The world's foremost magazine on decorative concrete
Decorative concrete bars and concrete countertops are “anticlimactic” to many concrete contractors. Many concrete contractors continue to push the limits of what concrete can do as a medium by creating good design and shapes that are not often seen within the decorative concrete industry.
Throughout the United States and Canada, even in cold climates, homeowners are clamoring for outdoor kitchens and living spaces, using concrete as the material, to enhance the beauty, comfort and resale value of their homes.
As a contractor with extensive experience with all types of outdoor fire features, and as an expert witness in situations where something’s gone terribly wrong, I’d like to share some of the basic guidelines I use to maximize both safety and enjoyment of buidling concrete fire pits.
A fire pit is not an unusual feature for a nice restaurant, but there is something unique about the built-in fire pit at Wild Salsa.
It’s doubtful that any homeowner has found a more elegant way of decorating a neglected piece of land whose main feature is a septic tank field than the owners of the “Hidden Oasis,” a tropical-themed project that blossomed in a residential backyard in Stafford, Va.
This concrete martini glass, tricked out with real fire, flowing water and concrete casino kitsch, was the toast of the Artistry in Decorative Concrete exhibition at the 2012 World of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas.
Troy Lemon, founder and president of Cornerstone Decorative Concrete in Holland, Mich., starts his story with a familiar admission. “I was a concrete guy way before I was a decorative concrete guy,” he says.
Unlike water and oil, glass and concrete do mix and can marry well under the right circumstances. On the other hand, the union may not remain solvent if the chemistry isn’t there to deter the main reason this coupling would meet its demise: alkali-silica reaction (ASR).
Let’s get the question out of the way that you undoubtedly are itching to ask: Is it a jungle out there for California transplant Steve Kroo and Concrete Jungle, his Northridge decorative concrete business?
People have enjoyed sitting outside around a fire since, well, since they discovered fire. Besides the practicalities of fire for warmth, light and cooking, the comfort and romance of fire make us want to pull our chairs up to the hearth and turn our backs on the daily grind.
