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While there are many reasons for smooth, featureless walls, when you want the look of stone, brick, wood or other high-end architectural finishes, patterned concrete makes an attractive, inexpensive substitute. Shapes and textures can be easily created by using architectural forms, formliners, formliners that embed thin bricks or blocks, and block forms.

Architectural forms
The Arch-Crete textured forming system uses a high-impact and wear-resistant composite material to create lightweight wall panel forms. "Arch-Crete was created to simplify the process of creating decorative concrete for precast, tilt-up and cast-in-place applications," says Paul Munro of Arch-Crete.

Each 3-ft. by 6-ft. panel weighs an average of 57 lbs., making them easy to transport. These forms are assembled by the same methods as steel and aluminum forming systems, although Arch-Crete has designed new forming fasteners and hardware to improve ease of use. A dynamically designed reinforcement grid matrix provides maximum strength during the pouring process, limiting deflection to provide uniform concrete finishes.

The form panels have been lab tested for durability and rated at more than 1,500 pours. These forms do not absorb water, so concrete does not stick to them. Six face textures are available, including boulder stone, castle cut stone and river rock.

Formliners
Contractors who already own forms or who want a broad choice of surface patterns may prefer formliners. Formliners save contractors time and money compared to placing a stone or brick veneer on a completed smooth wall.