Using the techniques learned for staking a patio or walk, you can move on to forming and pouring a wall footing.
Strong, straight forms make the best slabs. Slabs that bulge, tilt, or otherwise display sloppy construction mar the beauty of your project. There's no easy, inexpensive way to correct faults in concrete once it sets.
Inspect each piece of form lumber before buying it. Look for knots, splits, and other defects that could affect its strength. Wet concrete will push the form with a tremendous amount of force, so the forms need to be structurally sound.
Make your 2x4 stakes long enough to put at least 8 inches into the ground when the stake is driven to 1 inch below the top of the forms (this keeps the stake out of the way when you screed the concrete). Slabs wider than 8 feet require control joints. These cuts in the surface of the slab keep cracks from spreading randomly across the surface. You'll cut them after the concrete is poured, but you'll mark their location on the forms before you make the pour.
After you build the forms, pour and tamp a gravel base to the depth required by code. Then lay reinforcing wire mesh on dobies or bolsters on the gravel.
Prestart Checklist
Time
About 4-6 hours to build forms for a 10x10-foot slab with curves
Tools
Sledgehammer, circular saw, hammer, carpenter's level, mason's line, cordless drill
Skills
Measuring, cutting, leveling, driving stakes, fastening
Prep
Lay out and excavate the site.
Materials
Deck screws or nails, bender board, expansion strip, construction adhesive, 2x4 and 2x6 lumber
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