At CBL we only fabricate FRP because our customers, the Architects, GC’s, Drywall Subs and Building Owners, want the strength and durability of Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP)!

FRP, or Fiber Reinforced Plastic, is quite different from GFRG (glass fiber reinforced gypsum) and GFRC (glass fiber reinforced cement). If you were to take a piece of GFRC or GFRG, you can break it easily. Take the same size piece of FRP and it’s as tough as nails - you can’t break it! That’s why boats and tractor trailer cabs are FRP - water resistant, tough and durable. And paint doesn’t peal from its surface because it doesn’t absorb moisture like GFRC and GFRG. Once FRP is up on a building, paint it and forget it - $0 maintenance for years! (Contact me for photos illustrating failed GFRC joints as well as whole columns, mostly due to moisture absorption.)

The only thing that deteriorates FRP is UV which is easily taken care of by an application of quality acrylic paint over the primed gel coat. This will last years because there is no moisture in the FRP to push the paint off in blisters. At CBL we require all our exterior fiberglass to be painted! In fact, we factory prime all our fiberglass with high performance XIM™ primer. Further, we sand our parts to remove the mold release before we prime. Many of our competitors require the installer to sand their parts in an attempt to remove residual mold release before priming and painting.

With the only exception being our standard tapered Tuscan columns, we specialize in fabricating custom profiles because many of the Architects we serve aren’t interested in adapting their design to a catalog of shapes. They want us to make what they design. And, our custom profile pricing will often beat our competitions standard catalog inventory pricing using molds based on other Architects past projects.

Use our specifications. That way you’ll be sure to specify the required cornice joint caulk that won’t release from the fiberglass edges in the first winter. You will also assure that the column cover seams will be resin floated to disappear as opposed to simply being caulked and unsightly within the first year. And, your specifications will require the fiberglass to be factory sanded and primed and field painted rather than rely on exposed UV inhibitor gel coat - which won’t last. (Unless the Owner is willing to wax their building every year, along with their boat!)

Enjoy our web site. We show you our portfolio of photos of 14 years of projects and numerous newspaper articles listed below. Also link to our patented exterior epoxy texture coating at ArchEpox-Texture.com that makes our fiberglass look and feel like limestone. At ArchEpox-Texture.com you will see our textured “hybrid” alternative to EIFS that makes use of lifetime building materials including fiberglass, fiber cement board (such as HardiPanel™), metal, and even molded millwork (such as FYPON™). ArchEpox’s “hybrid” is as attractive and nearly economical as EIFS but without the mold, deterioration, liability and insurance problems.

CBL’s plant is located in Hernando, MS just south of Memphis, TN. Started in 1992, CBL is owned by two construction professionals. C. Burgess Ledbetter is a 1969 graduate of the University of Tennessee School of Architecture with a Masters Degree from Dartmouth College. His partner, James Garrison is a licensed General Contractor with years of experience in commercial construction. Together with their staff, they provide input helping Architects design with fiberglass as well as recommending other materials that might be more applicable. Their goal is to be a valuable resource for the Architect, the General Contractor and the Drywall Subcontractor installer.