The Greco's WFO - Long Island

[jmhepworth]

Re: The Greco's WFO - Long Island

OK, that's a lot of questions. Keep them coming. I'll share my experience and then the experts can weigh in with helpful information.

I don't see anything wrong with leaving the angle iron the way you have it. I did not recess mine into the block and it works fine. I also used concrete boad and liked that a lot more than making a form. You can buy "chairs" for the rebar or just put chunks of brick or stone on them to hold them up. Duct tape keeps the concrete in the form. And concrete is pretty thick. It doesn't flow through a 1/4 inch gap more than to make a mess that you will cover up with finishing material later on anyway. I brought concrete in from a place that pre-mixes it and puts it in a trailer. I still needed a lot of help to get it to the back yard, but it went a lot faster than mixing it on site. And you should be able to fill the cores and pour the slab at the same time. That's what I did.

[glindhout]

Re: The Greco's WFO - Long Island

I don't see a problem with the angle iron -- it usually only gets recessed if you're going to add another row of cement blocks on top, and you're using the dry stack method...

On my hearth, I tied the rebar into the pieces that were anchored in the block cores. To hold up the rebar in the center, you can buy many types of either plastic or wire rebar "stands" at your local home center, or just use a few small pieces of block or brick under the rebar.

To prevent the concrete from leaking out through and small gaps in the form, I just applied a layer of painters tape between the form and the top of the blocks... it held fine for the pour, and prevented the drips.

I would definitely rent a mixer... it took over 20 bags (60#) to fill the cores on my base, and about 38 bags to make the hearth. The mixer was a great investment for the $35. rental fee!

[dsgreco]

I have spent months reading on the forum and have finally started my build. Attached are pictures of the stand. I plan on filling the cores and pouring the hearth this weekend.

I have a few questions....

I plan on leaving the angle iron the way it is in the picture. The weight of the concrete board and the hearth poured over and around it should hold it in place. I dont see a reason to recess it into the concrete block. Does anyone see a problem with this?

The hearth will be 3.5 inches of concrete. I am not using an insulating concrete on top of that, I do plan on using the FB board placed after curing.

I am using 1/2 inch rebar about every 10". What is the best method to raise the rebar to the proper height within the hearth when pouring the concrete?

I left the rebar within the stand about 1.5" above the top so it will tie in the stand with the hearth.

When pouring the hearth, how do you prevent the concrete from leaking out through and small gaps in the form?

Should I rent a mixer to fill the cores and make the hearth, or can I do it by hand with the help of some friends?