Endless possibilities of fiberglass

Who would have thought that fiberglass has an enormous use – from furniture to construction supply varieties. Fiberglass can challenge human creativity with regards to designs, style and creation – name it, fiberglass will bend, twist and stretch to suit architectural needs.

I was ushered to this kind of understanding by fiberglass product manufacturer Richard Joseph Li. According to Li, fiberglass products are ideal for interior and exterior construction needs due to fiberglass’ remarkable characteristics – light-weight, durable, custom designable, non-corrosive, repairable, architecturally trendy, among others. With quite an impressive roster of qualities, fiberglass is widely used in the country and in some parts of the world. However, we tend to limit its use.

The balusters of the Angelicum Admin Building is made of fiberglass; some restaurants’ stone walls, lamps, droplights, chairs and tables in the metro, rock walls in some posh hotels and resorts, rock structures, kawa, pots, urns, fixtures, door panels, moldings and driveway tiles for houses and institutions, columns, watercraft – are all made of fiberglass. These are customized products that can fool ordinary persons to think that the items to be made of stone or wood. Nevertheless, these items have gone through different molding processes and procedures, only done by well-trained craftsmen and laborers and supervised by knowledgeable operators. Li also boasts that even The Freeman chairman Jose “Dodong” Gullas’ grotto at his residence is made of fiberglass and not made of rocks and stones.

These “deceiving” architectural pieces go beyond the ordinary. I was left awed while viewing a showroom full of fiberglass architectural supplies and was impressed with the details of the furniture. I was made aware that all items inside the four walls are made of this wonder material. Oh, my eyes were glued to the “bamboo” walls. To my surprise, I was tricked. The colors gave an illusion that it was made of bamboo. And the lifespan: depending on how you take care of the furniture piece.

Li is among the world’s firm believers on the wonders of fiberglass. A-One Fiberglass Products Manufacturing, a wholly Filipino-owned Cebu-based company, is one of the pioneers in providing Cebuanos fiberglass manufactured architectural supplies, novelty items, interior accents, fixtures, etc. The company, part of the Cebu Goodwill Group of Companies, has already gained a considerable following with 20 years of experience in custom molded fiberglass products. They have reached the point of manufacturing their own fiberglass. They started exporting, as sub-constructors, to Japan, a country is keen on quality and professionalism, and in the U.S.

“You design, we create.” That’s their business trademark, developing personalized and customized exterior and interior needs, or novelties/giveaways. This architectural supplier company believes in the endless possibilities of fiberglass. Many institutions, hotels and restaurants in Cebu patronize their products – a solid proof that fiberglass is indeed, reliable, trendy and economic. Their 50-square meter showroom in 12 Don V. Sotto St. is open to interested customers (tel.no. 255 5319) for viewing.