Why GFRC is Better Than Precast Concrete

Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete, or GFRC, was first adopted on a commercial level in the 1970s and has quickly grown to be one of the most widely used construction materials today. The range of applications is enormous, from huge, multistory building projects to backyard fire pits and pool bowl scuppers. It’s lightweight properties reduce overall cost while it’s incredible strength warrants a long-lasting, weather-resistant product. It’s sustainable, with unbeatable color consistency, and the fantastic ability to mold into complex shapes. But first . . .

What is GFRC?

GFRC (Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete) is a high-performance concrete mixture that consists mainly of cement, glass fibers, fine sand, and an acrylic polymer for elasticity. It’s very similar to the fiberglass used in boat hulls but much weaker.

GFRC is lighter than Precast Concrete

Glass fiber reinforced concrete uses less sand and no stone compared to precast concrete, the heaviest and densest elements of cement. This is why it is lighter. For comparison, a 1 inch thick, square-foot piece of precast concrete weighs 12-½ pounds, where a piece of GFRC of the same size only weighs 9 pounds. Precast concrete typically has to be reinforced by a steel frame within the product, also adding to the overall final weight. GFRC products, for the most part, don’t need additional braces because the glass fiber technology within the concrete provides most of the reinforcements already needed internally.  And lighter products means less heavy equipment and less manpower needed to handle them, which can help decrease costs.

GFRC is easier to cut than Precast Concrete

Because there’s no steel frames or stone aggregates within the concrete, GFRC is much easier to cut. GFRC can also be made much thinner than precast concrete, again, because it doesn’t require steel reinforcements. Its minimum thickness is typically ¾ - 1 inch where precast concrete has to be 1.5 - 2 inches thick minimum. The thinner material helps save costs on heavy-duty saw blades. This is a helpful asset to contractors and installers who may need to make quick adjustments on site that would require cutting the GFRC product to a different size. And the best part? It can be cut without risk of chipping the product!

GFRC allows for faster turnaround than Precast Concrete

The glass fibers in GFRC provide what is known as early high strength curing. What this means simply is that the product can be taken out of the mold much sooner. Precast concrete projects generally need to stay in their molds for a few days to cure while GFRC products may only need 24 hours, allowing for more products to be made within the same timeframe.

Most GFRC projects can be completed without large steel casting tables

Precast concrete projects with their heavier weight require strong, steel casting tables. But because GFRC is so light, most projects can be cast on more modest tables. They simply need to be flat, level, and relatively strong.

With GFRC, there’s less of a chance of it cracking than Precast Concrete

GFRC has a dense, smooth surface, free of any holes from air bubbles. This is made possible by the outer face coat used. The face coat layer doesn’t have glass fiber in the mixture, and is sprayed into the mold, allowing for a smooth, polished, consistent surface. An additional seal is also usually applied, which offers better protection from stains and reduces the liquid absorption rate even further. And if water can’t get into the product, it won’t crack.

Complex, 3-D shapes can be easily made with GFRC

The GFRC can adapt to almost any shape, whether it’s a sprayed or poured-in mold. This allows for incredible detail and unique shapes to be captured that otherwise wouldn’t be possible with precast concrete.

Greater color consistency

The sprayed face coat layer allows for greater color consistency over multiple GFRC products. It supports a larger square footage area to be from the same pre-colored, concrete mix. And because a face coat is only applied as a surface layer in the mold, requiring less material, the same mixture can be stretched out and applied to multiple products. This is great when you have multiple GFRC products in the same setting that need to match, like a fire table paired with some pool scupper bowls in an outdoor living space.  

Sustainable

GFRC is considered a sustainable material because it uses less cement that precast concrete and is often made of large quantities of recycled materials, such as fly ash used as a pozzolan.

The GFRC Products We Offer

Here at Fireplace Doors Online, many of our outdoor products are made of GFRC because of how well they hold up to nature’s elements. For backyard gatherings, we have fire tables, fire pits, and outdoor fireplaces. For poolside ambiance and fun, we have fire bowls, scupper bowls, and pool fire & water bowls.