Concrete Decor's Current Articles

Contractors and artisans use specially made stencils and stains to leave their marks on decorative concrete.

Imagine the convenience and versatility of a decorative concrete finish that can be applied to walls or floors.

Actually, it’s not a matter for the imagination. Such decorative finishes already exist.

Polishable overlays are a popular alternative to polished concrete where the existing concrete slab isn’t a good candidate to be polished. Infilling trenches, patching, spalling and removing existing modular floor coverings often result in a concrete surface that doesn’t meet with customer approval.

If you’re doing anything with polishing, drilling or sawing concrete these days, you’re likely already using water in your processes. Those hedging on not using wet processes are staring straight at a mandate from OSHA that requires contractors to reduce the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for respirable crystalline silica.

A Nashville youth center gets a decorative concrete makeover as part of the 2011 Concrete Decor Show.

Wagman plastic blades leave a hard, polished finish up to the standards of steel, but without the dark burnish marks that tend to show up when steel spins against concrete.

Decorative cast iron grates look impressive. But too often, they’re also expensive, so they aren’t considered for any projects but those with the largest budgets. A company called Iron Age Designs hopes to change that.

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

As part of its effort to improve the environment through green product offerings, L.M. Scofield Co. has developed Solachrome Integral Coloring Treatment for High-SRI Concrete.

Bonding agents are a widely debated family of products. Some concrete contractors will tell you they have a favorite bonding agent, one that they use almost exclusively. Others say they evaluate every job and develop a unique solution, drawing from a wide range of products. And there are some contractors who swear by the oldest bonding agent of them all, simply using a mixture of portland cement and water.

We ate. We drank. We told the truth and lied, and then admitted that we had lied. We laughed. We talked business. We talked wives. We talked ex-wives. We cried, but just a little.

The QuikShot Vertical Mix Shotcrete Machine, distributed by FossilCrete Inc., is a typical shotcrete pump, only smaller. And that makes it perfect for decorative concrete contractors.

Bernie Apodaca and Debra O'Leary use a variety of systems to suit each customer's taste and budget. Their projects are elegant and innovative.

2008 Concrete Countertop Design contest winners in both residential and commercial categories

The issue of blisters and pin holes occurring on the surface of cast-in-place concrete and resin-based coatings and sealers is well documented, but surprisingly very little is published regarding the same issues in decorative overlays.

The problem: How to spray sealers and other solventbased liquids onto concrete as if they were paint. The solution: The Solvenator Premier Concrete Sprayer.

The Finishers Edge is a new “straight-edge” cutting system designed to provide fast, affordable and a highly simplified means for cutting straight lines in concrete. Enclosed in a durable carrying case, the Finishers Edge comes with five stainless steel tracks; a 2', 3', 5', and (2) x 10' pieces.

Jason Geiser, owner of Deco-Crete Supply in Orrville, Ohio, thought a broad, sloping hill at his three children’s new school needed something to transform it from a virtually unusable space to an inviting outdoor classroom. He and the school officials came up with a project that revolved around Geiser building an amphitheater.