What is Solocast®?
Solocast® is a thin plastic form liner used in tilt-up or precast concrete designed to allow thin brick to be embedded into concrete. Solocast® has patent pending features that give a true hand laid masonry look.
What Makes Solocast® Unique from other Plastic Liners?
- Solocast Plus
- No Brick Trimming
- Textured Grout Joints
- Seamless Matching
- Larger Sized Liners
- Less Leakage
- Less Brick Tipping
- Easier Cuts
- Less Deflection
- Higher Tear Strength
- Dimensionally Stable
- Attachment Tabs
- Universal Folding Corners
- Less Eyebrows
- More Economical
+
Solocast® boasts a utility patent pending features that give a true "hand laid" look.
- Solocast Plus is the optional Artisan Panel of the Solocast System
- Solocast Plus seamlessly matches the regular Solocast panels
photo above is of Solocast+ 1500
Variable Vertical Grout Widths
- No more too perfect bricks or fabricated looking panels!
- 5 different grout widths but resembling a good mason
- Majority of grout joints measure 3/8" +/- 1/32"
- 20% of grout joints measure 3/8" +/- 1/16"
Variable Vertical Grout Depths
- 5 different grout depths
Irregular Brick Positioning
- A mason does not lay every brick exactly 1/2 or 1/3 bond down to the thousandth of an inch. Solocast+ features an irregular brick positioning that occures because of the randomness of the grout widths, resulting in a beautiful artisan bricked panels.
Solocast will accept a brick up to 1/8" over the pocket size in length
- Press brick against one vertical joint and press into place
- Bottom of the pocket may crack in order to receive the brick, but the crack will not be exposed on top of the grout joint.
Above the right corner brick is a brick that fits tighter than the others yet the Solocast liner fits the brick with no problem
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Sandy textured grouts give hand struck look.
- Solocast® is designed with semi-circular or sometimes called a cove joint, it can also be supplied with a raked joint if desired.
- Solocast® modular brick panel holds 72 bricks.
- Panel size of 48" wide x 32" high.
- Width is based on U.S. building standard measurements.
- Non-fractional layout measurements.
- Less waste.
- Less pieces to cut.
- Fast assembly and removal with no waste saves time and money.
Other Brands
- Modular brick panel holds only 40 bricks
- Panel size of 32" wide x 26.666" high
- Fractional layout measurements means more cuts, waste and labor.
Solocast® has a double locking system.
- The grout joints lock together when one panel overlaps another
- The pocket has a locking mechanism as well.
Advantages
- Double locking power when adjoining panels.
- Restricts any possible leakage from getting under the liner.
Textured Grouts are Not Displayed in the Drawing
Solocast Joints are Designed to Restrict Leakage
- No Scraping the Brick Face after the Pour is Common
- Strip Solocast Sheets and to Directly to Pressure Wash
Solocast® has features to reduce brick tipping.
- Tighter radius in raised pads of the brick pocket corners.
- Raised pads are placed closer to the grout joint.
- Textured joints often grip the brick reducing any brick tipping.
- is formed so that any cuts horizontally or vertically are made easily and precisely.
- Solocast can be stacked to cut several at the same time
Solocast® has raised pockets
- Allows for seamless matching
- Allows for small granuals of debris to be on casting bed without deflecting the liner.
Backside View
Made with a proprietary formulation high impact polystyrene.
- High Tear Strength
- Easier stripping
- Does not crack easy.
- Possibly more than one use.
- Oversized brick may fit better
- Solocast® is made with material that is 0.025" thick.
- 0.005" more compared to any other brand may seem minimal and can hardly be seen with the naked eye, it is actually 20% more material and is formed with a technique that gives up to 50% more material in the grout which stablizes the horizontal joints reducing the "accordion effect". The 32" of vertical dimension of the liner will only stretch/compress +/- 1/8" under normal conditions.
- Combining the added thickness with Solocasts higher tear strength results in a higher chance of re-use
Solocast® has optional attachment tabs for vertical assembly
- Adhesive on Back of Liner
- Short Roofing Nail Through Face of the Liner
Solocast® has universal folding corners that will match either end of the Solocast® panel and therefore either end of the casting bed.
Solocast is Produces Less Eyebrows
- Solocast joints flex for larger sized brick but also hug the perfect sized brick causing less "eyebrows"
With Solocast® Get an Artisan Look and Save!
- Less Time To Assemble
- Less Liner Waste
- Less Leakage
- Less Liner Cutting
- Easier and More Accurate Cutting
- Less Brick Tipping
- Faster Casting Bed Clean-up
- Faster Pressure Washing Time
- Higher Chance of Re-use
- Competitive Pricing
Installing and Producing with Solocast
- Solocast Storage
- Form Preparation
- Trimming Solocast
- Solocast/Brick Assembly
- Corners
- Pouring Concrete
- Removal of Solocast
- Cleaning Cured Panel
- Finished Panels Using Solocast
Solocast Liners
- Should not be stored in temperatures that exceed 145 degrees F.
- Should not be stored in temperatures below -5 degrees F.
- Should not be stored for long periods in direct sunlight, this will make them brittle.
- Do not stack items on top to the Solocast packages.
- Keep the boxes on the skids stored in the upright position until ready to use.
- Do not pile boxes in the horizontal position for long periods of time.
Form Preparation
- Build in all of the form features like rustications, steps and openings into the form.
- Make sure the form is clean.
- Mark coursings every 96"(36 rows of brick) for proper liner and brick placement.
Trimming Solocast Liners can often be done prior to installation.
- A band saw is recommended to cut multiple liners at one time. Typically ten liners can be cut easily, we recommend cutting as many as you can handle and what you are set up for.
- A utility knife is recommended for single liner cuts.
- A scissors can also be effective.
Solocast Liner Assembly & Brick Placement
- Check shop drawings to make sure the panel starts with a full or half brick.
- Lay down Solocast liners from Left to Right with the Solocast logo at the top. Plus signs indicate the joints that lay on top.
- Solocast does not require that it is mechanically attached to the form.
- Avoid walking on the liners until the brick is placed in.
- Place brick into the Solocast pockets with the brick face against the liner.
- Check coursings and adjust accordingly as the brick is being installed.
Corners Can Be Made from Standard Sheets or Solocast's 90 Degree Folding Corners Sheets
Attaching Solocast Corner to Bulk Head (many methods can be used)
- Attach top edge of the liner to the bulk head using duct tape or double sided tape, use a hot melt glue or caulk to attach bricks in the vertical pockets. A non-silicone caulk is our recommendation.
or
- use 1-1/2" aluminum nails and a backer rod to pin the brick and liner to the bulkhead.
Corners can also be made by cutting panels and butting the vertical cut piece on top of the horizontal sheet.
Pouring Concrete
- No need to change slump or batch composition.
- Pour in a manner that does not disturb the brick placement by not always pouring on the brick.
- Try not to drag heavy piles of concrete mix when screeding.
- Try to step only on the rebar and try not to step on top of the placed brick or concrete when pouring.
- Consolidate with a vibrator but be careful not to over-vibrate, but simply insert the vibrator to a depth so that it does not touch the brick.
Removal Solocast Liners
- Solocast liners can be stripped off the panel after the panel has been pulled from the casting bed.
- Can be done easily without any tools.
- Because of Solocast's proprietary plastic formula, it may get more than one use.
Cleaning Bricked Concrete Panel
Clean panel as soon as possible to reduce cleanup labor.
- If there are any areas of thick concrete leakage, use a metal scrapper to scrape it off. This typically is not necessary because the brick nests snug against the Solocast liner.
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Pressure wash panels with 4000 PSI at 185 degrees F.
Beautiful Bricked Wall
Above panel was poured using Solocast 1000 and Endicott Ironspot 77
What Advantages Does Solocast® Have Over Conventional "Hand Laid" Masonry?
Using Solocast® and Thin Bricks Can Put Money Back into Your Pocket
- Save on Building Materials
- Save on Costly Construction Time
- Save on Future Maintenence
- Increase Interior Space of the Building
- Increase Construction Safety and Reduce Costly Injuries
- Increase the Buildings Overall Longevity
With Solocast® the moisture problems of traditional masonry are completely eliminated and no preventative maintenence is needed, high fired bricks are embedded into 5000+ psi concrete.
- No pressure washing with a cleaner
- No brick sealing
- No tuck pointing mortar joints
Bricks are cast intergrally into the concrete wall so no added building features are needed that will fail over time.
- No building paper
- No flashings or weeps
- No lintel angles
Prestressed and Precast Method of Construction
- Concrete panels with brick veneer is produced typically indoors and is ready by the time the building structure has been erected, shaving months off of the construction time.
- No weather delays that may add to the construction schedule! Traditional masonry is subject to freezing temperatures and rain delays.
Tilt-up Method of Construction
- Exterior walls and Structure and Brick is all done simultaneously. In traditional masonry the brick can only be laid after the exterior walls are up.
Building Jobsite is Safe, Clean, Professional and Environmentally Friendly
- No Scaffolding
- No Piles of Bricks
- No Piles of Sand
- No Mortar Mixers
- No Acid Washing
- No Brick Cutting
- No Falling Objects
- No Plastic and Heating Elements During Foul Weather
- No Hoses
- No Forklifts
Concrete panels are typically 8" thick and can be insulated as well. A conventional brick wall construction is typically 16".
- Increase the square footage for each room of the building.
- Possibly reduce overall weight of buildings exterior.
- More space to lease.
- More space to use.
- Option of reducing the overall size of the building.
Concrete with High Fired embedded brick can last up to 3 times longer than Brick and Mortar.
- Can withstand shifting soils and seismic activity more so than traditional masonry.
- Can withstand earthquake activity more so than traditional masonry.
- 5000+ psi concrete is more durable and lasts longer than mortar.
- High fired brick veneer does not allow water to penetrate as low fired brick.
Brick is laid out on the Solocast® "canvas" prior to pouring the concrete. This allows for artistic brick color patterns to be made easily with a dramatically reduced probability of a mistake as in traditional masonry.
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