Advanced reinforcement for concrete countertops and interior structures Concrete countertops The exciting new solution for custom interiors Concrete is an amazing material that combines expression, structure, surface qualities and the ability to create a character specific to that individual product. This ability to craft a unique custom aesthetic with a material as robust and attractive as natural stone, has made concrete counter tops and decorative products the new wave for exclusive interiors. Virtually any shape or surface imaginable can be formed using concrete. It can be molded, ground, embossed, polished, stained or it can even have large or small objects embedded. Concrete counter tops reinforced with C-GRID offer the next generation in materials technology for today’s demanding markets.
C-GRID The CHOMARAT North America reinforcement system for concrete countertops Concrete enables designers and clients to specify countertops and designer precast concrete products in ways that aren’t possible with stone or solid surfaces, creating practical and attractive structures that are truly one of a kind. As a result, concrete has become the interior designer’s new material of choice, thanks in part to the introduction of CHOMARAT North America’s C-GRID system of carbon/epoxy-based reinforcement grid products.
C-GRID can be used in place of, or along with, steel wire mesh and light rebar. Unlike steel, carbon-grid can be placed just below the finished surface. By contrast, several inches of concrete would be required to protect steel mesh from corrosion and to prevent rust stains from bleeding through to the finished surface.
C-GRID corrosion resistant composite grid structures have been developed to significantly improve performance and reduce weight not only in counter tops, but also in a multitude of precast and pre-stressed concrete products. Additional applications include pre-cast structures, cast-in-place products, shotcrete and decorative retail concrete products for a wide array of applications and markets.
C-GRID Features:
Will not rust
Easy to handle and fabricate
Provides increased ductility to concrete
Minimizes crack width and crack spread
8 to 10 times stronger than steel by weight
Excellent bond and strengthening properties for thin concrete sections
Can be ordered in easy-to-ship rolls and pre-packaged short-length kits
Faster mold-stripping
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Please note: Additional C-GRID styles with varying strength and aperture sizes are available upon request.
C-GRID - Counter top example: C-GRID structural grids feature openings of 0.75 in. to 3.0 in., depending on strength requirements and the application. For a recent 10 ft. concrete countertop cast for a custom home kitchen, Mark Concrete (Watsonville, Calif., U.S.A.) selected C-GRID CT-550, an 11.0 oz/yd 2 carbon grid with 1.8 in. by 1.6 in. openings, which provides nominal 1,000 lb of strength per strand in both warp and weft (crossover shear strength is 40 lbs. with minimum tensile strength of 6,550 x 7,500 lb/ft).
The C-GRID is cut to size with sheet metal shears and laid into the handmade steel form. Standard steel rebar is laid over the C-GRID, and the materials are assembled into an integrated unit with special spacer ties. The “mat” is then removed and the first 0.75 in. of the company’s custom-mixed colored concrete is poured into the form and leveled. This eliminates “shadowing” – a visual pattern that can remain in the concrete’s cured surface if concrete is poured through the mesh.
The structural mat is then repositioned and the remaining concrete is poured, consolidated with external vibration and allowed to cure. The C-GRID can be used just below the surface due to no fears of corrosion unlike steel reinforcements. The lightweight grid is available in small rolls that simplify storage and ship via overnight carrier, unlike rebar, which must be shipped on a flat bed truck.
