Q&A for How to Tie Rebar

Instead of creating "squares" of mesh out of the bar, you are creating rectangles 12" long and 6" wide.

The edge of your slab should be thicker than the slab; this is called a turn down. In your turn down, you can have an extra piece of rebar running parallel to your upper rebar mat. If you're pouring a 4-inch pad, the turn down at the edge of the form can be 6 to 8 inches thick, with your reinforcement rebar off the ground.

You should use rebar chairs if you have them. If you don't, you could use bricks or rocks to elevate your steel, but they could fall over.

Normally, the slab bars are tied into the ring beam using a U-bar or L-bar, which also acts as cap for the end of the slab.

It depends on how much load you are going to have bearing down on the column, but you could use anything from a 10mm diameter up to a 32mm diameter rod.

The short answer is generally no. Only rebar with a w stamped on it can be welded. You also must be a qualified a welder and have a procedure planned to weld even these types of rebar.

There will be a high chance of rebars moving from position during concrete pouring. Reinforced concrete requires the rebars to be placed in the right position to support tensile or compression force.

The amount of concrete in a slab equals the length of slab times the width of the slab times the thickness of the slab. Make sure all the dimensions are converted to the same unit.

It depends. For a footing or other structure being poured on dirt, rock etc, where the bottom is in contact with the ground, no. However, for cold joints, or for elevated concrete -- where a form will be stripped off of the bottom and the concrete will be exposed -- yes.

A rebar mat tied 20% would generally entail ties 100% around the perimeter and every 5th intersection everywhere else where the ties are staggered so that in every direction, there is always a tie on at least every 5th intersection.