Longtime artist and acid stain master Gaye Goodman, 66, wasn’t always a guru of colored concrete.

Cutting-edge decorative concrete takes center stage at the newest resort complexes in Las Vegas

In the United States, decorative concrete is advanced at a level that it is not at anywhere else. When you’re overseas, be prepared to educate.

The techniques and materials of today are many times more attractive, as advancements and talent collide to make true artistic expression.

In early 2011, the designers of the new location of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in Calgary, Alberta, decided a hockey rink floor would be the best way to enhance their ice hockey exhibit. The owners of retail chain Leslie’s Swimming Pool Supplies had a warmer take on the same idea: coat the floors of several Florida stores to look like glistening pools. Who did they turn to for help? Decorative concrete contractors who used epoxy products to transform plain surfaces into realistic replicas of ice and water.

While most New Englanders today are keeping their purse strings drawn tight and few are investing in concrete countertops for their homes, it’s a different story for area restaurants that serve drinks, says Michael Littlefield, owner of Custom Concrete Design in North Berwick, Maine.

Los Angeles

In Southern California, grinding and polishing concrete that was placed 20 or 30 years ago is fairly common. However, burnishing concrete that’s more than a century old is a rare task for any contractor.

There are four different overlay systems used in creating decorative concrete floors: microtoppings, stampable overlays, multipurpose overlays and self-leveling overlays. All have different characters and makeups with which to achieve decorative looks.

Featured artisan: Greg Hyde Hryniewicz, Hyde Concrete, Annapolis, Md.
As any decorative concrete artisan knows, staining is one of the most nuanced, finicky and unpredictable techniques in the playbook. Yes, stains offer a fantastic variety of design possibilities — just consider the difference between an acid-stained floor and a water-based stain job, for example.
 

A look at several ways you can promote maintenance services that help relieve headaches and save the industry from a tarnished reputation.