways last weekend when my form boards bowed out in the middle. Found this tiny blog by some guy in Ohio who showed a trick using fiberglass stakes instead of wood - tried it on a 12 foot section and it held perfectly. Anyone else ever stumble on a niche repair blog that actually solved a real problem?

2 comments

2 Comments

dixon.daniel4d ago

Glad that blog saved your Saturday man. I had a similar mess last summer when my forms just buckled on a hot day and I ended up with a slab that looked like a wave. Found some old forum post where a guy showed wrapping the stakes with wire ties instead of just hammering them in. Tried it on my next pour and it was night and day different. Nothing worse than a form failure when you're out of daylight and the concrete is already in the truck.

ivangrant4d ago

Last year I heard a guy at a supply house talking about using spiral duct tape along the bottom edge of his forms. At the time I thought it sounded like overkill but then I tried it on a small walkway pour and it actually kept the concrete from leaking out underneath. @dixon.daniel what you said about the wire ties is something I want to look into next time. Ive been using the old trick of driving stakes at a slight angle away from the form but that wire trick sounds more solid. Nothing like watching fresh concrete start to push through a gap. It makes your stomach drop.