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MASONS SUPPLY COMPANY
Oregon (800) 537-3407 ♦ Washington (800) 537-6216
Clackamas | Eugene | West Eugene | Hillsboro | Medford | Portland | Salem | Wilsonville | Ridgefield | Seattle | Tacoma | Woodinville
M A S C O . N E T
FORM TREATMENT
Form Release Guide
FORM RELEASE
Before application, forms need to be dry, clean and
free of rust. Rust and dirt will transfer to the concrete
surface. We often recommend treating new regular
plywood with a lime water solution prior to it's first use
in forming. This solution will neutralize the naturally
occurring wood sugars in the plywood.
Apply form releases only during dry weather.
Apply with a low pressure spray using a wide angle,
low flow, flat, fan type spray nozzle. Do not use a
spray nozzle designed for curing compounds, it will
over apply the material. All new wood forms require
a heavy application of form release prior to their
first use. This application should be heavy enough
to saturate the wood forms. Multiple coats of form
release are often necessary to accomplish this
saturation, and we recommend waiting at least 5 to
6 hours between coats. On smooth, dense forms, i.e.
steel or treated aluminum, the best performance will
be achieved by spraying the form release followed
by wiping down the forms with a clean soft cloth.
Do not over apply. Over application can result in
surface dusting and the formation of bug holes. Bug
holes are caused by the "curtaining" formed by the
excess release retarding the vertical movement of
the entrapped air as the concrete is consolidated;
rather than rising, the entrapped air follows the
line of the "curtaining" creating bug holes. Neutral
releases will not cause as much buildup on forms nor
will they cause dusting as the reactive release will in
the event of over application.
Avoid over spraying onto reinforcing steel; it may act
as a bondbreaker on reinforcing steel.
All form releases do not behave the same when
exposed to weather. In heavy rains, for example,
some light bodies form releases will wash off the
forms. We recommend checking the form release
you are using for its "body" or thickness.
Masons promotes 2 types of releases.
Reactive releases
that contain fatty acids that
react with the alkali in the concrete to form a soap,
a process known as saponification. The thin film of
soap created allows the form to easily release from
the concrete.
Neutral releases
contain fatty acids that is partially
neutralized. These are more forgiving than reactive
should they be over applied.
The following section has these 2 types of releases
broken down into sections for your identification.
Also included is a chart to show compatibility with
your form surface. If you have any questions that are
not covered in this section, call your nearest Masons
Supply branch for more information.