The choice of concrete as a material for pillars is based on the price-quality ratio. For little money we get quite beautiful and durable posts. They look massive due to their diameter of 160 mm. Also, if desired, they can be decorated with some kind of texture. Concrete does not require maintenance. Over time, it does not deteriorate, rust or rot. The most suitable option for a summer cottage.
How to make round concrete pillars with your own hands
We make the formwork for the pillars from a 3 m long sewer pipe. We cut off the socket and divide the pipe in half in the transverse and longitudinal directions. As a result, the height of the formwork reached a length of 145 cm.
The presence of a longitudinal cut allows you to open the formwork in order to remove it from the pole. We coat the inside of the pipe with sanding so that the concrete does not stick to the walls of the pipe and is easier to remove from it.
We fix the formwork so that it does not burst with concrete. To achieve this, we tried tying wire, bolted mounting tape, and a combination of both. All of these options turned out to be labor-intensive and not very reliable.The simplest and most reliable method of fastening the formwork turned out to be clamps, which were installed on the pipe in increments of an average of 20 cm.
We install the finished formwork on a pre-filled strip foundation on piles, along the edges of which metal pillars were concreted. We will increase their length by welding to a height of 140 cm. We place the formwork with the seam inside the span, then when it is filled, the seam will close and will not be visible.
We start by pouring the corner pillars in order to stretch the cord along them, with the help of which we align all the pillars in one line. Then we place the formwork axisymmetrically on the metal posts.
We lay the concrete into the formwork using a plastic motor oil canister with the top cut off. As the pipe is filled with concrete, we check the line along the cord and the vertical installation using a building level.
Having completely filled the pipe with concrete, we begin to compact it using hammer blows on the outer surface of the formwork. At the same time, you can see how the concrete in the pipe shrinks, and water begins to seep through the cracks between its halves.
When the concrete inside the formwork has partially hardened, we begin to remove the pipe. If the formwork is assembled using wire, unwind it. We do the same with clamps. Then we take small wooden blocks, insert them into the crack of the pipe from above and begin to move it down. After this, we easily remove the formwork from the pole.
Having cleared the pipe of concrete from the inside and lubricated it with mining, we use it to form the next pillar.
