Anyone know where I can get some concrete footing cardboard form tubes. I only need a couple, or one long one! I need to put a couple of footings into the lawn which will be seen (can't be covered over) so would prefer to use a form to get it to look neater than a basic freeform hole!
What exactly are you trying to achieve, ie part footing below ground and part above. Whats the diameter, depth in ground, depth above.
Must admit I have never seen one I assume it's just a large dia loo roll centre! If so would the carboard tubes that come inside carpets be any good they are about 4" dia? If so I'm sure a local carpet shop would be happy to get rid of one. teabreak
try a plasterers bucket, that may do the trick, you would need to cut the bottom out and then when set cut the sides away.
Mick thats why I asked dimensions etc, I cant see cardboard holding much weight especialy once its gets wet. We would use a 5 gallon plastic drum, similar to the large feb containers, cut top and bottom of, cut straight up the side, then compress it to required diameter, hold together with tying wire. Incidently they are also good for filling rubble bags on your own, slip it inside bag, fill up then slide out.
Going by the response I take it these things aren't very common then! I have large tent/marque that can be bolted to the ground. It's going to be semi-permanent (6 months a year) and the soil is often so soft that the wind can easily pull up the main framework causing damage to the fabric and frame. I figured I could make some fairly neat footings if I had some tubes, but obviously the stuff I saw when I googled this was all american. obviously I can just dig some holes or use a bucket to ensure the visible part near the soil line looks fairly neat, I just wanted something that looked a lot better than what could be achieved by spade alone!
why not build a nice square form, dig down as far as you want, and cap the block with a nice paving slab that's level with the top of the grass or grade - with the anchors through the slab into the block make it look like a trendy feature
Yeah I don't need anything too big and heavy, and square is a lot more DIY friendly than making your own circular form!
I did something similar when the kids had a swing in the garden dug a hole filled it with concrete and use a large coffee tin about 10" dia split and held together with gaffer tape temp, to cast the above ground bit. I set some u shaped steel in the mix to bolt the tubes to. Regards teabreak
I did the same only on a smaller scale. Used a 2 litre coke bottles, ends cut off and got 4" tubes for the top and set fischer fixings in the stiffish concrete. Stopped filling the bulk of the hole 4" below ground level, coke ring brought it level, allowed to set, and re-done to bring turf level with that. Mr. HandyAndy - Really
I beleive they use carboard tubes in NZ to form round columns maybe up to 10 feet high, they must be strong and I suppose they will be waterproofed on the inside, my old mate there had columns suporting a walkway around his house and they were at least 8 foot high, you could see the spirall of the cardboard impressed on the outside surface.
hello what you have here dma is a tyical response from uk builders who are in the dark, with a small amount of innovation in the construction industry, yes builders in europe have been using these tubes for years and they work very well, and no don't become weak when wet, luckily somebody thought of that and the design stage! anyways i haven't seen them here at all as the type of idiots that work in builders merchants would just not be able to compute how a cardboard tube would work, so therefore won't entertain the idea, (already had a 'discussion' with some prat at jewsons who didn't even look to see if he could get a 3ply softwood board that most countries use instead of mdf) so i guess the good old google search i'm sure that somebody in the uk will have some but they may be hard to get! have fun sorry i couldn't be more help!
An old post I know but if you visit Defendapak they are UK based and will supply the forming tubes in any size you want.
If it's any help I've seen these tubes on a program called Decked Out. They use a big auger drill used to drill post holes in soil. About 10/12inch diameter. Then they push the cardboard tube into the hole. Then fill it with concrete. They then put a metal bracket on top that is used to hold the bottom of a wooden post in place to build the decking on. You might just hire the auger drill, drill the hole, then line it with a black bin bag with the bottom cut out. The hole sides will be enough formwork to hold the concrete. Or get a sheet of cardboard and roll it into a tube and use sellotape to hold it into a tube. Push it into to hole. Use defendapak
As said previously an old post, but far from dated. To help folks out there: these things are common enough in the UK and are very effective. I have used them in days gone by to extend 750 diameter bored piles. (The M25 is still passing happily over that bit of real estate). To find try ringing a local piling contractor: they may even have some offcuts you coud scrounge!
Downside of soil pipe is the slick surface which will not key to surrounding ground. Quick-tube fibre forms are widely used for deck foundations in US and are readily available from Home Depot and Lowes DIY stores. Don't know why they aren't in B&Q, Jewsons, etc! Another really good solution are conical "big foot" plastic sleeves that are simply dropped into a hole and filled with concrete with an embedded threaded bar for fixing. The steep taper is well gripped by surrounding soil and the large base area spreads loads well. Both solutions provide a neat looking finish on any above ground concrete. Sadly haven't found these in UK either yet.
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