Wire mesh reinforcement placement in a mortar bed — wrong versus right
Wire reinforcement belongs at mid-depth on chairs — not flat on the subfloor, where it does nothing.
What this diagram shows
Two cross-sections compared. Wrong: the welded-wire mesh lies flat on the subfloor at the bottom of the mortar bed, where it sits below the cracking plane and adds no strength. Right: the mesh floats at mid-depth on chairs so it reinforces the slab, as required by ANSI A108.1A for beds over 65 square feet using 2-by-2-inch 16-gauge galvanized wire.
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Free floor mud / deck mud calculator. Bag count, mortar bed volume & cement-sand ratios for shower pans, pre-slope & flat floors per ANSI A108.1A.
