E. Method of assembly form

Start placing forms at the corners and work towards the center of the wall or to the nearest window or door opening, which is the best location to place forms that need to be cut to fit. Shim or shave forms, as necessary, to adjust for the footing and level the first course of forms. Apply a foam adhesive (such as Foam2Foam) to the bottom of each form to secure it to the footing and to fill in any spaces that required adjustment to level.

Set corner braces in place as soon as possible.

The stability of SmartBlockPlus Forms allows you to use lumber for your bracing without concern for wall compression. See Bracing and Alignment below for proper installation and spacing. Check corners for plumb at regular intervals as the walls go up.
Forms that have been cut to fit have potentially been weakened (depending on the distance between ties) and should be braced by placing a piece of plywood, OSB, or similar material, across the cut and screwing it to the furring strips on either side of the cut to reinforce it.

As you stack additional courses, be sure that the markings for the attachment studs line up so that there is a visible and continuous line that runs the entire height of the wall to provide for the easy attachment of wall coverings and finishes. In the first couse , close to the basement, apply a 1/4” bead of foam adhesive to the inside tongue of the form below to secure the forms together. Connecting the forms together improves the wall’s stability, and helps minimize the bracing required.

Cut the forms as required to fit the dimension of the wall and/or to reach into the buck of the window or door opening. Cut the forms at least 3/8” less than required to avoid forcing the cut form into place. Forcing oversized forms into the wall can push the entire wall out of alignment. Any gap in the formwork of 2.54 cm or less can be easily filled with Foam2Foam, or a similar approved adhesive, without risk of a breach.
After the second course of SmartBlockPlus Forms is in place, and unless additional rebar is required by design, a horizontal band of reinforcing steel should be placed at 121. and below all window openings.

SmartBlockPlus can easily be cut to accommodate any size or shape of the window or door desired. To form the rough openings for windows and doors, “bucks” (rough opening forming frames) should be built in advance to allow them to be placed into the wall at the same time the forms are being placed.