Reinforcing Materials
"Countertops are not slabs on grade, like floors. They are beams," says Girard. To ensure sufficient tensile strength, enhance ductility, and limit structural cracking, they must be reinforced. There are number of reinforcing materials you can use, either alone or in combination, to get the job done. To be effective, these materials should be placed in the bottom half of the countertop slab. Many countertop fabricators rely on good old steel rebar (no larger than 3/16 inch in diameter), while others have success using galvanized wire mesh. For additional insurance against cracking particularly smaller nonstructural cracks some fabricators add tiny synthetic or glass fibers to the countertop mix. Generally these fibers won't affect the appearance of the finished countertop, if they are added at the proper dosage and thoroughly mixed into the concrete.
Buying tips: Rhodes likes to use a galvanized masonry reinforcement wire from Dur-O-Wal thats about 3/16 inch thick and welded together like a ladder. A corrosion-resistant, lighter-weight alternative to steel or wire mesh is a carbon-based reinforcing grid, such as C-GRID from TechFab. Next: Knockouts for Sinks and Faucets Previous: Mortar Mixer Find Concrete Countertop Supplies Return to Concrete Countertop Buyer's Guide Find a Concrete Contractor 23 Services in 200 Metros -- U.S. and Canada © 2008 ConcreteNetwork.com None of this site may be reproduced without written permission |
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