The world's foremost resource on decorative concrete
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.
When we think of sculpting, most of us probably picture statues or abstract artistic shapes, not a combination of walls and steps and terraces that enhance the natural surroundings. Yet that is what the sculpting of a hillside is shaping the landscape into an attractive blend of man-made and natural elements.
About four decades ago, the Watergate Complex in Washington, D.C., was the site of one of the most talked-about political scandals in American history. The hotel is also home to a newly resurfaced decorative concrete pool deck that is reportedly sometimes mistaken for real stone.
Imagine this: You own an estate in the California hills overlooking Monterey Bay. You are a lover of art and natural beauty. You want a swimming pool complex with a large concrete deck and pool house. You want it to accentuate the surrounding landscape and incorporate the feel of the bay, but you’re not sure how you want to achieve that. Who do you call?
It’s hard to picture a slow day at Lonestar Concrete Systems — the decorative concrete installation company completes an average of 2,500 projects per year, has anywhere from 70 to 100 projects going at all times and works regularly for big-name clients.
During a hot summer in northern Texas, a cool dip in a pool or ride down a water slide can be the perfect remedy, and that’s exactly what you’ll find at Paradise Springs, a new water park that opened for the 2011 summer season at the Gaylord Texan, a Grapevine, Texas, resort owned by luxury hospitality chain Gaylord Hotels.
Decorative concrete contractors know how to turn plain concrete into works of art using various applications and techniques. What they may not know is how these applications and techniques affect the temperature of the concrete.
Concrete Coatings is a Sundek dealer owned by Scott Burley, Will’s uncle. It’s a decorative concrete resurfacing contractor handling pool decks, patios, terraces and other exterior surfaces for commercial and residential customers in metropolitan New Orleans, south Louisiana and other points along the Gulf Coast.
Photos courtesy of Drakeley Industries Decorative shotcrete is not a physical product. It cannot be touched or held in your hand. Shotcrete is a process or verb. It is the action of placing concrete to achieve high strengths and low permeability. Shotcrete is defined by the American Concrete Institute’s ACI […]
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.
