Fibreglass is a common repair and building material used across many industries including Boat, Construction, Roofing, Automotive, Surfing and Artmaking to name but a few!
Fibreglass can also be referred to GRP or Glass Reinforced Plastic.
Fibreglass can be broken down into two essential components
Fibreglass is available in many formats and choice is dependent on the type of fibreglass build or repair that you are undertaking.
The most common Fibreglass material we supply is Chopped Strand Mat (sometimes abbreviated to CSM). CSM consists of glass fibres randomly laid and bound together into a mat format. CSM is used for hand lay-up applications.
CSM is available in a variety of different area sizes and weights – normally 300g, 450g, 600g and 900g. Again, choice of mat is dependent on the type of build or repair you are undertaking. We recommend that resin should be applied at 2.25 times of the weight of the glass.
Strands of chopped glass which can be sprinkled into internal corners that require reinforcement
Surface Tissue is suitable for use as a finishing layer of the laminating process to give a smoother finish. We provide this in our pond kits to protect the fish from any sharp glass edges.
Woven Glass is used to add bulk and stiffness to a laminate. It is popular in boat manufacturing. It also has no bonding agent which makes it suitable for use with epoxy resin.
Similar to choosing the correct glass fibre material, resin is choice is dependent on the nature of the product and what it will be required to do.
The resins supplied at FibreGlassDirect include; Polyester, Epoxy and Vinylester.
Regardless of what resin that you choose, catalyst must be added to allow the resin to cure or harden.
Polyester Resin is the most common type of fibreglass resin. There are a variety of different types including
Vinylester Resins offer great resistance to water and chemicals. They are often used in the manufacture of swimming pools and chemical storage tanks for this reason.
Epoxy Resins are generally more expensive than Polyester and Vinylester Resins.
They are used for projects where enhanced strength, durability and chemical resistance are required.
It is important to note that whilst undertaking a fibreglass repair – if the original substrate has been made from epoxy, then epoxy resin must be used in the repair.
Buying Fibreglass and Resin online has never been easier!
At FibreGlassDirect, we supply a comprehensive range of fibreglass materials and resins (Polyester, Epoxy and Vinylester).