The term "Pedestal", so far in the Civil Engineering field is concerned, is a compressive structural member which is provided in between the footing and column, in order to transfer the load uniformly into What is a Pedestal?

In early times, the pedestals were not much in use. It is later found out, when the loads are (dead load & live load) are subjected to the column, the column transfers the loads to the footing. Without a compression member, the loads act in the footing, and not being uniformly spread in the total footing. To reduce this tendency of loads, the pedestal is adopted for the construction of footing & column. Also, pedestals are designed with different types for different applications, such as Adjustable Plastic Pedestal, Paving Pedestal,Pedestal for Decking, etc.

Construction of Pedestal

A pedestal designed for a small load-bearing column has no reinforcements and is less than three times its width in height. It is common to use hollow concrete blocks and fill the hollow place with concrete. However, this is only applicable to small load ranges. However, the construction and design of footbridges for major loads are similar to those of reinforced columns. The pedestals also incorporate reinforcement. However, it only represents 0.15 percent of the cross-sectional area.

Vertical reinforcement, ties, and dowels are necessary for pedestals whose height is more than three times their width. For the column and the pedestal, the mortar is the same. It is theoretically possible to reinforce in the same way as footing, but it is not feasible in practice. A pedestal should have a larger area of contact with a column than its height to prevent bending and shearing.

To finish a great pedestal, a Tile Leveler is also indispensible.

Tile leveling systems are a very common on-site tool that is designed for levelling and preventing the creation of lippage during tile installations. They help to interlock the tiles, ensuring that the tiles remain level once laid, and you achieve a smooth and flat surface while the adhesive dries. The levelling system helps to lower the tile that sits higher, until it is level with the adjacent tile.

A complete levelling system consists of two or three main components: strips, caps or wedges & pliers. These components are used to help prevent the movement of tiles when setting, to leave you with a level surface. Excepet for these, Tile Leveling Clips, Tile Leveling Wedges and Contour Gauge are needed as well.

Once the adhesive has dried and you are ready to remove the strips, simply remove using a rubber mallet, to knock the strips & caps out of the grout line. Make sure to knock your clips in the same direction as grout joint to achieve the best break and have no parts of the clip remaining. Remember Levelling systems are designed to help level the tiles and not space them. We recommend also using slightly larger spacers than the clips in the corners of the tiles.