Concrete Pier Foundation Reinforcement

Mark the location for the piers with spray paint.

Dig a trench in the ground where the piers will be installed with a 1 1/2-ton excavator. Dig deep enough to go beneath the frost line to protect the piers from shifting as the ground freezes and thaws.

Insert waxed fiber tubes inside the plastic footers. The footers create a wide footprint for the piers to spread the weight they carry over a greater area, which prevents them from sinking into the ground.

Place the assembled pier forms into the trench. Mark the side of the tube to indicate the height at which you want the piers to extend out of the ground.

Remove the pier forms from the trench and cut the tubes with a utility knife where you marked them.

Measure the length of the pier form from the base of the footer to the top of the tube. Put on safety goggles. Cut number 4 or 5 rebar to the needed length with a reciprocating saw equipped with a steel-cutting blade. Cut a little over halfway through the rebar then snap it off at the cut. Use four pieces of rebar in each pier, unless your local building codes call for a different amount.

Place the pier forms back into the trench in their designated locations. Have an inspector review the footings if required by your local building codes.

Backfill the trench around the pier forms with dirt. Check the forms for level (horizontally straight) and plumb (vertically straight) as you backfill the trenches. Adjust the forms as needed.

Place a plastic footer upside-down on top of the tubes to act as a funnel for the concrete. You can either install a footer on each tube or re-use the same footer.

Fill the forms with concrete. Depending on how many piers you have and how deep in the ground they are, you may want to hire a concrete contractor to mix and pour the concrete. Work a shovel around inside the concrete, as you pour, to remove air bubbles.

Slide the rebar into the concrete per local building codes. Depending on your location, you may need to use a certain number of rebar rods in each pier or place the rebar in specific areas of the pier, such as near the center or the outer edges.

Smooth the surface of the concrete with a trowel and allow it to cure for at least four to five days before proceeding with the deck installation.