Historic Restoration Made Easy with TerraGlas

Beautiful Restoration with TerraGlas

Architectural terracotta has always been a popular building material, and it was an exceptionally popular building material during the 19th and 20th centuries in North America. People were building all kinds of things from simple bricks to elaborate columns and entryways out of terracotta. This was a great solution because terracotta is remarkably easy and inexpensive to acquire in North America. Furthermore, it is relatively easy to work with and, when fired, shares some properties with stone, a material which is substantially more expensive and difficult to work with. Unfortunately, while terracotta is easy to use, its architectural and structural integrity can become compromised over time, especially when exposed to the elements. Terracotta is, after all, essentially mud, so it should come as no surprise that these buildings had a tendency to erode when showered with mildly acidic rain or exposed to other corrosive elements like smog. Fortunately, Stromberg has a solution: TerraGlas. TerraGlas is a unique blend of real terracotta clay and fiberglass for structural integrity.

TerraGlas is a Permanent Fix

Prior to the innovation of TerraGlas by the Stromberg Group, terra cotta buildings were repaired with more terra cotta. This was fine as a stopgap, but the terra cotta patches had the same problems as the original architecture and would eventually succumb to the same fate. TerraGlas is a permanent fix for crumbling architectural terra cotta. The secret to TerraGlas’s strength is in the fiberglass that is used to reinforce the basic terra cotta clay. Not only does the fiberglass add structural strength, it also contributes a huge resistance to disintegration caused by exposure to the elements while also improving the flexive strength of the product, making it more resistant to concussive force. A deep freeze might crack terra cotta, but it won’t phase TerraGlas. Windstorm debris might crack traditional terra cotta bricks, but it will just bounce right off of TerraGlas. Restoration with terra cotta is a stopgap – the building will have to be restored in another couple of decades. With TerraGlas, you fix it once.

TerraGlas: Custom Made, Custom Fit

One of the other issues raised by terra cotta restoration is that terra cotta can be extremely difficult to get consistent. Due to countless variables in the firing process by which the malleable clay is hardened, it is nearly impossible to predict the exact size and shape of a finished product. This can be a huge challenge for architects, especially in projects where every centimeter counts. Unlike terra cotta, TerraGlas is predictable because it barely changes its size or shape over the course of production. Because of this, TerraGlas products can be fine-tuned to a much smaller scale than terra cotta, which is critical for building restoration where damaged architectural elements need to be precisely replicated. With TerraGlas, you get what you order.

Questions about TerraGlas Restoration? Contact Us

If you have any questions about how you can use TerraGlas for your architectural terra cotta restoration project, give us a call at 903.454.0904, or send an email requesting more information to [email protected].

 
Rachel Curling