The world's foremost resource on decorative concrete
Instead of ripping out and replacing, existing concrete can be repaired and restored with the aid of the right equipment, products and know-how.
Stamped concrete is the very foundation of decorative concrete industry. The ability to take concrete and add pattern and color separates you from your competition. This ability also increases a customer’s expectations. Simply put, most customers will not accept a random crack running through patterned concrete, nor should they.
Unlike a fine wine, decorative concrete does not always age well.
And a decade or two after the first massive surge in popularity of decorative concrete, plenty of owners of residential and commercial property are realizing that their patterned, textured and colored concrete does not look like it once did.
Winter and freeze-thaw have a way of exposing defects in concrete we normally would not see in warmer regions.
Complete replacement of the Terminal Building carpet was being considered, but a surprising discovery revealed that underneath the stained and worn carpet tiles laid a once gorgeous cement-based terrazzo floor.
We’re in the middle of another winter season. While it’s not predicted to be as harsh as last year’s “polar vortex” winter, we still need to be thinking about all the possible causes and sources of winter damage and eliminate them.
“Just apply a decorative overlay and it will hide everything.” Or, “Use acid to strip that sealer.” These are just a couple of the myths or just plain wrong recommendations concrete contractors may have come across recently.
At a recent Flattoo workshop conducted by Surface Gel Tek, Tamryn Doolan discussed many decorative uses for the company’s products. But I also learned another surprising benefit of Tek Gel for Profiling besides its etching and stenciling capabilities.
Having many techniques in your arsenal can bridge the difference between your client’s vision and the reality of a project. Today’s clients are more sophisticated. They expect more. Plain gray concrete is no longer good enough for them.
From indoor pools to backyard fountains, the winners of Concrete Decor’s first annual Concrete Restoration contest gave faded concrete a new lease on life.
They hail from North Carolina, South Dakota, Arizona and California. They brought new life to an elementary school, an amphitheatre, a museum and a front porch. Meet this year’s winners of our second annual Concrete Restoration Contest.
