How to Build Wood Forms for a House

Define the area where the concrete slab will be poured. Spray paint or stakes with string can be used to mark off the area.

Grade the defined area by raking, smoothing and leveling the ground. Use a soil tamper to pack and level the soil. Dirt or soil tampers can be purchased at garden supply and equipment stores or home improvement centers.

Install expansion joints if the concrete slab will be meeting the edge of an existing structure. Concrete expands and contracts with moisture and temperature variations. Expansion strips allow for stress in the form joints and can prevent random surface cracks. These are made of highly resilient material. Check with your local garden supply store or home improvement center regarding their use.

Hammer wood stakes in the earth every two feet along the defined area. The tops of the stakes should be the same height as the top of the boards used for the walls of the form. It is important that the top of the stakes and the top of the form walls be the same height so that the concrete can be checked to ensure that it is level.

Nail the 2-by-4 inch boards to be used as the sidewalls of your form to the stakes discussed in Step 4. The stakes keep the walls stable and keep the poured concrete from pushing the form pieces apart.

Apply concrete form oil to the inside walls of your form to prevent the concrete from sticking to the wood. This can be purchased from your concrete supplier. You are now ready to pour concrete.