ASCC Workshop and Demos

The annual meeting of the American Society of Concrete Contractors, held in Denver in September, was a showplace of what can go wrong - by design. A popular workshop on decorative concrete, "What to Do When Things Go Wrong," was followed in the afternoon with demonstrations of common problems and the products and techniques to correct them.

Presenters Bob Harris of the Decorative Concrete Institute and Clark Branum of Brickform Products reviewed several common problems with concrete stamping, concrete staining, concrete overlays, integral color and concrete counter tops, as well as solutions to those problems.

Harris and Branum emphasized that the most effective way to deliver a stamped project that lives up to what the customer expects (and thus will pay for) is to make sure the customer knows what to expect. Harris said that in thousands of concrete stamp jobs, he has only completed one that was "perfect," and that was only three yards. Samples and mock-ups created with the exact mix, materials and sealers you plan to use will give customers the best idea of what their project will look like. Your mock-ups should use not only the same materials you plan to use on the job, but also the same techniques.

Common causes of concrete failing to take a chemical stain as expected include incorrect slab preparation, contaminants on the slab, the use of certain finishing techniques and mix design.

Poor bonding is the cause of most concrete overlay failures, and failure to bond is usually caused by poor surface preparation. Old sealers must be removed and the surface neutralized.