GFRZ PRO Technical Data Sheet

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Z Counterform GFRZ Pro is a pre-blended, all in one, high performance concrete mix designed for casting countertops, furniture, wall panels and more. It offers the very best blend of white Portland cement, white sands, polymer, defoamer, shrink reducer and other ingredients to ensure a strong, pinhole free casting. Impressive compression and flexural strength allows you to comfortably cast as thin as 3/4” without concern for cracking, curling or deformation. GRFZ Pro is highly versatile and allows for many application techniques including standard GFRC and SCC castings.

GFRZ TYPICAL APPLICATION: Z Counterform GFRZ Pro is a pre-blended, all in one, high performance concrete mix designed for casting countertops, furniture, wall panels and more. It offers the very best blend of white Portland cement, white sands, polymer, defoamer, shrink reducer and other ingredients to ensure a strong, pinhole free casting. Impressive compression and flexural strength allows you to comfortably cast as thin as 3/4” without concern for cracking, curling or deformation. GRFZ Pro is highly versatile and allows for many application techniques including standard GFRC and SCC castings.

MIXING GFRZ PRO: Start by adding 50% of required water and any integral pigment (optional) to a clean mixing pail. If pigment is added, mix slightly to disperse the pigment within the water. Make sure you are using cold water. In warmer environments, up to 50% of the water weight can be substituted with ice. Use an electric auger or paddle type mixer to blend. Next, slowly add half the bag GFRZ Pro and begin mixing until combined. Continue by slowly adding the remainder of water and powder while continuing to mix until thoroughly homogenized (3-4 minutes). Once all water and concrete are combined, continue to mix for one more minute with a total mixing time of about 4-5 minutes to properly blend the ingredients.

If mixing the backer coat, now is the time to add the AR Glass Fibers. Typically, 1.35 lbs or 3% weight of dry powder, will provide the optimal strength. Slowly add in the fibers while mixing to fully incorporate them into the concrete mix. Over mixing or spinning the mixer too fast, can damage the fibers and result in reduced strength.

Environmental factors such as temperature and humidity can affect the amount of water needed. Ideal air temperature for mixing is between 60 and 70F but the temperature of the concrete powder and of the mixing tools should also remain near 70F. It is important to remember cooler temperatures will slow the reaction and warmer temperature will accelerate it. A small amount of additional water can make a big difference in final strength and mix properties. If 8.6 lbs of water does not yield a flowable enough mix for your specific application, 5 - 20 ml of Flow+ Pro water reducer can be added to increase the workability. Adding too much water reducer can cause the mix to separate, so add slowly. You can always remix to unstiffen the material as needed. It's important to stay within the water, Flo+ Pro and reinforcement recommendations for each recipe. Based on 72F, you should have 30 minutes of working time.

APPLICATION TECHNIQUES:

Spray Face Coat: For this application, the mix should have no fibers added and have a low viscosity allowing it to flow through a hopper gun but still retain vertical hold on mold or casting surface. Watch our video to see what this looks like. Spray a thorough and uniform coating of GFRZ Pro onto all surfaces of your mold that will be a “finished surface”. Shoot for roughly 1/8“ thickness of material.

Brush-on Face Coat: For this application, the mix should have no fibers added and have a low viscosity but still retain vertical hold on mold or casting surface. Start by pouring a small amount of GFRZ Pro into your mold and use a chip brush, gloved hand or squeegee trowel to apply a thin covering of GFRZ Pro onto all surfaces of your mold that will be a “finished surface”. Ideal thickness of material is roughly 1/8“.

Hand Packed Backer Coat: Before applying the backer coat, allow the face coat to partially set. The face coat should be firm enough that the fibers in the backer coat will not press through, but not too firm that the two coats will not bond. For this application, you will add approx. 1.35 lbs of AR Glass Fibers to your pre-blended GFRZ Pro mix. Adding the fibers will stiffen the mix slightly which is desired. The consistency of the mix should be slightly to moderately more viscous than your face coat depending on the application and the shape of the casting. For example, to build a vertical apron or waterfall edge on a countertop casting, a more viscous mix may be desired as it will build and hold better on a vertical surface. However, if you are placing this on a larger horizantal surface, you may shoot for a less viscous consistency so the material can be poured out of the bucket and spread easily throughout the mold. In most cases 3/4” - 1” total thickness (including face coat) is desired.

SCC Casting: This is a pourable casting that may or may not use a face coat. It is important to remember, if no face coat is applied, the glass fiber dosage should be reduced to about 1 lb per bag of GFRZ Pro. Without a face coat, limited grinding/ polishing or post processing should be done as the fibers will be just below the surface once demolded. To achieve a flowable consistency, up to 20ml of Flow+ Pro water reducer can be used. Although the mix will flow and self consolidate, some vibration may be necessary to create a pinhole free casting.