Polyethylene Forms:
a Versatile Alternative to Wood Staking

The polyethylene forms are set and ready to pour for this circular patio. Note stake pockets and lack of backfilling needed that make the setup easier and faster.

Wouldn’t it be nice to eliminate the hassle of picking up and sorting through hardscaping form lumber to find straight lengths to accurately stake straight or radius applications when pouring concrete or asphalt?

This is just the kind of annoying problem facing many landscape contractors who install sidewalks, patios, pool decks and driveways. Terra Tec Landscaping, a full-service landscaping company in Richfield, Wisconsin (near Milwaukee), is one such company.

The flowing contours of the finished patio are easily handled by the flexible forms.

“You can spend two hours looking for enough 14-foot long 2×4s for a job, or pay a premium price to get a good quality product,” bemoaned Dave Ladewig, Terra Tec manager. Ladewig began investigating a solution to the nagging problem and discovered Poly Meta Forms??????oe about a year ago. The company now owns some 1,000 lineal feet in straight and radius styles. These light and durable forms, made by Metal Forms Corp. of Milwaukee, are of a high-density polyethylene.

The forms have just been removed to reveal the smooth curves obtained with Poly Meta forms.

The forms, unlike those make of wood, are easier to re-use; there are no nails to pull. Sections are easy to join with inserts that provide a connection between forms. Moveable stake pockets can be positioned anywhere along the form’s length, making them easier to stake as needed for the shape being poured. Because the forms are lighter than wood, they are easier to haul and workers experience less fatigue when handling them.

On this patio/poll deck, a straight form (right) is joined with a slightly curved form to create an angled and radius corner configuration.

“Changing elevation is easier than with wood forms,” explains Ladewig. “We can loosen the stake pocket wedges to make the adjustment, and we’re not whacking things out of shape. That’s much easier than pounding wood forms loose and pulling nails out. The forms are much easier to disassemble if I have to strip them while the concrete is still workable so I can put joints in,” he adds.

Because patios, steps and other configurations sometime require special dimensions, Ladewig likes the ability to combine the forms with wood when necessary.

Contours are attractive additions to hardscaping and are easily configured with flexible forms.

“Curves are another area where the forms are nice,” Ladewig asserts. “It’s a pain to keep Masonite in stock all the time, and we need to use more pins or backfill to kept it rigid. Now for a round patio we just put a bunch of the forms together and bend them to shape; then we go through with stakes here and there, adjust them a bit, and we’re ready to pour.”

Focus Facts

The form materials used for pouring concrete include everything from wood to steel. For contours, flexible materials include Masonite, polyethylene, polystyrene foam, interlocking Styrofoam, aluminum and sheet metal.

Polyethylene is the most prevalent plastic in the world, from grocery bags and shampoo bottles to children's toys and bullet proof vests. This versatile material is a simple commercial polymer, a molecule chain of carbon atoms with two hydrogen atoms attached to each carbon atom.