Concrete Decor's Current Articles

Technology continues to do its part to turn working with concrete from an art into a science. Take the matter of moisture in concrete slabs.

In recent months, most of the safety emphasis in the industry has been on crystalline silica and new regulations designed to keep it out of concrete workers’ lungs.

Both equipment manufacturers and contractors have worked hard to come up with new products and processes to keep their workers safe.

When it comes to safety in the construction industry, technological advances will make the workplace of the future more connected.

Pervious concrete, increasingly in demand for its environmental benefits, takes on color.

Sure, radiant-heated concrete is warm and comfortable. But before you get too comfortable, there are underlayments, insulation and other factors to consider.

The right mixer and paddle can be the pairing for success. Just as a good cook knows when to use a stand mixer with bread hooks and when to get out the hand mixer with a whip, there are a mixer— and a paddle or blade design— for just about every size job in the decorative concrete industry, as well.

One nice thing about a metallic coating, in contrast to acid stains or dyes, is its ability to fully cover cracks and other defects, regardless of their size. Lemon says he’s also been using metallic pigments as accents in microtoppings to get certain shading and highlighting effects.

Gregory Mata and his Cutting Edge Decorative Concrete crew arrived at the house of a young CEO intending only to stamp a patio. Then inspiration took over.

In this Tooling section, Concrete Decor magazine focused on walk-behind models, handheld models, edgers and other tools that can be helpful to decorative contractors on small and medium-sized jobs.

Thousands of contractors use decorative concrete in commercial projects because it is attractive, durable, affordable and easy to maintain. This article is about the explosion in commercial decorative work and how it may benefit your company

Among the quirkier success stories of World Of Concrete 2006 is a little texture-mat tamper that manufacturer Proline Concrete Tools dubbed "The Billy Banger."

Pouring concrete into fabric instead of the usual rigid formwork represents, for some, the shape of things to come.

This patented power trowel designed specifically for finishing decorative epoxy aggregate mortars has proven to be very adaptable and capable of finishing many types of polymer and modified cementitious overlays.

In Los Angeles, and in particular the Beverly Hills area of the city, there are many OMG backyards. This one, though, created by Scott Cohen’s company, Green Scene Landscaping & Swimming Pools, was over-the-top enough to have been featured last summer on the television show “OMG Backyards.”

In an effort to help contractors resolve moisture-related problems in concrete, Wagner Meters and Tramex are introducing new monitoring devices to track and document relative humidity and temperatures at a job site.

The Decorative Concrete Hall of Fame is pleased to honor its inductees for 2014: Gary Jones, Frank Lewis and Jon Nasvik. The Hall of Fame will announce the group at the 2014 Concrete Decor Show.

This concrete martini glass, tricked out with real fire, flowing water and concrete casino kitsch, was the toast of the Artistry in Decorative Concrete exhibition at the 2012 World of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas.

Prepping a concrete floor for polishing is one of the most difficult tasks we face in this industry. We cannot be aggressive like we can when prepping for a coating system, because there will be no coating to cover up the deep scratch patterns. We must take care to remove the surface materials while causing as little damage as possible to the concrete. We must be aggressive while being cautious.