4 Top Benefits of Formwork that New Contractors Must Bear in Mind

Tropical and subtropical areas in Australia are plagued by heavy rainfall for at least six months in a year. The wet months bring with them high humidity and flooding, which can negatively impact the structural integrity of buildings under construction. Ideally, construction should occur during dry months, but contractual timelines for construction contractors can cause projects to spill over to wet months. Therefore, contractors often use formwork or column-forming tubes, like Formatubes, for pouring concrete columns. Here are some top benefits of formwork that new construction contractors must bear in mind.

Fewer Logistical Challenges -- Formwork eliminates the need for improvisation when developing pillars, which is often characterized by the use of wooden planks and metallic panels during the concrete pouring process. Notably, conventional support structures consume a lot of resources such as time, labour and materials. The result is a high cost of construction. Column-forming tubes reduce such logistical issues because the tubes are placed around the steel before pouring concrete. In this sense, a project can be completed faster since the time needed for preparing the tubes is shifted to curing of concrete columns.

Water Resistance -- During the concrete curing process, water seepage can cause the concrete to weaken. Therefore, formworks are designed to be water resistant through a plastic layer that keeps moisture at bay. If you live in an area that experiences torrential rain, then the tubes will protect the newly-poured concrete columns, thereby enabling them to cure properly.   

Eliminates Sanding Process -- Contractors always desire to have smooth concrete beams at the end of the curing process. However, panels and wooden planks produce spiral blemishes on the wet surface of columns. The plastic lining installed on the interior surface of concrete-forming tubes removes imperfections during the concrete pumping phase. For this reason, the smooth surfaces do not have to be sanded down before painting, unlike when wooden supports are used.

No Reinforcements or Heavy-Duty Equipment -- The problem with wooden supports is that you have to reinforce them with wires and nails before pumping wet concrete in the columns. With formworks, contractors don't have to use any reinforcements, since the column-forming structures remain upright on their own. The upright posture means that the resultant beams are devoid of any distortions. Furthermore, you do not need expensive on-site machinery such as cranes to install the struts. Therefore, contractors can save on the cost of hiring and maintaining such equipment.