Concrete Decor Magazine
Professional Trade Publications published Concrete Decor, the world’s foremost magazine on decorative concrete, in print and online until April 2020. Until that time, the periodical was printed and posted eight times a year and widely read by concrete contractors and associated trade. Ceasing publication was the result of the worldwide pandemic. However, the essence of Concrete Decor continues to live on.
Today, Concrete Decor remains a valuable online source of information, ideas, product news, photography and training relevant to both commercial and residential work in decorative concrete and related specialties. Now in its 21st year of existence, Concrete Decor is visited by some 100,000 people monthly, with many of those professionals involved in working with or designing for decorative concrete. Since its inception, it has been one of the most-read and most-influential sources covering decorative concrete.
Information seekers return again and again to ConcreteDecor.net to access one of the best-stocked archives of amassed decorative concrete articles and reports from the last 21 years. In addition to magazine articles, cataloged information also includes stories, photos and features unique to the site.
Concrete Decor staff continues to post original new content and share industry news on an ongoing basis each week. At the end of each entry, readers are invited to ask questions related to the subject covered. Industry experts answer these questions and post their responses for all to see.
A free complimentary online publication, the Concrete Decor Newsletter, is emailed twice a month to subscribers who opt to receive it.
History
When Professional Trade Publications introduced PaintPRO magazine in 1999, its unique visual approach and friendly, intuitive editorial style immediately garnered a loyal readership among decorators, faux finishers, coatings applicators and other like-minded artisans. PaintPRO contained inspiring articles and pictorial features covering a multitude of useful techniques, including stories on how to enhance existing concrete surfaces.
PaintPRO’s features on staining, stenciling and producing graphics on existing concrete created a sensation. At that time the aesthetic aspects of concrete received minimal coverage in established concrete industry magazines. These periodicals focused more on the engineering aspects of concrete relevant to new construction on a large scale. They did not cover the details of the intricacies of decorative concrete.
In response to overwhelming interest, PTP launched Concrete Decor in 2001 to address the growing popularity of decorative concrete and related areas. It quickly became the “must-read” source of information for professionals in the emerging decorative concrete business.
The family-owned publishing company moved from the mountain town of Arnold, California, to Eugene, Oregon, in 2001. They did this to accommodate rapid growth and attract educated employees from nearby universities to complement its journalistic objectivity and style. It added staff to support growing circulation and services such as the comprehensive Decorative Concrete Product Guide and the Decorative Concrete Training Guide. Both are available online to construction professionals worldwide.
Philosophy
What began in 1999 with a magazine for paint, coatings and decorating professionals has since evolved into a well-respected decorative concrete entity. It encompasses a store, industry shows and an online resource for concrete professionals across the board. This includes installers, architects, artisans, manufacturers and distributors around the globe.
“Like many of our readers’ companies, Professional Trade Publications is a family-owned business with a commitment to excellence. Because of my own hands-on experience as a contractor, I understand the unique point-of-view of artisans and tradespeople. They have a passion for their creative work,” says Bent Mikkelsen, Concrete Decor’s CEO, publisher and founder. “This perspective allows us to stay in touch with our readers. It speaks to their needs. It also champions their interests in a way that strives to be both independent and personal.”
Concrete Decor Show
In addition to the Concrete Decor website, PTP produces the Concrete Decor Show. The Concrete Decor Show is a multiday, biennial trade show held in varying locations across the United States. The show’s agenda includes educational seminars and training sessions along with networking opportunities. PTP gears all events to strengthen individuals as well as the industry as a whole.
Since 2010, the Concrete Decor Show has established itself as the nation’s top trade show and educational event geared exclusively to the decorative concrete trades. From 2010 until 2017, PTP held the show annually in cities across the nation: Phoenix, Arizona; Nashville, Tennessee; San Antonio, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Fort Worth, Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana; San Diego, California; and Palm Harbor, Florida.
In 2017, the show’s frequency switched to a biennial event, with the 2019 show held in Arlington, Texas. The next Concrete Decor Show is slated to be held in 2021 at a location yet to be announced. For more information on what to expect in the way of workshops, seminars and networking opportunities visit ConcreteDecorShow.com.
Decorative Concrete LIVE!
Decorative Concrete LIVE! sprung to life at the World of Concrete in Las Vegas in 2017. It has been an annual attraction at the industry trade show ever since. Accompanied by the Concrete Decor RoadShow, a fully stocked mobile training center, manufacturers’ representatives and artisans from around the U.S. and Canada demonstrate concrete’s versatility as a building material for both horizontal and vertical applications. Talented men and women join forces to show attendees tried-and-true decorative concrete applications. They also show cutting-edge methods and materials new to the market.
The Concrete Decor Store
In 2019, Concrete Decor launched the first industry marketplace, namely the Concrete Decor Marketplace. The purpose was to help contractors more easily move from information found on www.ConcreteDecor.net to a range of quality-made products in our Marketplace. The fact that Concrete Decor remains the concrete professionals’ best source for information and ideas would help supply stores to most effectively grow their internet sales.
Because of limited vendor participation and product selections, Concrete Decor elected to improve the online experience by opening its own store. Today, the Concrete Decor Store is assembling the industry’s best online shopping center where name-brand products, tools and equipment from across the country and around the world will ensure that contractors find exactly what they need, in the specified quantity, and receive it when and where they need it. Our network of industry partners ensures timely delivery and professional product support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
