My contractor is building a form for a retaining wall using plywood. He doesn’t have any release agent on the plywood. He claims it is not an issuse since he will not be using the plywood again. I’m concerned that when he removes the plywood the wall will not look smooth. Is my concern warranted?
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Depends on the grade of ply.
If it is just DF or similar and has no paper face then yes the crete will stick to it and that will cause the wall to mirror the appearance of the wood face. Plus if the face ply isn't at least sanded and patched (CCPTS) then every knot , seam etc in the ply face will be reflected in the finished wall surface as a protuberance. Even CCPTS will leave the grain pattern and the plugs reflected in the finished surface but at least the wall should come out smooth.
Is the wall such a feature that this will be a problem?
Edited 8/15/2008 12:46 am by dovetail97128
Not really... Thanks!
If you had asked for a grain relief on the face he'd charged you a premium and done nothing different. So consider this a bonus.