Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado USA

Project Lead: Stuart Remodeling

Application: PreCast GFRC Concrete Countertop with Veining

Project Size: 25 sq ft

Products Supplied By: Two Sisters Decorative Concrete Supply

In the gorgeous mountain range of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, Colorado a savvy homeowner decided to add to his piece of paradise by adding an Outdoor Kitchen to his home. When contemplating this addition he sought the advice of a professional which could help him decide on the best materials to use so that his Outdoor Kitchen could handle the temperature and weather cycles of Colorado. Tom Stuart of Stuart Remodeling advised the Colorado Springs homeowner to compliment the brick structure of his home and to build the walls of his outdoor kitchen with the same material.

Stuart Remodeling installed the brick wall with true craftsmanship. The time came to decide on an outdoor countertop surface that could match the beauty of the hand placed brick. After researching online the homeowner decided on the organic handcrafted look of concrete countertops. In his research of multiple companies which offer concrete countertop building materials they choose the Xtreme Series Technology of hybrid glass fiber reinforced concrete. To learn more they went to the storefront of Two Sisters Decorative Concrete Supply in Colorado Springs. At this concrete supply center he was educated further on the Hybrid GFRC material and the limitless design and color opportunities that it offered.

They choose to go with a lightweight GFRC concrete countertop that had a 1.5 inch profile edge of “Classic Rail”. With the profile chosen it was time to decide upon the color, texture, and design. Utilizing the SureCrete concrete countertop color chart, they choose Taupe from the 30 standard colors. The “Veining” texture by the Xtreme Series PreCast mix was the desired texture. Finally the concrete countertop for their outdoor kitchen had one last decision, a high gloss or matte finish. The Hi-Gloss sheen was desired and the time came to finally create the one-of-a-kind countertop which had been customized to the homeowner’s specifications.

The concrete countertop was templated, precasted, and sealed off site to ensure that the project site was left in a clean state. Most countertops built with the Xtreme Series Technology have a 5-7 day turnaround from the time of casting. After the sealant reached full hardness, the 25 sq. ft. countertop was taken to the Colorado Springs home and installed on top of the beautiful brick wall system, putting the final touch on this project.

For more information on how concrete countertops are made or the colors, textures, and profiles available feel free to contact Two Sisters Decorative Concrete Supply or Stuart Remodeling.

Glass Fiber Reinforced  Concrete has become the go to material for precasters the world over. The combination of cement, sand, and fiber at specific ratios, deliver unparalleled flexural and tensile strength, allowing for the production of a  larger, stronger, and lighter overall design! For most specifiers and architects, the use of high early strength concrete, can open doors to create elaborate structural high strength concrete designs. The use of Xtreme Series GFRC as your “high early strength concrete mix“, gives you the opportunity to reduce weight and material costs without losing any other attributes.

Xtreme GFRC is the “Next Generation” in cementitious composites.  The patented mix design provides solutions to typical obstacles and inconsistencies found in traditional GFRC formulas.

Looking at Xtreme Series GFRC Formula (high early strength concrete mix)

The Xtreme Series technology  is a high early strength pre-blended concrete mix that is made up of: sand, cement, and fiber and completely free of polymer and acrylic . Three types of fibers: PVA, Glass AR, and Nano are combined together for the first time in GFRC. These elements deliver the strongest commercial grade, flexural and tensile strengths available today.  NO polymers and NO acrylics in finally solve the issue of temperature sensitivity in delivery of the raw materials and during application. Experience the ability to mix and spray Xtreme Series GFRC in temperature ranges of 40-90° F.

Xtreme Series GFRC takes human error out of the mixing equation. The two component formula allows for faster mixing, more accurate formula consistency including control of color across an entire project. Faster start up time with a cleaner mix area are also achieved. Use Xtreme Series GFRC to open the door to smarter productivity and better use of your facility.

The combination of PVA and Glass AR fiber with the perfect ratio of cement and sand gives Xtreme Series GFRC the ability to span longer distances in between support. That translates to a decrease in total weight and early high strength precast concrete. Create a lighter and stronger piece without sacrificing flexural or tensile strength. This attribute allows the fabricator to minimize how many seams the piece is required to have increasing the overall aesthetic appeal.  Installation is easier and lighter, requiring less time, labor, and man power.  The end result is an increase in profit margins on every project!

Using GFRC for Architectural Trim & Cladding

Utilizing balanced amounts of PVA, Glass AR and nano fibers, Xtreme Series GFRC can open up NEW and creative design opportunities for Architects and Designers. You can create pieces that are larger, stronger and lighter than ever before. The use of the Xtreme Series technology for your high early strength GFRC mix ,allows the fabricator the ability to reduce and eliminate unnecessary weight and waste on all of their projects. These combined attributes deliver a environmentally friendly or “GREEN” process to your fabrication!

If this sounds to good to be true ,well we thought that also till we tried the product. We encourage you to look at this website and make yourself a believer www.SureCreteDesign.com

Related Articles:

Advancements in GFRC (Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete) Mix Designs

Why use GFRC? – Residential Bathroom Makeover, New Jersey

Location: New Jersey

Project: Remodeling a Master bathroom with Spa

Installation by: J&M Lifestyles

Material Supplier: SureCrete Design

Total Sq Ft: 80 sq ft

Products Used: Xtreme GFRC Face Mix, Xtreme GFRC Backer, Xtreme Slurry, ARS 400, custom shower drain, blum drawer slides

So put yourself in this homeowner’s shoes. You have gutted your master bathroom with the intention of creating a European style oasis. Your search begins for the right look, color and design for your countertops, sinks and bath surround. As you exhaust yourself looking at  granite   and other natural stone you realize nothing is matching the look in your mind.

Six months have passed and well, tensions are rising over getting this project finished. And thats when they found the perfect medium to custom create the design in their minds. The solution was GFRC, glass fiber reinforced concrete. Immediately they fell in love with the diversity of designs, colors and could now create a functional master bath with clean lines and useful applications. Let’s t take a look at how this project unfolded.

The team at J&M Lifestyles, in New Jersey, had the task of integrating the stand-up shower, tub surround and match that with the countertop and other surfaces in the room. After templating each area, they realized that they were in need of material that could help in making this design come to life by reducing the amount of seams that would be visible. J&M Lifestyles choose the Xtreme Series GFRC mix design.

They began the process by creating their mold and casting surface. Incorporating a custom color blend from SureCrete with the Xtreme Series GFRC Face mix, they sprayed the cream coat on to all the surfaces. After letting that setup for about 10 minutes they followed behind the candy shell surface with the same custom color mixed in the Xtreme Series Backer mix. This material provides  the structural and flexural strength to the ultra smooth, pinhole free surface of the GFRC face coat.

With each piece finally casted and made, it was allowed to sit and cure. The Xtreme Series GFRC is the ideal mix design for Glass fiber reinforced concrete users, as it allows for a faster cure and demold time, as little as 6 hours. And delivers the ability to begin the next stage of design, secondary coloring or sealing within 8-10 hours after pouring. Additional positive attributes of Xtreme GFRC is it’s ability to save time and labor on each project by allowing you to maximize the tables you cast on and increasing the down time between the next station or stage.

The next important step was to apply the appropriate sealer. With many quality choices out there, the team at J&M Lifestyles chose ARS 400. A break through in nano-technology sealers, ARS 400 is an excellent GFRC sealer, and has the ability to penetrate and bond to the almost 11,000 PSI surface of the Xtreme GFRC.

The installation of the precast GFRC panels and GFRC countertop vanity was down with  multiple products. The vanity was installed with standard wall mount bracket. The GFRC wall panels for the tub surround were installed with an acrylic mastic.

Kirby Justesen, owner of Formco, had envisioned a building that was rustic and elegant. As he contemplated his design, he continued his research into “Green” concrete products and techniques that would make his facility cost effective and environmentally friendly. As he created the exterior shell of his building, he utilized a technique from the ICF world. Using a cast in place system, he created a wall that was 6 inches of concrete and 4 inches of foam. With the walls up it was time to figure out what to use to create his rustic dream.  Here are the areas that needed attention:

• Exterior Building Walls
• Interior Columns and Pillars
• Interior Floors
• Exterior Concrete Fence Walls

Exterior Walls:

The design was to take vertical concrete and create realistic looking rustic wood, stone slate and larger rocks. Their install team on any given day averaged about 5 members who had never applied decorative concrete in any fashion. As the project began in January 2008, they found themselves in the dead of winter. Realizing the potential for disaster they partnered with SureCrete Design Products to guide them with knowledge, technique and products. As they began installation they tented sections of the building and warmed the walls to a temperature above 40 degrees.

Formco’s building was in need of a quality vertical wall stamp material along with a sprayable ICF coating. Using a combination of SureCrete’s WallStamp and WallSpray, single component vertical mixes, and utilizing stamping tools from 3 different vendors they created their rustic masterpiece. After seeing installations of major wall stamp manufacturers, they realized WallStamp had superior adhesion and the ability to build out the material faster with less waste falling to the ground.

To ensure that the colors would be realistic, they went with a water based penetrating stain called Eco-Stain. The outcome was a natural color across the entire building that they could customize and was eco-friendly. They finished the project with a clear Water based sealer from SureCrete. Total sq ft vertically stamped was over 7,000.

Interior Columns and Pillars:

After realizing how easy it was to create realistic looking wood and stone on the exterior. The Formco team brought the same look and feel into the interior. Taking the same vertical wall stamp and their wood stamping tools, they transformed their plain columns, pillars and beams into masterpieces. Using color packs and Eco-stain the balanced the color and finished it with a water based sealer.

Interior Floors:

As Formco looked at traditional carpet, tile or wood floors they realized that these options were temporary solutions that would wear quickly and constantly be replaced. With “Green” still in their mind they turned to Densifing and polishing the 1^st floor.  On the second floor they used SureCrete’s SureSpray / Eco-Stain / and SureCrete Water Based sealer. In doing so they took these eco-friendly products and created large Spanish looking tiles. Utilizing a SureSpray base coat and custom tape they created the grout lines. Applying a 2^nd coat of SureSpray they stamped the desired pattern in and created an elegant floor upstairs.

Exterior Fence Walls:

With experience in form liners and their ability to create concrete walls, it was an easy choice of what to do on their exterior fence. With the detail that can be achieved by these form liners their only concern was using a coloring system that did not cover over the detail like paint would. Initially they had entertained the thought of acid staining. In keeping with their “Green” theme they went with SureCrete’s Eco-Stain. A water based stain that using technology of micronized pigments that penetrate deeply and use the porosity in the concrete to create the natural variegated stain look. With this stain being UV-stable they had over 29 colors to create a variety of shades and colors. To finish the project they sealed it with SureCrete’s 30% clear sealer.