How to build formwork
Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2025 9:49 am
The foundation of the porch is poured to ground level. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure its connection with the foundation of the building. For these purposes, holes are drilled in the foundation, into which studs or metal reinforcement are inserted. After pouring concrete with your own hands, you need to make sure that it fills the voids and air bubbles come out of it, due to which voids can form. A deep vibrator or pieces of reinforcement are perfect for these purposes, which must be used to methodically pierce the thickness of the solution. Additionally, reinforcement can be inserted along the perimeter of the foundation for the porch, which will protrude above its level. This is necessary for connection with the steps. Strengthening will occur over several weeks. During this time, it is advisable to cover the base with a waterproofing material, as shown in the photo, which will prevent rapid evaporation of moisture. A video on how to bend reinforcement is below.
The formwork in the case of a semicircular porch has some employment data during construction. It will not be enough to simply knock down the boards that will prevent the solution from leaking. They must be of the required shape for the porch. For these purposes, you can use:
board or plywood;
galvanized metal;
plastic sheets.
For a small radius, you can try using a regular board with a small thickness or plywood. First, the elements must be soaked in water. Due to the moisture gain, they will become more elastic. After this, the boards are bent to the required diameter and clamped in this state until dry. After drying, they will retain the shape of the future porch. But to carry out such an operation when building a porch with your own hands, you need to spend a lot of effort. Therefore, it will be easier to use galvanized metal. This material bends well, so it will not be difficult to give it the desired shape. Less often, plastic lining panels are used. Plastic can withstand the light weight of the solution, so it is suitable for a small porch.
The formwork can be made for all the steps at once or gradually built for each step separately. In any case, a wooden frame will be required to hold the sheets. They can be screwed to the bars with regular screws. It will be necessary to install transverse struts that will hold the shape of the porch steps within the required limits.
The formwork in the case of a semicircular porch has some employment data during construction. It will not be enough to simply knock down the boards that will prevent the solution from leaking. They must be of the required shape for the porch. For these purposes, you can use:
board or plywood;
galvanized metal;
plastic sheets.
For a small radius, you can try using a regular board with a small thickness or plywood. First, the elements must be soaked in water. Due to the moisture gain, they will become more elastic. After this, the boards are bent to the required diameter and clamped in this state until dry. After drying, they will retain the shape of the future porch. But to carry out such an operation when building a porch with your own hands, you need to spend a lot of effort. Therefore, it will be easier to use galvanized metal. This material bends well, so it will not be difficult to give it the desired shape. Less often, plastic lining panels are used. Plastic can withstand the light weight of the solution, so it is suitable for a small porch.
The formwork can be made for all the steps at once or gradually built for each step separately. In any case, a wooden frame will be required to hold the sheets. They can be screwed to the bars with regular screws. It will be necessary to install transverse struts that will hold the shape of the porch steps within the required limits.