Concrete Forms For Sale

Concrete forms are essential for making sure that your concrete work comes out looking like you want it to, and in the shape that you want it to. There are two main ways for getting the forms that you are going to be using for the concrete slabs. You can either build your own concrete forms, or you can purchase concrete forms for sale and save yourself a lot of time in setting up the barrier around the slab you’re going to be pouring or working with. You can take a look at the steps required for building your own concrete forms below, and then get some help with purchasing them if you would rather spend money to save time, and have multiple-use concrete forms at your disposal.

How To Build Your Own Concrete Forms

Materials Needed

-2” x 6” Boards (4” Thick Slab)

-2” x 8” Boards (6” Thick Slab)

-Driving Stakes

-String Line

-Bubble Level

Required Steps

Step #1: First you are going to need to mark the perimeter of the area where you are going to be laying the slab. You will need to take measurements from another structure to ensure that the side of the concrete slab is squared off while you are setting it. If you do not have another structure to measure off of, you can usually eyeball where you want the slab, and then set one corner of the form. From the first corner that you set, you can then work out measuring the distance between the original stake, and where your second corner is going to be located. You will need to square off the other sides of the form from these first two stakes.

Step #2: Once you have all 4 stakes in place you can begin setting in the 2” x 6” boards, if you are building a 4” thick slab, or the 2” x 8” boards for a 6” thick slab. You need to keep in mind that the width of a 2” x 4” board is actually only 5 ¼” and that a 2” x 8” board is really only 7 ¼” thick, which means that you are going to need to bury both boards at least 1 ¼” down into the soil, to get the proper height for the form. Once you have sunk the boards down into the soil, and checked them for level, you can nail them to the stakes that you’ve already put in place. You will then want to add more stakes around the form to ensure that it is not going to be able to easily move. (Tip: Using a string line around the stakes you have already set is a great way to get the proper height for the form, as you are pounding the boards down into the soil.)

Step #3: Attach all of your stakes to the form that you have built. You want to avoid using a hammer for this portion of finishing the form, because of the problem of banging against the stakes, which will cause the form to shift positions. Use the 2-4-6 method, or a long square to make sure that the form is squared properly at the corners, and that the distance from corner to corner is the same on both sides of the form. As you are ready to begin attaching the boards to the stakes you will want to use heavy duty, coarse thread screws and a powerful screwgun to attach them. This is the safest method for ensuring that the form does not begin moving while you are working on it.

How To Buy Your Concrete Forms

If you would rather purchase concrete forms for sale, instead of laying out the stakes and boards yourself, you can save yourself a lot of time. You can find pre-cut forms that are already at the depth that you need, and the length or width that you require, or you can purchase forms that will need to be cut whenever you arrive to the jobsite. Pre-cut forms are generally more expensive, but provide much less hassles and time involved while you are preparing to pour the concrete slab, over forms that you will need to measure and cut yourself.