Abstract:
A form for use with a flowable construction material including a base portion having a front and rear face and a reinforcement matrix secured to the rear face. At least the base portion of the form is a non-metallic, non-wooden material. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/437,380, filed Dec. 31, 2002, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/491,355, filed Jul. 31, 2003, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. The present invention relates generally to a construction forming system and more specifically to a poured forming system retained using re-usable light-weight plastic forms. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Poured forming systems are well known for the formation of building structures including foundations, walls, floors, and roofs. Typically, a form is created for receiving a flowable, hardenable material, most typically a cementitous material such as concrete. The form includes a face surface for contacting the flowable material.  
           [0003]    Most often the form is produced predominantly from wood. The flowable material contacts a generally planar wooden face and cures into its final orientation. However, wood naturally contains oil. The oil mixes with the flowable material, separating any water contained within the flowable material away from the material. The separated water is absorbed into the wooden form, causing water damage to the wooden form. Furthermore, water stains the front surface of the structure before the structure can completely cure. Additionally, the wooden form is often destroyed upon separation from the flowable material, but includes the advantage of low cost.  
           [0004]    More recently aluminum forms have been used in place of the wooden forms. An advantage of the aluminum forms is that they may include one of a limited number of patterns lightly etched into the face, such that when the flowable material contacts the etched surface, it takes on the mirror image of the pattern. However, aluminum forms have a number of significant disadvantages. For example, the forms are heavy, complicating assembly and disassembly as well as transport. Further, while reusable, the etched patterns are easily subject to damage, and may be readily gouged or otherwise defaced. Moreover, the forms are very expensive to manufacture, particularly with respect to providing a consistent pattern from form to form as they are secured together. Yet a further problem is that only a very limited number of simple, lightly etched patterns may be used, which does not extend more than a slight percentage of the total thickness of the form.  
           [0005]    To address the problems of both wooden and aluminum forms, at least one company has created a thin form liner that is disposed between the face of a traditional form and the flowable material. The form liner typically includes a lightly etched pattern. Once the material has cured and the form is removed, the liner is then stripped away from the flowable material. Such a liner is subject to a number of major problems. In view of its limited thickness, it readily expands or contracts because of changes in temperature. As a result, the liners can only be used in a very limited temperature range without damage to the liners or aberrations to the pattern itself. Further, even when used at optimal temperatures, many flowable materials such as type 3 concrete with accelerators create high heat during the curing process, which damages the liner. The liners are also difficult to secure to the face of the form, which results in non-optimal pattern distribution from form to form. As with the aluminum forms, only a limited number of thinly etched patterns may be used. Moreover, the use of a deeper pattern is often not possible without damage to the liner or at the very least significant distortion to the pattern.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The present invention relates to a form for use with a flowable construction material. The form includes a base portion having a front and rear face and a reinforcement matrix secured to the rear face. At least the base portion of the form is a non-metallic, non-wooden material. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1A is a front view of a form in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional planar view of the form taken along lines  1 A- 1 A in FIG. 1.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2A is a rear view of a form in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional planar view of the form taken along lines  2 A- 2 A in FIG. 2.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the form in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the alternate form in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a further alternate embodiment of the form in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the further alternate form in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 7 is a rear view of a wall forming system in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the wall forming system, showing a portion of the retention mechanism in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the wall forming system, showing an alternative embodiment of the retention mechanism.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the wall forming system, showing a further alternative embodiment of the retention mechanism.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a finished wall using the form system of the present invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a hollow wall forming system using opposing sets of forms separated by spacers for receiving flowable material.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 13 is a different perspective view of the system of FIG. 12.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an isolated alternate spacer in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the wall forming system, illustrating the alternative spacer in an installed position.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 16 is a side view of a further alternate spacer using an opening through the faces of opposing forms in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a curb form in accordance with the present invention.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0026]    Referring now to the Figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the several figures, FIGS. 1A and 2A illustrate front and rear faces  22 ,  24  of an innovative construction form  20  made from a non-metallic material, while FIGS. 1B and 2B are taken along lines  1 A- 1 A and  2 A- 2 A, respectively, to show a top and bottom view of form  20 .  
         [0027]    More specifically, FIG. 1A illustrates front face  22  of form  20 , with a series of cavities  26  extending inwardly from the otherwise generally planar front face  22 . However, it can be appreciated that cavities  26  may also extend outwardly from front face  22 . As discussed in greater detail below, cavities  26  can be deep. Front face  22  includes a base portion  28  of form  20 . In significant contrast with the prior art, cavities  26  may extend on the order of one-half to three-quarters or even more of the total overall thickness “T” of form  20 . FIGS. 1B and 2B illustrate an example of the depth of cavities  26 . The illustrated form  20  is intended to mimic rocks extruding from rear surface  24  of form  20 .  
         [0028]    Cavities  26  optionally include holes  27  that extend from front face  22  through rear face  24 . It can be appreciated that holes  27  are not limited to being disposed within cavities  26  and may be disposed anywhere along front face  22  of form  20 . However, holes  27  are not always desired since they can affect the appearance of the finished product.  
         [0029]    The rear surface  24  of form  20  includes an integral honeycombed reinforcement matrix  30  which extends away from rear face  24 . Rear face  24  also includes base portion  28  of form  20 . In the illustrated embodiment, reinforcement matrix  30  includes a plurality of horizontally and vertically extending braces  32 ,  34  integral with base portion  28  of form  20 . In some instances, cavities  26  may intersect braces  32  or  34 , thereby providing cavities  26  with additional structural support. In general, braces  32 ,  34  are equally spaced from each other. However, as shown in FIG. 2A, spacing of braces  32 ,  34  may be non-uniform in regions where additional rigidity or support is required to minimize unwanted movement of form  20  when in an installed orientation. In the illustrated embodiment, braces  32 ,  34  representing the outer periphery of the form  20  are wider in dimension “A” than the inner braces. However, the braces  32 ,  34  representing the outer periphery of form  20  may also be of the same thickness as inner braces. It is also envisioned that additional bracing, such as members extending diagonally between select horizontal or vertical braces, may be helpful for some applications. For example, additional bracing may be required when a very deep pattern is used, such as one that extends inwardly from the front face  22  to a significant percentage of the total thickness “T” of form  20 . Another example may be when a particularly complicated pattern is desired. Thus, thickness, depth, numbers, and orientation of the braces  32 ,  34  may all be modified as desired to provide the optimal balance between weight and necessary rigidity of form  20  based on the pattern being used.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate an alternate embodiment of the present invention. Reinforcement matrix  30 ′ of forms  20 ′ include webbings  35  and supports  37  and  37 ′. Supports  37  and  37 ′ are intermittently spaced between sections of webbings  35 . The webbings  35  include orifices  33 . The orifices  33  provide webbings  35  with a cushion to protect form  20 ′ against inadvertent side impacts, especially during assembly and disassembly of forms  20 ′ when webbings  35  may be physically struck. In essence, orifices  33  absorb a substantial amount of the force exerted on reinforcement matrix  30 ′. Moreover, webbings  35  allow for weight reduction of form  20 ′. As illustrated, webbing  35  may be positioned in close proximity to another webbing  35  for additional cushioning. Moreover, placing two webbings  35  in close proximity to one another allows form  20 ′ to be divided into sub-units (not shown) if desired. Accordingly, each sub-unit may include at least one webbing  35 . It should be noted that while FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate orifices  33  varying in size, orifices  33  may also be of uniform size.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 5 illustrates form  20 ′ as having a staggering vertical outer periphery. The staggering vertical outer periphery of form  20 ′ may assist a user when joining two or more forms  20 ′ together. The staggering outer periphery of form  20 ′ provides for easier alignment of adjoining forms  20 ′, than the straight outer periphery of forms  20 . Moreover, once forms  20 ′ are secured together, the staggering outer peripheries of forms  20 ′ provides a greater retaining force of forms  20 ′. FIG. 6 illustrates adjoining forms  20 ′ positioned to form an interlocking unit. Securement of forms  20  and  20 ′ are discussed in greater detail below. While the present invention illustrates the vertical outer periphery as being staggering, the present invention can also be practiced with the horizontal outer periphery as being staggering. It should be further noted that reinforcement matrix  30 ′ of form  20 ′ may be interchanged with reinforcement matrix  30  of form  20 . Furthermore, reinforcement matrix  30 ′ performs substantially the same function as reinforcement matrix  30  and provides the same advantages as reinforcement matrix  30  as well as the additional advantages noted above.  
         [0032]    As best illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4,  5 ,  6 ,  12 ,  13 , and  15  outer vertical brace  34  of form  20  includes a plurality of openings  40  spaced between top  44  and bottom  46  of form  20 . Openings  40  are located between recess  45 . Recesses  45  are discussed in greater detail below. Additionally, horizontal braces  32  associated with top  44  and bottom  46  of form  20  may also include openings  40 , and recesses  45 , spaced along each horizontal brace  32 .  
         [0033]    Openings  40  assist in constructing an overall wall forming system  50  in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention as shown in the Figures. Wall forming system  50  includes a plurality of forms  20 . Forms  20  are aligned such that openings  40  of adjacent forms  20  line up with each other when forms  20  are being assembled into wall forming system  50 . There is no requirement that openings  40  be equally spaced apart. In practice it has been found to be most beneficial to have openings  40  closely spaced together in the center of form  20  and more widely spaced near top  44  and bottom  46  of form  20 , as best illustrated in FIG. 7.  
         [0034]    During assembly of forms  20  into the wall forming system  50 , a series of male members, such as bolts  52 , may be used to secure forms  20  together. Bolts  52  can be inserted through mating openings  40  of adjacent forms  20  and then secured. Traditionally, bolts  52  are threaded, allowing a nut (not shown) to be threaded onto bolts  52 . However, the use of such a conventional fastener can be time consuming to assemble and disassemble.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate one embodiment of the present invention. A friction based securement member illustrated as a friction based wedging member  54 , is used as part of a retention mechanism  56 . Retention mechanism  56  further includes bolts  52 . Wedging member  54  is wedged between base portion  28  of form  20  and bolt  52 . Typically, wedging member  54  is thinnest at one end and thickest at an opposing end to form a ramp-like member. As illustrated, wedge member  54  is wider at the thicker portion and narrower at the thinner portion. Applying a force at the top of wedging member  54 , in a direction generally perpendicular to the desired movement between bolt  52  and form  20 , forces the thicker portion of wedging member  54  to lodge between bolt  52  and form  20 . The shape and design of wedging member  54  is such that a person in the field will be able to easily identify the proper orientation of wedging member  54  for installation. However, on the other hand, the design of wedging member  54  does not prevent installation of wedging member  54  when wedging member  54  is rotated 180 degrees. If such an orientation of wedging member  54  is desired, then the installer may simply hold wedging member  54  in place while hammering. Wedging member  54  is concave to facilitate its insertion between bolt  52  and base portion  28  of form  20 . The concave shape of wedging member  54  also facilitates the application of force on the bottom portion of wedging member  54  to dislodge wedging member  54  once wall forming system  50  is to be disassembled. Wedging member  54  may be formed of a material having characteristics which allow wedging member  54  to compress under load without damaging either form  20  or bolt  52 . In an alternative embodiment, wedging member  54  may be formed of the same material as form  20 , while bolt  52  may typically be metallic, and preferably formed from an iron-based material. In a further alternative embodiment, wedging member  54  may also be metallic so as to minimize damage caused to wedging member  54  from bolt  52  during assembly of wall forming system  50 . Form  20  provides compressive capabilities to further assist in retaining bolt  52  and wedging member  54 . Additionally, as illustrated in the present invention, braces  32 ,  34  are offset from openings  40  and reinforcement mechanism  56  to permit the use of either wedging member  54  or traditional threaded connections.  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative retention mechanism  56 ′ that may be practiced with the present invention. As illustrated, wedging member  54 ′ is integral with form  20 . To avoid interference with bolts  52 , wedging members  54 ′ are only disposed on a common side of each form  20 . Retention mechanism  56 ′ includes an opening  58  along the lateral extent of wedging member  54 ′, generally equally spaced from an upper end  60  and a lower end  62 . Outer periphery of opening  58  is preferably less in diameter than bolt  52  to be inserted, creating a friction fit as wedging member  54 ′ is inserted into bolt  52 . The material on either side of opening  58  provides resistance and support to opening  58 , facilitating retention of bolt  52 . It can be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the retention mechanisms disclosed above, but can be practiced with other approaches to integrating wedging member  54 ′ to form  20 . For example, the portion of wedging member  54 ′ adjoining an opening  40  may be thinner than a portion spaced away from opening  40  along the path of travel of bolt  52 . It can be appreciated that wedging member  54 ′ may be integrated with form  20  in any manner so long as wedging member  54 ′ is integrated with form  20  and friction is used to retain bolt  52 , while permitting easy removal once wall forming system  50  is to be disassembled.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 10 is a further alternative embodiment of retention mechanism  56 ″ that may be practiced with the present invention. Retention mechanism  56 ″ includes a wedging member  54 ″ and bolt  52 . Wedging member  54 ″ may be wedged between base portion  28  of form  20  and bolt  52  as in FIG. 8, or wedging member  54 ″ may be integral with form  20  as in FIG. 9. Wedging member  54 ″ is similar to wedging member  54  and wedging member  54 ′ however, wedging member  54 ″ further includes a lip  55  at the thicker portion. Lip  55  provides a wider surface than wedging member  54  and  54 ′ on which to apply force during installation.  
         [0038]    Wall forming system  50  illustrated in the Figures is often used for retaining walls of the type illustrated in FIG. 11. FIG. 11 illustrates a finished wall  80  where the material being retained forms the opposite half of the mold for the flowable material. Wall forming system  50  is set up, the flowable material is poured between opposing molds, permitted to cure into wall  80 , and then wall forming system  50  is disassembled. The pattern shown in FIG. 11 is of rocks jutting out from a base, which is much more defined and detailed then patterns formed by conventional systems. However, it should be noted that the pattern in FIG. 11 is for illustration purposes and that wall forming system  50  may be of a different pattern. For example, FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate a second pattern that may be used in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0039]    As noted above, forms  20  are positioned adjoining to each other in wall forming system  50 . However, forms  20  may not necessarily be adjoining. FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate how forms  20  and retention mechanisms  56  create the wall forming system  50  of adjacent forms  20  according to the present invention. Additionally, spacers  66  are often placed between adjacent forms  20  to assist with proper alignment of forms  20  to create wall forming system  50 . Spacers  66  keep opposing sets of forms  20  generally equally spaced from one another and are substantially incorporated into finished wall  80 . Spacers  66  may also perform an additional function of forming a mold to receive flowable material to be cured therebetween into finished wall  80 . First and second ends  74 ,  76  of spacers  66  are configured to receive the retaining mechanism  56 . Accordingly, first and second ends  74 ,  76  have an aperture  75  for slidingly engaging bolt  52  of retention mechanism  56  outside the boundary of form  20 . Moreover, first and second ends  74 ,  76  of spacer  66  rest within recesses  45  of forms  20 . Thus, when forms  20  are positioned adjoining to each other, forms  20  are substantially flush with respect to each other. Accordingly, the depths of each individual recess  45  is generally half the depth of first or second ends  74 ,  76 . Recesses  45  help to minimize any seam that exists between adjoining forms  20  and that may be visible on the finished wall  80 . It should be noted with the staggering outer periphery of forms  20 ′ further assist in hiding any seams that may be visible on finished wall  80  because the seam is not continuous along a horizontal or vertical line.  
         [0040]    Once forms  20  are disassembled, first and second ends  74 ,  76  of spacers  66  remain outside the boundary of finished wall  80 . To facilitate removal of first and second ends  74 ,  76  of spacer  66  after construction, spacers  66  may be scored at a dividing line  72 . The location of dividing line  72  is dependent on the thickness of finished wall  80 ; dividing line  72  separates the portion of spacer  66  that remains embedded in the finished wall  80  from the portion of spacer  66  that juts out of the finished wall  80 . However, it can be appreciated that dividing line  72  may be disposed anywhere along spacer  66  and may be any multiple numbers of scoring lines. Removal of first and second ends  74 ,  76  of spacer  66  from finished wall  80  only requires a slight tap of a hammer to first and second ends  74 ,  76 .  
         [0041]    [0041]FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate an alternative spacer  90  according to the present invention. Conventional spacers are either all flat or all round. Flat spacers generally allow for easier assembly of form  20  while round spacers may be more durable. Moreover, round spacers generally more aesthetically pleasing because once construction is complete, the portion of the round spacer that remains within finished wall  80  is less noticeable on the surface of finished wall  80 . However, it is generally more difficult to insert bolts into round spacers. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, spacer  90  combines advantages of conventional spacers into a new spacer, without the corresponding disadvantages. Spacer  90  has both a flat portion  92  and a round portion  94 . Flat portion  92  further includes apertures  96  for receiving bolt  52  of retaining mechanism  56 . Round portion  94  of spacer  90  is substantially incorporated into finished wall  80 , while flat portion  92  remains outside the boundary of finished wall  80 . Similar to first and second ends  74 ,  76  of spacers  66 , flat portions  92  of spacers  90  rest within recesses  45 . Moreover, to facilitate removal of flat portions  92  after construction, spacer  90  may be scored at one or more dividing lines  98 . The location of dividing line  98  is dependent on the thickness of finished wall  80 ; dividing line  98  separates the portion of spacer  90  that remains embedded in the finished wall  80  from the portion of spacer  90  that juts out of finished wall  80 . Removal of flat portion  92  of spacer  90  only requires a slight tap of a hammer to flat portion  92 . FIG. 15 illustrates spacer  90  in an installed position within wall forming system  50 .  
         [0042]    Spacer  90  may be manufactured using any conventional techniques for forming metal parts. For instance, a round section of metal may be used for the round portion  94  of spacer  90 . Flat pieces of metal may be welded to the round section of metal for create the flat portion  92  of spacer  90 . However, the preferred method of manufacturing spacer  90  is by using a progressive stamping operation on a flat piece of metal. The round portion  94  of spacer  90  may be machined from the flat piece of metal through progressive tooling techniques, while the flat portion  92  of spacer  90  maintains the shape of the flat piece of metal.  
         [0043]    As stated above, FIGS. 3, 4,  5 ,  6 ,  12 ,  13 , and  15  shows a plurality of openings  40  along upper and lower outer horizontal braces  32  of form  20 . Thus, forms  20  may be stacked vertically along horizontal braces  32 , and are not limited to being connected along vertical outer braces  34 . Retention mechanism  56  is identical for retaining forms  20  stacked vertically upon each other.  
         [0044]    Moreover, under certain circumstances, such as when openings  40  are not accessible, but opposing forms  20  must be maintained in a fixed position, spacers  90 ′ may be used with respect to holes  27 . In a simple embodiment illustrated in FIG. 16, threaded bolts, acting as spacers  90 ′, pass through mating holes  27  of each opposed form  20  and nuts  99  optionally engage the rear face  24  to maintain each form  20  in a fixed orientation with respect to spacer  90 ′. Once use of forms  20  is complete, nuts  99  engaging rear face  24  may be removed. Spacer  90 ′ may be scored in a manner similar to that discussed above to remove portions of spacer  90 ′ that extends outwardly from finished wall  80 . Alternatively, spacer  90 ′ may be used as a fastener for items to be screwed to finished wall  80  such as studs.  
         [0045]    Road curbs may also be manufactured using a curb form  100  similar in concept to form  20 , and substantially incorporating the features and advantages of form  20 . FIG. 17 illustrates curb form  100 . Curb form  100  includes a front portion  102  and a rear portion  104 . Front portion  102  includes a tapered panel  106 . Tapered panel  106  may be designed as per government or industry regulations for road curb structures. Rear portion  104  comprises a solid face  108  and a reinforcement grid  110 . Reinforcement grid  110  generally resembles reinforcement matrix  30  of form  20 . Moreover, reinforcement grid  110  performs substantially the same function as reinforcement matrix  30  as well as provides the same advantages as reinforcement matrix  30 . It should be noted that reinforcement grid  110  may also resemble reinforcement matrix  30 ′ of form  20 ′ and perform substantially the same function as well as provide the same advantages of reinforcement matrix  30 ′ of form  20 ′.  
         [0046]    Curb form  100  includes openings  112  for engaging spacers and retention mechanisms. As with forms  20 , curb forms  100  may be joined together by retention mechanisms to create a plurality of connected curb forms  100 , depending on the desired length of the finished road curb. Similarly, spacers  66  or  90  may be used to properly align the first and second portions  102 ,  104  of the curb form  100  and may be integrated into the finished road curb. Once first and second portions  102 ,  104  of curb form  100  are connected by spacer  66  or  90 , flowable material is poured between first and second portion  102 ,  104 . The flowable material is then cured into the finished road curb.  
         [0047]    There are numerous advantages to manufacturing at least key components of form  20  and form  100  from a non-wooden and non-metallic material such as plastic. Forms  20 ,  100  are also very light in weight, permitting the ready movement, assembly, and disassembly of forms  20 ,  100  at a construction site. Yet, because forms  20 ,  100  are non-metallic, the forms  20 ,  100  are much more resistant to slight dings or bangs that would otherwise deface a metallic form with an etched pattern. In the case of damage to forms  20 ,  100 , repair may be possible at an actual job site, using plastic repair kits known in the art, and without having to rework the entire pattern. Further, because the pattern is integrated into base portion  28  of forms  20 ,  100 , unwanted movement of the pattern with respect to the rest of forms  20 ,  100  is eliminated, in contrast to the use of conventional thin liners.  
         [0048]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, entire forms  20 ,  100  are completely integral, formed as one piece. In one embodiment, key components of forms  20 ,  100  are created using a molding process. In an alternate embodiment, forms  20 ,  100  are created by computer numerical control (CNC) machining. CNC machining allows forms  20 ,  100  to have a custom shape and custom size. In a further alternative embodiment of the present invention, the molded material is a polypropylene copolymer such as that sold under the trade name Pro-fax TM. Thus, forms  20 ,  100  may be manufactured at very low cost, permitting the creation of many different molds with different patterns depending on the desired application. The material may include a variety of fillers such as fiberglass strands to provide additional stiffness and rigidity to forms  20 ,  100 , while still minimizing weight and providing flexibility against potential nicks or gouges. For instance, the flowable material used to create finished wall  80  does not bond with the material of forms  20 ,  100  during the curing process. Therefore, forms  20 ,  100  require minimal cleaning after the flowable material has been cured and forms  20 ,  100  have been removed. Moreover, there is minimal, if any, contact between the flowable material and retention mechanism  56 . Thus, rusting of the metal components of retention mechanism  56  may be substantially reduced over time.  
         [0049]    Additionally, forms  20 ,  100  are not porous like wood and thus, do not absorb any water from the flowable material. Therefore, forms  20 ,  100  do not have to be sprayed with a coating prior to use to prevent water absorption, nor do forms  20 ,  100  deteriorate over time due to water damage. Moreover, holes  27  of forms  20 ,  100  allow the flowable material to breathe and thus, drain out any excess air and water retained in the flowable material. As a result, finished wall  80  may have a finer surface texture than with conventional forms. Along those same lines, forms  20 ,  100  may be used to create a colored finished wall  80  without reducing the reusability of the forms. Forms  20 ,  100  may be coated with a powder or acid which mixes with the flowable material to create a colored flowable material. As stated above, unlike conventional forms, forms  20 ,  100  are not porous and therefore, do not absorb the color of the flowable material. Thus, forms  20 ,  100  may be used to make finished walls  80  of several different colors, without affecting the color of the finished wall  80  or the reusability of forms  20 ,  100 .  
         [0050]    Forms  20 ,  100  are not limited to creating a generally planar finished wall  80  as illustrated in FIG. 8, but may also generate curves, radii and fillers to create corners for finished wall  80 . Accordingly, forms  20 ,  100  may be molded to create a complete wall, including corners, without the use of additional molds for the corners. Moreover, forms  20 ,  100  may be altered for use in an area where a full size form  20 ,  100  would not properly fit. Forms  20 ,  100  may be cut on location at a construction site due to the nature of the material of forms  20 ,  100  without affecting the quality or formation of finished wall  80 . On the other hand, forms  20 ,  100  may be joined together to form any irregular shape or size for finished wall  80 . It should noted that while forms  20 ,  100  are depicted as being joined to form generally rectangular-shaped walls, forms  20 ,  100  may be joined as staggering units to divide and possibly hide any seams that may exist on the finished wall  80 .  
         [0051]    The embodiments disclosed herein have been discussed for the purpose of familiarizing the reader with novel aspects of the invention. Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, many changes, modifications and substitutions may be made by one having ordinary skill in the art without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims.