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Increte Systems Inc.
by Stacey Enesey Klemenc

Stamped concrete:
A solid alternative
A subsidiary of Inco Chemical — a company that’s manufactured sealers, stains and epoxies since 1963 — Increte Systems entered the decorative concrete market as a natural progression, adding stamped concrete and overlay systems to its coatings and colorings offerings. Today, Increte is used in 70 countries throughout the world, including all 50 U.S. states.

“We’ve been overseas for 11 years now,” Lowe says. And aside from a few formula adjustments they’ve made to allow Increte’s products to work properly in different climates, it’s pretty much business as usual.

Stateside, “Interlocking pavers are our largest competition,” Lowe laments, while abroad people lean toward natural materials over stamped concrete. “In Europe, people tend to want the real thing and it’s an uphill battle against real cobblestone and slate. Our products have to be as realistic as possible and we sell on their functionality.”

It’s Lowe’s job to get consumers to access the total life cost of a project and realize that stamped concrete is more cost effective and doesn’t have the inherent maintenance issues associated with the real thing. As for pavers, an old technology that has been in use for hundreds of years, “It’s nowhere near as good a system as stamped concrete,” he says.

For pavers to work best, they need to be installed over a slab of concrete, Lowe points out. If they’re installed over hard-packed sand or dirt fill, there will be settling, shifting and washouts. “So if you’re going to pour concrete,” Lowe rationalizes, “you may as well stamp it to achieve the look you want.”

Solid footings in the future
Through training, tech and marketing support and its involvement in more than 15 tradeshows a year, Increte Systems hopes to educate both consumers and contractors about the benefits of decorative concrete. “I think it’s in its infancy right now,” Lowe says. And in the near future, “People will expect a decorative finish to be standard rather than an upgrade. I don’t necessarily mean stamped concrete but maybe colored concrete or a textured border. As soon as more people realize that we can do most anything with concrete, they won’t go back to plain old, gray concrete if they’ve got a choice.”

Lowe points out there is a healthy balance between new construction and decorative remodeling that he sees continuing in the next 10 to 20 years. “We’re going to see the decorative market share grow, with no end in sight,” he predicts, noting that he thinks renovation products will be especially huge, as more consumers want to decorate those plain slabs with everything from stains and overlays to textures and spray-on colors.

He also notes that integrally colored concrete, which has been big for years in the southwest, is starting to spread across the country. But, he’s quick to add, color hardeners are still the way to go with stamped concrete for a realistic, durable finish.

His advice to contractors who want to help themselves to a large slice of the decorative concrete pie in the years to come: “Offer a wide range of options to your customers in a wide range of prices. You need to know how to deliver everything from cast in place to overlays if you want to be out in front of the industry.”