The world's foremost resource on decorative concrete
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science, which opened Dec. 1 of last year, is billed as providing visitors with a living science lesson full of hands-on learning experiences.
This mission extends to the building structure itself, by way of the concrete.
In most cases, concrete made from standard gray portland cement will do the job nicely. But sometimes, especially when a pastel color takes precedence in the overall picture, decorative concrete contractors need to think outside the gray.
Unlike a fine wine, decorative concrete does not always age well.
And a decade or two after the first massive surge in popularity of decorative concrete, plenty of owners of residential and commercial property are realizing that their patterned, textured and colored concrete does not look like it once did.
The combination of pools and stamped concrete doesn’t necessarily spell disaster. For one thing, when a stamped concrete surface near a pool is slick, a topical sealer, not the texture, is often the culprit.
Forging ahead with the “shop-within-a-shop” concept at J.C. Penney stores nationwide, wave three of the stores’ remodeling makeover took place this spring across the country. Polished concrete is still part of the plan … at least for now.
Not everyone prefers white cement products over run-of-the-mill gray concrete when it comes to coloring.
In our industry we are often asked: What’s the gloss on the floor? Or, did you hit the gloss readings that are in the specification?
We just had a large stamped concrete patio completed, and we chose a light buff integral color with dark tan release powder. The resulting color of the concrete surface looks entirely different from the color we chose — it’s more like an antique rose color.
Colloidal silica was introduced as a concrete densifier many years ago, and it has proven itself a reliable tool for concrete polishers and others needing to harden or densify cured concrete surfaces. However, there is widespread confusion about what it is, and this confusion can lead to misinformation. This article attempts to bring some clarification.
Just about any coloring material or tool can potentially be useful on a restoration job. However, some manufacturers have targeted this growing niche with specially marketed materials. Here are a few of those products, with some descriptions from their suppliers.
