I plan on pouring a concrete retaining wall 24 inches high 12 in above and below grade. One side of the wall will have 1 ft exposed to the eye and I'm trying to figure out the best way to finish that section. My plans were to allow the concrete to begin to set up and after it has set a good amount to pull the face of the form and do a sponge finish on it? Any ideas or unseen problems?

Where do you live? Do not pull the forms off early. If the concrete is still soft enough for you to "sponge it" it will likely collapse. You can parge it with portland and water mix thin like joint compound.

Make sure you tap the forms/ use a vibrator to get the bubbles out, and yes, don't take the forms off early.

Ballengerb has given you one option. Here's some more:

- use paperface plywood to get a smooth finish otherwise you see knots in the concrete.

- Attach small trim strips to the form every 4 feet to cover the plywood joint and leave a decorative vertical mark in the concrete. If you rip the edge of a 2x4 off for a trim piece, this will give a nice triangular profile line in the concrete.

- You can cover the concrete with something when you're done - Bob suggested a kind of stucco. You can also make a board and batten design with something like 'certainteed' sheets of cement board. Then paint. Is there an architectural look that would suit the rest of the project?

That would help you with your decision