The architect specifies a three quarter inch reveal at eight foot centers. You can rip it out of lumber and fight a fuzzy edge and a strip you throw away after two pours, or you can screw down plastic that releases clean and comes off the form ready for the next panel. We cut those strips to your width and depth in Sparks.
A rustication strip has one job: leave a crisp, repeatable line in the panel and come off clean.
Wood absorbs water out of the mix, swells, and either bonds to the concrete or tears on stripping. The edge fuzzes a little more every pour. HDPE is non-porous. It does not take on water, the concrete releases off it instead of grabbing it, and the same strip goes back on the form the next morning. Over a tilt-up job with dozens of panels, that is the whole argument.
| HDPE | UHMW | |
|---|---|---|
| Coefficient of friction, dry | about 0.20 | 0.10 to 0.20 |
| Water absorption, 24 hr | under 0.01% | 0.01% or less |
| Stiffness | Higher. Holds a straight line. | 100,000 to 130,000 psi flex modulus. Follows the form. |
| Abrasion resistance | Middle | Best of the three we stock |
| Cost | Lower | Higher |
| Use it for | Most reveals, straight runs | Deep reveals, tight radii, heavy reuse |
Most jobs are HDPE. UHMW is worth it when the strip is getting abused or the radius is tight.
The shape matters as much as the material, and it is where reveals go wrong.
A rectangular strip with square sides locks into the cured concrete. Getting it out chips the edge of the reveal and sometimes takes the strip with it.
Give the strip draft. Bevel the sides so the buried face is narrower than the face against the form, and the panel releases instead of gripping. We chamfer on the CNC to whatever angle your detail calls for.
Sizes. Any width up to the sheet, up to ten feet long in one piece off a 48 by 120 or 60 by 120 sheet, and thickness from an eighth of an inch to an inch off the rack. Deeper reveals we bring in up to four inches. Send the detail from the drawing and we will cut to it.
Getting it on the form is where the same physics that bends a wear strip shows up again.
HDPE expands a lot more than the steel or the plywood it is screwed to. A ten foot strip left in the sun on a form deck moves enough to bow between fasteners.
We will counterbore and slot to your pattern before it ships. The longer version of why, with the numbers, is on the wear strips page.
Which leaves the question of what is actually on the floor this week.
| Thickness | HDPE | UHMW |
|---|---|---|
| 1/8″ | Same day | Same day |
| 3/16″ | Same day | Same day |
| 1/4″ | Same day | Same day |
| 3/8″ | Same day | Same day |
| 1/2″ | Same day | Same day |
| 3/4″ | Same day | Same day |
| 1″ | Same day | Same day |
HDPE in white, natural and black. Above an inch we bring it in, up to four. Standard sheet is 48 by 96, with 48 by 120 and 60 by 120 also available. Free delivery across Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Fernley and USA Parkway, which covers most of the tilt-up going up around here.
The questions that come up before the first pour are usually the same five.
More than a wood strip, and the honest answer is it depends on how it is handled, stripped and stored. We are not going to put a number on it that we cannot stand behind. What we will say is that it does not swell, it does not fuzz, and a strip that comes off clean can go straight back on the form.
No. HDPE does not take adhesive. Mechanical fastening only, screws through slotted or counterbored holes.
Bring a piece. We will measure it and cut to match, and keep the drawing on file for the next job.
Yes, same material, same saw. Send the dimension.
Different product. We cut strips and flat panels. If you need a textured form liner, that is a specialty product and we will point you at it rather than pretend.
"Brought in a sketch on a napkin and they turned it into exactly what I needed. Same day."
Width, depth, draft angle, length, how many. A photo of the drawing detail works. Free delivery across Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Fernley and USA Parkway. Or call (775) 358-8211.
Silver State Plastics cuts HDPE and UHMW rustication strips, reveal strips and chamfer strips for concrete formwork at our Sparks, NV shop, to the width, depth and draft angle on your detail. Seven thicknesses from 1/8″ to 1″ are on the rack and cut the same day; chamfers, radii and counterbored screw holes are done on the CNC in the same building.
Concrete and tilt-up contractors across Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Fernley and the USA Parkway corridor get free local delivery. Bring the detail from the drawing, a photo, or a piece of the strip you are using now. Visit us at 745 E. Greg St. #6, Sparks, NV 89431 or call (775) 358-8211.