You don’t need me to tell you how tough today’s market is for contractors, and few will disagree that the ball is in our customers’ court. Razor-thin margins allow no room for error in one of the many things we used to pay little attention to.
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Integrally Colored Concrete in Today’s Economy
The first decade of the 21st century has been pretty huge for integral color. For one thing, decorative concrete as a whole has taken huge strides in terms of market share, and more decorative concrete means more integral color.
The Home Planned for the “Concrete Nation” TV Show
Imagine building your dream home. All of the right elements are in place: hardwood floors, granite countertops, marble tile in the bathrooms and kitchen, exterior brick siding, flagstone pool deck, rock retaining walls and exposed aggregate driveway. Now imagine taking that plan and replacing all those elements with concrete.
Recipe: Easy on the Eyes and the Earth
The finish on this water feature was achieved using a handful of soy-based products. It’s a great way to get a more earth-friendly surface that boasts deep, rich colors to boot. As an additional plus, the concrete is profiled with garnet abrasives, which not only ensure a low-dust blasting experience, but also give the finished surface a reliably nonslip surface.
The Nanotechnology Trend in Decorative Concrete: Hype or Reality?
Nanotechnology is everywhere. It seems to be the new buzzword in the decorative concrete industry. Now, nanotechnology has become the magic ingredient in any number of sealers, coatings and stains. I This article explores exactly what nanotechnology is and what benefits it brings to the decorative industry.
How the International Green Construction Code Affects You
Most of the requirements in the IGCC that could apply to decorative concrete are not really that new, and often they are things you already do.
Mapei adds features to website
Mapei has retooled its United States website. The recent launch highlights the results of careful listening to the needs of customers combined with state-of-the art website design. Mapei has added a tutorial for contractors and architects that helps them better understand the components of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and […]
SASE updates website
SASE Co. Inc. has launched an improved website. The website off ers many of the same features as before, but now includes complete diamond line listings, accessory information, news and expanded product descriptions. Accessibility has also increased, as the new site is HTML-based instead of utilizing Flash programming. The “Downloads” […]
MIT research sets new life-cycle assessment model standard
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has released preliminary research findings that will help set a new standard in life-cycle assessment modeling. The studies, which are part of an ongoing research initiative at the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, will quantify the cradle-to-grave environmental costs of paving and building materials and will […]
A concrete mixer for Haiti
Haiti produces some of the poorest concrete in the world. They skimp on cement and mix the materials on the ground using shovels. Following the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Cart-Away Concrete Systems Inc. took up the challenge to improve the quality of concrete in the country. A five-man team […]
