Home / Hands-On Training / GFRC for Concrete Countertops 201

GFRC for Concrete Countertops 201

including CSA cements and UV sealer

If you are an advanced concrete countertop maker or a returning CCI alumnus, you can take the 2-day GFRC portion of our class on Thursday and Friday.

• Learn how to use Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete to build light, strong concrete that will allow you to create unlimited shapes and sizes of countertops, islands, tables, sinks, fireplaces and more.
• The GFRC technique is the wave of the future for large, complex, three-dimensional pieces. It is an essential tool to have in your toolbox if you are going to move beyond standard kitchen and bathroom slabs on boxes.
• This class is just the right length to teach you how to make countertop-quality GFRC, and priced economically to make it easier for you to add this tool to your repetoire.
• This is the only class that goes beyond small-time handmade methods for GFRC to explain how to use GFRC, rapid hardening CSA cements and ultra-fast cure UV sealer to ramp up to high production, high quality concrete countertops.

 

Hear what our students have to say:

• "This is a great class for anyone wanting to learn GFRC. Jeff & Brad are a wealth of knowledge on the subject. Nothing is held back, Jeff conveys his extensive knowledge in a very clear way." - Shannon Miller
• "GFRC for Concrete Countertops opened up a whole new way of thinking about concrete countertops and how and why to use GFRC as opposed to conventional wet cast/steel reinforced concrete countertops." - Will Hightower
• "Individuals in this class who had years of experience in cast concrete and GFRC were behind where the class was after only a couple of days. This has given me confidence in a short period of time, which others have not achieved even after years of experience." - Jarrett Miners
• "I highly recommend the GFRC program that CCI offers. It is one of the most elaborate and functional programs I have ever attended. Jeff shares all his experience and expertise to create a unique mix of hands on and classroom education." - Peter Tome

More testimonials about training at CCI.

 

What will I learn? When, where and how much? How do I register?

What will I learn?

• You will take away from this class a complete understanding of all of the issues you need to be aware of in order to produce concrete countertop-quality GFRC.
• There is no product sales pitch. CCI does not sell GFRC materials or equipment. We tell you the best materials and equipment and where to buy them directly from the manufacturer.
• You will learn from-scratch mix designs, gaining a full understanding of ingredients such as AR glass fiber and acrylic polymer and why they are used.
• You will receive a complete understanding of the different equipment used for efficient application of both spray-up and premix methods. Completely understand when you should use hopper guns versus chopper guns, hand mixers versus high shear mixers, etc. and save yourself huge amounts of money you might have wasted on inappropriate equipment.
• Learn how to finish the surface to countertop quality with a variety of looks including embedded glass.
• CSA cements: Learn how to use rapid-hardening calcium sulfoalumniate cements to replace 100% of your Portland cement, resulting in 28-day strength in just 24 hours and a 62% reduction in the carbon footprint of your concrete mix.
• UV sealer: Learn how to apply a sealer that uses ultraviolet light to cure in seconds, not days.

See this article by Jeff Girard for an overview of GFRC.

Click here for an article by Jeff Girard about CSA cements.

Jeff Girard also explains the pros and cons of the UV sealer here.

When, where, how much?

This class is held approximately monthly at The Concrete Countertop Institute's
training facility in Raleigh, NC.

• The maximum numbers of students CCI can accept for this class is 16.
• Tuition for the class is $995. Tuition includes:
  • 2 days of instruction from Jeff Girard. Class runs on Thursday and Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm each day.
  • No product sales pitch. CCI does not sell products - we tell you where to buy materials directly from the manufacturer.
  • Free technical support from CCI.
  • All course materials - just bring work clothes and be ready to have fun with concrete.
  • Breakfast and catered lunch each day.
  • Beverages and bountiful snacks are available all day long. We feed you well with Southern hospitality.
  • Nice, inexpensive hotel in the heart of downtown Raleigh for just $65 per night.
  • Only $250 deposit required, fully refundable.

Click here for the dates of the next scheduled GFRC for Concrete Countertops 201 class.

How do I register?

REGISTER NOW using our online system, or call us at 888-386-7711.

*PREREQUISITE: This class assumes that you already know how to make concrete countertops. It does not teach templating, forming, reinforcing, coloring, grinding, installation or any other fundamentals of making concrete countertops. You must already know how to make concrete countertops, whether from taking a CCI Training class in the past or from your own experience. If you have not attended a CCI class, you MUST have at least 1 year of experience making concrete countertops as a business for paying customers. CCI reserves the right at its sole discretion to determine whether you are qualified to take the class.

Because only concrete countertop professionals may attend this class, anyone accepted for this class is qualified to join our membership program. Consider joining before registering, and receive a discount on the tuition for this class.