Embedding and Imprinting Objects
in Concrete Countertops

Many people's first experience with concrete art is the surreptitious addition of a handprint or some initials to a neighborhood project. But the urge to leave such a message to the future is not confined to adolescents. Whether it's sentimental knick-knacks or corporate logos, embedding or imprinting objects into concrete gives clients an unmistakably one-of-a-kind addition to their home or business. Here are some tips on how to add this finishing touch to an interior or exterior project.

A good impression "A lot of contractors are limited by what they can buy in the store, but you have to think out of the box," says Lee Levig of Concrete Works in Fairfield, Calif.

At customers' request, he has made imprints of leaves and branches, but he also uses more exotic things, such as embossed wallpaper. "Just before the final trowel, when it's still pliable, trowel the wallpaper border face down." He doesn't use a release agent; he just leaves the wallpaper there until the concrete has set, then peels it up. One of Levig's signature techniques is imprinting custom stencils, which he cuts out of heavy waxed paper used for packing produce and discarded behind supermarkets. For the home of a violinist, Levig cut out two bars of music to adorn the entrance to a music room. "It takes a lot of work to do the cutting," Levig admitted, so he generally uses this technique as an accent in a highly visible area such as a front porch or entrance. You needn't cut your own stencils for popular designs such as flowers and foliage. Try a craft store, such as Michaels, which sells paper and plastic stencils from Plaid.

Embedding objects
For a truly one-of-a-kind project, instead of just imprinting objects, you can embed them in the surface. Lee Levig has spotted computer chips in the exposed aggregate at the Discovery Channel Store in Sony's Metreon entertainment complex in San Francisco. He also reports that the Animal Kingdom attraction at Walt Disney World has a faux dirt road made of concrete embellished with twigs, tire tracks, and boulders.

In his book, Concrete Countertops: Design, Forms and Finishes for the New Kitchen and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002), Fu-Tung Cheng showcases countertops inlaid with marble slabs, semiprecious stones, auto parts, fossils, coins, and even Gumby. For molded countertops, Cheng attaches the objects to the mold with a very thin layer of silicone caulk, pours the concrete, then peels off the caulk when the mold is removed. The caulk recesses the object slightly under the surface, which allows him to polish the surface without damaging the inlaid object. For smooth objects such as coins, he attaches a bit of wire mesh to the back with epoxy adhesive to give the concrete something to grip.

Phil Bigelow has developed a casting process that results in what he calls Embedded Stone Concrete (ESC). Although the details are a trade secret, a signature of his work is veins of pebbles embedded in the surface.

Some clients will supply their own objects to be embedded. Bigelow says one client brought a handful of stones and a copper nugget from England and asked him to make a matching wall fountain and coffee table.

You can embed large objects, too. Jeff Girard, founder of Formworks, a company that makes concrete countertops and licenses its methods to other artisans, has embedded movable auto parts in the counter of a store that sells racing memorabilia.