Concrete Decor's Current Articles

A decade after he entered the concrete industry as an installer, Keefe Duhon is owner/president of three separate and successful companies based in New Iberia, Louisiana.

Stained, integrally colored or other decorative concrete treatments will eventually need a freshening up if not a total do-over.

When it comes to concrete — as with so many other things in life — people tend to judge a book by its cover. There’s nothing like a giant crack or a crumbling corner in a recent concrete placement to make an unhappy customer.

Within the concrete industry there is a common misconception that polished concrete means no maintenance, when in reality keeping up a polished floor simply requires low maintenance.

The Decorative Concrete Hall of Fame was established to honor individuals and companies who have gone beyond the call of duty to help promote decorative concrete as a thriving business and a constantly evolving art form. These individuals’ achievements and their commitment to excellence and innovation have helped the decorative concrete industry grow.

A “punch list” is the final review of a project. It is usually completed by the project architect and is most often completed after the project has reached a milestone called “substantial completion.” And for a decorative concrete contractor, the punch list is probably the single largest money-losing piece of a project.

Eight times per year I look at this magazine from cover to cover, amazed at how our industry has been hijacked by true artists. This level of skill, along with a few creative marketing ideas, should keep fresh money coming into your bank account.

Just like there’s more than one way to make chocolate chip cookies, there are plenty of ways to build concrete homes with satisfying results. Here’s a synopsis of the main options on the market.

You will get complaint calls regarding your contracting, and this day needs to be planned for. Your customer may have a legitimate complaint or may need some educating. Nevertheless, not responding to the complaint will only aggravate the situation.

As complements to stains, as colorants on polished concrete jobs or on their own, dyes are earning a more permanent place in the decorative concrete artisan’s tool kit.

With the economy in doldrums, it is commonly accepted that homeowners are looking to stay in their homes longer rather than sell. Therefore, the renovations they are undertaking are seen as representing their tastes rather than what they hope a buyer may like.

In the decorative concrete world, that can’t happen as easily. You get one shot at doing everything right. The interior and exterior must match, have the right scale and the right detail. While the daily work gets done, a part of you dreams to find that one client who changes your portfolio forever.

So far, I’ve written a lot about math and my love for it as it is truly my favorite part of my decorative concrete work process. Recently, however, I’ve been getting requests to turn my attention to color, which I think would be a nice change of pace. Let me warn you in advance: If you thought talking math with me was complex, wait until you hear my take on color theory. I can go on for days.

Wood? Melamine? Formica? Steel? Experienced artisans share their preferences for form materials.

The winners of the American Concrete Institute’s 2017 Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards were lauded during ACI’s convention in October in Anaheim, California.

The Concrete Promotional Group of Greater Kansas City has announced its annual Excellence in Concrete Awards. The awards recognize outstanding work in concrete construction in the greater Kansas City area, comprised of parts of Missouri and Kansas.

Inspired from architecture and sculptures, Karen Konzuk has a modern-day approach to her designs. Though initially her main focus was sculpture, Konzuk accidentally took a jewelry course at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and loved it.

For those of us who remember how trendy the whole zodiac thing was in the 1970s, it’s fun to see it pop up now and again. Here’s an example, a stained and engraved zodiac pattern on concrete in a Chinese-style restaurant called Temptasian in Vernon, British Columbia.