GFRC - Glass Fiber
Reinforced Concrete
Looking for a material that is lighter in weight and durable?
Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) delivers unparalleled design flexibility along with a limitless variety of colors, textures and shapes. Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) is gaining popularity with concrete contractors and countertop fabricators, who are being presented architectural plans with custom designs. Traditional fabrication materials limit how quickly they can complete their stage of the project. In today’s market, extended labor hours eat up what profit margins are available, making it difficult to keep their business profitable. With Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC), designers are given the opportunity to maximize the architects imagination by utilizing the light weight, high early strength, sprayable attributes that are inherent to the Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) process.
Why is Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) selected over other building materials?
Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) offers unparalleled versatility in applications such as: interior and exterior wall panels, shower walls, concrete countertops, facades, lightweight architectural trim, balusters, fireplaces and many other precast opportunities. If you have experienced using traditional Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) formulas before, you realize that there is a learning curve in the precise measuring and spraying of the Face Mix.
What is the startup cost for Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC)?
Typical Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) formulas have a high start up cost due to buying minimum quantities on all its components, most contractors’ average $1,500-$3,000 in startup Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) material costs. Through relentless research and testing, the Xtreme Series technology by SureCrete, developed a hybrid Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) formula that has addressed the learning curve of GFRC and reduced the mixing inconsistencies by creating it as a two component mix with a start up cost around $250.
What are the design restrictions for Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC)?
The Xtreme Series Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) mix design is a blank white canvas with the ability to take on any color scheme, texture or shape you can imagine! The SureCrete Design team has 7 reproducible texture finishes that our taught in the introductory PreCast Concrete 4-Day training course. These textures can be combined, used individually and altered with many different coloring agents for an unlimited color and texture combination. For the first time concrete is a manufacturable fabrication material with consistent, reproducible looks and finishes. Here are just three of the Xtreme Series finishes:
Travertine & Veining Using GFRC
What makes it a hybrid Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) system?
Typical Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) formulas are made up of cement, sand, polymers, plasticizers, acrylics, and high amounts of glass AR fiber. The Xtreme Series technology uses cement, sand along with 3 types of fiber (PVA, Glass AR, and Nano). There are NO polymers and acrylics in its formula. Why is this a unique attribute? GFRC fabricators now have a larger temperature swing during the mixing and spraying stage of 45-85 degrees Fahrenheit, compared to typical 70-75 degrees with traditional GFRC formulas. The second component to this mix is the Precast Modifier, this product does lose its potency even if it freezes during delivery of material, reducing waste and loss of time for the fabricator. The three fibers used are unique because they are pre-blended into the 50 lb bag mix.
When you take advantage of this technology you quickly realize how it accelerates the learning curve of how to mix GFRC. The Glass AR, PVA and nano fibers are already blended into the 50 lb bag, reducing errors during both mixing and application. The Xtreme Series material exceeds the performance of typical GFRC formulas with its impressive 10,500 PSI compressive strength and 1,450 PSI flexural strength. With all these features combined, GFRC fabricators achieve demold times between 8-12 hours after spraying.For additional tips and tricks on sealing your concrete countertop you can go to www.SureCrete.TV, or SureCrete offers the ability to purchase the Xtreme Series Training manual. If you are a concrete contractor, and have the desire to make concrete countertops a business, SureCrete offers certification courses which are 4 day courses. You can see the schedule for these events at www.SureCreteDesign.com.