What is Wire Mesh?
(Also Called: Welded Wire Fabric (WWF) & Welded Wire Mesh)
- Wire mesh is a steel fabric building material that can be used in concrete slabs. More specifically, this grid of steel consists of many orthogonal wires that are joined together at intersections. For applications such as residential driveways and patios that require less structural integrity, wire mesh is a much more cost effective and efficient alternative than placing traditional rebar.
Methods to Placing Wire Mesh in Concrete:
Dobies/Chairs: Small concrete blocks or plastic chairs are placed between the base & the wire mesh to hold the wire mesh in the center of the slab. Both come in an assortment of sizes and ensure the wire mesh remains in the center of the slab.
Pour – Place – Pour: This involves pouring the concrete half of the slab thickness, placing wire mesh, and then finishing the pour. This method is not ideal, as the wire mesh is going to be pushed down when the concrete finishing crew steps on it during the finishing process.
Pull as You Go: This involves laying the wire mesh on the sub-base prior to the pour and pulling the wire mesh to the middle of the slab as the slab is poured. This method is not always recommended, as the wire mesh does not always end up in the center of the slab and can be pushed to the bottom when stepped on (similar to previous method).