Plywood, fiberboard, or metal joints, when oiled, can effectively break a bond and can be used many times. However, the initial cost is high and joint marks are left on the cast panels.

Canvas gives a very pleasing texture and is used where cast panels are lifted at an early stage. It should be either dusted with cement or sprinkled with water just before placing the concrete.

Oil gives good results when properly used, but is expensive. The casting slab must be dry when the oil is applied, and the oil must be allowed to absorb before the concrete is placed. Oil should not be used if the surface is to be painted, and crankcase oil should never be used.

Waxes, such as spirit wax (paraffin) and ordinary floor wax, give good-to-excellent results. One mixture that may be used is 5 pounds of paraffin mixed with 1 1/2 gallons of light oil or kerosene. The oil must be heated to dissolve the paraffin.

Liquid soap requires special care to ensure that an excess amount is not used or the surface of the cast panel will be sandy.

Materials should be applied after the side forms are in place and the casting slab is clean but before any reinforcing steel is placed. To ensure proper adhesion of the concrete, keep all bond-breaking materials off the reinforcing steel.

REINFORCEMENTS AND INSERTS. - Reinforcing bars (rebar) should be assembled into mats and placed into the forms as a unit. This allows for rapid assembly on a jig and reduces walking on the casting surface, which has been treated with the bond-breaking agent.

Extra rebars must be used at openings. They should be placed parallel to and about 2 inches from the sides of openings or placed diagonally across the corners of openings.

The bars may be suspended by conventional methods, such as with high chairs or from members laid across the edge forms. However, high chairs should not be used if the bottom of the cast panel is to be a finished surface. Another method is to first place half the thickness of concrete, place the rebar mat, and then complete the pour. However, this method must be done quickly to avoid a cold joint between the top and bottom layers.

When welded wire fabric (WWF) is used, dowels or bars must still be used between the panels and columns. WWF is usually placed in sheets covering the entire area and then clipped along the edges of the openings after erection.

If utilities are going to be flush-mounted or hidden, pipe, conduit, boxes, sleeves, and so forth, should be put into the forms at the same time as the reinforcing steel. If the utilities pass from one cast panel to another, the connections must be made after the panels are erected but before the columns are poured. If small openings are to go through the panel, a greased pipe sleeve is the easiest method of placing an opening in the form. For larger openings, such as air-conditioning ducts, forms should be made in the same manner as doors or windows.

After rebar and utilities have been placed, all other inserts should be placed. These will include lifting and bracing inserts, anchor bolts, welding plates, and so forth. You need to make sure these items are firmly secured so they will not move during concrete placement or finishing.

POURING, FINISHING, AND CURING. - With few exceptions, pouring cast panels can be done in the same manner as other pours. Since the panels are poured in a horizontal position, a stiffer mix can be used. A minimum of six sacks of cement per cubic yard with a maximum of 6 gallons of water per sack of cement should be used along with well-graded aggregate. As pointed out earlier though, you will have to reduce the amount of water used per sack of cement to allow for the free water in the sand. Large aggregate, up to 1 1/2 inches in diameter, maybe used effectively. The concrete should be worked into place by spading or vibration, and extra care must be taken to prevent honeycomb around outer edges of the panel.

Normal finishing methods should be used, but many finishing styles are available for horizontally Scast panels. Some finishing methods include patterned, colored, exposed aggregate, broomed, floated, or steel-troweled. Regardless of the finish used, finishers must be cautioned to do the finishing of all panels in a uniform manner. Spots, defects, uneven brooming, or troweling, and so forth, will be highly visible when the panels are erected.

Without marring the surface, curing should be started as soon as possible after finishing. Proper curing is important, so cast panels should be cured just like any other concrete to achieve proper strength. Curing compound, if used, prevents bonding with other concrete or paint.