How To Build A Spray-In-Place Concrete Fence - Monolithic

out to full thickness because we are
going to spray one more time with the
colored concrete. The second day it is
a good idea to have most of the thickness
finished up. You don’t want to
spend a lot of time with colored concrete
trying to cover up missed places.
Note: It is very difficult to judge
the depth of sprayed concrete as it is
being applied. A 1” layer can look
very much like a 1/8” layer. To be
sure of a uniform build up of thickness,
a very uniform spraying pattern
should be followed. This pattern can
vary according to the nozzleman, but
it should be consistent. To insure
proper thickness, check the depth
gauges.
It is important to use good shotcrete
techniques when shooting around
rebar, that is, shoot from close enough
to the bar and with enough force that
the concrete cannot build up on the
face of the bar but closes around it
from the back.
After the fence has set overnight,
gently, and I use the word gently,
remove the forms, clean them, and
move them on to get ready for another
section of fence.
The Last Coat
The concrete can now be applied
to both sides of the fence. This last
coat of concrete to the front side and
the complete coating on the back side
should be done with a half to three
quarter inch covering.
This spray of approximately 1/2 to
3/4 inch of concrete on the form side
is to protect the rebar.
The fence will harden up considerably
over the first thirty days. It is
very helpful if it can be kept damp
within that same thirty day period.
This can be done by hanging cloth or
burlap over the fence and spraying
water on it from time to time during
the day. It is extremely important that
the fence be kept moist during periods
of direct sun, hot sun, and dry winds.
The fence can be protected by coating
with a concrete sealer available from
the concrete accessory supplier.
With the forms removed from the back, and
the third coat applied, the fence is now ready
for the finish coat of colored concrete. This
is the time to consider etching the fence to
look like a rock wall.
Here can be seen the layering of the fence.
The fence on the left has two layers of shotcrete
and the forms have been stripped. The
section on the right still has forms in place,
some of which has been sprayed with the
first layer of concrete.
22