The world's foremost resource on decorative concrete
The world’s great deposits of synthetic rock were once concentrated in zoos, theme parks and the occasional museum exhibit. But times have changed, and these days, faux rock is cropping up all over, from backyard pools and spas to shopping-mall waterfalls.
The ancient Romans had the right idea. If you want a structure to last for centuries, shelve the sticks. Build it out of concrete.
And although most Europeans grasped onto this concept eons ago — their dwellings are built to be passed on from generation to generation — it’s taken the less frugal Americans awhile longer to literally bring the concept home.
In indoor applications, terrazzo has a ground and polished surface that lends itself to creative design. The use of divider strips allows the material to be mixed in different colors and applied in a process similar to paint-by-number, so you can incorporate designs, logos, borders and just about anything.
At a recent symposium sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers, students from 17 universities took part in a contest to see which team could come up with the best flying disc — made of concrete.
The A-H Stained Glass Floor System, from Anti-Hydro International, is a solventbased system that creates a vibrant-colored, transparent, high-gloss film for concrete and masonry floors.
The coating, which goes on in four layers, contains no pigments and creates beautiful colors by changing the refractive index of light, like a precious stone.
Colorado Hardscapes of Denver has made it its business to come up with concrete solutions for a wide variety of customers, both commercial and residential.
Multi Surface Urethane #275, from The Goodstuff Products, is a water-based, low-odor, low-VOC, clear urethane finish. Easy to apply and fast-drying, this high-quality finish works well on concrete countertops, floors, ceramic tile, vertical surfaces and other interior and exterior surfaces, including wood and some natural stone.
Reliable. Multifaceted. Maintainable. Portable concrete mixers are all that and more, says Warren Faler, mixer product manager for Multiquip in Carson, Calif. “They can be productive in a wide variety of applications.”
21st century concrete on display in the exhibit Liquid Stone: New Architecture in Concrete, features innovations that range from translucent blocks and photoengraved building fronts to revolutionary materials that promise to change the rules of construction as we know them today.
Doug Carlton says he tried his darnedest to stay out of the decorative concrete market. With both his father and grandfather traditional concrete contractors, he was quite content to maintain the status quo when he started his own company back in 1987.
