TRANSFORM CONCRETE INTO FURNITURE

A LITTLE-KNOWN BREED OF CONCRETE mixed with glass fibres s is elevating the masonry material from something you’d only ly stand or drive on to a material you can eat off – or put your plate te on. Standard concrete is tough, but heavy and weak under tension nsion without rebar, which makes it even heavier. But high-strength ngth glass-fibre-reinforced concrete (GFRC), a mix typically used ed to coat building exteriors, is being adopted by artisans who turn it into (relatively) lightweight sinks, chairs, and dining tables, es, says Brandon Gore, founder of the Concrete Design School in the US state of Arkansas. GFRC substitutes plasticisers and polymers mers for much of the usual cement, making a higher density mix that hat can be cast as thin as 25 millimetres, is less prone to air bubbles, les, and can be polished to a matte finish like slate. In addition to leading GFRC workshops, Gore uses it to make custom furniture: tables that appear draped in cloth, sinks that look like a riverbank. nk. He recommends a countertop for your first project. “There’s e’s very little forming,” he says. “If you mix it right and cast properly, it’s almost bulletproof.” Gore offers online tutorials at Conservatoryofcraft.com and you can buy GFRC mixes at Buddyrhodes.com.