More than 5,000 visitors shopped the Mall of Concrete — this year’s Decorative Concrete LIVE! exhibit at the World of Concrete 2018 in Las Vegas — to check out the latest and greatest ways to use concrete to beautify both horizontal and vertical surfaces for a variety of retail facilities.
Presented by Concrete Decor magazine and the Concrete Decor RoadShow, the nearly 4,300-square-foot retail space was constructed with Fox Blocks’ insulated concrete forms primarily surfaced with SpiderLath’s fiberglass lath system as an underlayment. The exhibit was then divided up into four distinct areas that enveloped a stamped and stained central courtyard.
Design services for this project were donated by Webcor Builders. Nearly 60 yards of concrete were installed atop Viper II vapor barrier with support from industry experts including Troy Lemon, Emil Gera, Randall Klassen, Matt Sampson, Ben Wiese and other Concrete Decor supporters and staff. MSA Safety also supplied both hardhats and respirators.
One of the exhibit’s major goals was to heighten people’s awareness of concrete’s versatility when it comes to design possibilities. From stamps, stencils and forms to colorants, aggregates and texturing tools, there is a host of products that makes concrete’s finish options as wide as they are wonderful.
Equipment used supplied by: Aztec Concrete Accessories, Bosch, Concrete Decor RoadShow, Collomix, Diamatic, Elite PlastiForm, Graco, Kraft Tool Co., MSA Safety Inc.,Midwest Rake, Multiquip, Pulse-Bac, Putzmeister, Terrco Inc. and Wagner Meters
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Besides exhibiting an expanse of simple to refined architectural finishes, this year’s display also delved beneath the beauty to reveal the products that contribute to concrete’s durability and sustainability. These products, such as vapor barriers, show the impact underlying products have on both an installment’s success and service life.
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Covered Breezeway Entry, Alley and Courtyard
Products used supplied by: Brickform/Solomon Colors, Elite PlastiForm, Fox Blocks, Ghostshield, High-Tech Systems, LiteForm, Multicoat, Nox-Crete, Pacific Palette/Sparkle Grain, Quikrete, Redi-Mix Colors & Sealers, Speedymason, Stone Edge Surfaces, Trimaco, Viper II
Artisans: Tom Ralston of Tom Ralston Concrete, Troy Lemon of Cornerstone Decorative Concrete, Emil Gera of Emil J. Gera Concrete, Tony Zsak and Shane Calmes of Speedymason, Joshua Annis of Joshua James Artistry and Rich Verdone of Onyx Cos.
Most visitors initially entered Decorative Concrete LIVE! through the breezeway which featured concrete that sparkled, a ceiling made of an ICF system, an exposed wall displaying a waterproof coating for below-grade applications and a mortar-bed panel system covered with thin brick.
Also as a courtyard draw, a prefab fireplace made by Josh Annis and teammates in six easily assembled pieces was carted in and put together in less than an hour.
Troy Lemon and his team, which included Troy’s son, Josh; son-in-law, Kenneth Klett; and artisan Emil Gera, also crafted a sculpture for the courtyard using a variety of products. These included Stone Edge Surface’s Primer 100, Pro Wall Mix and Accent Enhancer, modified Rapid Set Mortar with a glass-fiber and polyaspartic from Arizona Polymer Flooring, and atomized steel and aluminum from Douglas and Sturgess.
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Biker Bar
Products used supplied by: American Specialty Glass, Butterfield Color, Elite PlastiForm, Floormaps, Fox Blocks, Hi-Tech Systems, Nycon Inc., Nox-Crete, Quikrete, SpiderLath, Stone Edge Surfaces, Trimaco, Viper II, Z Counterform
Artisans: Dave Blasdel of Butterfield Color, Dale Coughlin of Total Concrete Innovations, Keefe Duhon of Concrete Revolution, Rick Lobdell of Concrete Mystique, Jon Bell of JBC Concrete Contractors and Joshua Annis, Troy Lemon and Emil Gera
The Biker Bar, complete with hogs from Las Vegas Harley-Davidson, was a hub of activity throughout the show as multiple teams applied a variety of finishes to both the floor and the walls.
A colorful floor graphic was created using a Floormap stencil and Nox-Crete’s Duro-Color Floor System. Created with five colors, the artwork featured the classic Las Vegas sign and the Harley-Davidson logo, a great combination for the World of Concrete crowd.
Besides watching the logos take shape, onlookers could see how densifiers, dyes, surface retarders and sealers were used on concrete surfaces.
“Concrete Decor provided a great opportunity for training and education,” says Mike Linn, president of Nox-Crete Products Group. “This exhibit was an inspirational and informative experience for those looking to get into decorative concrete. We were proud to be a part of it.”
Interior Walls
Keefe Duhon and Jon Bell demonstrated how the Gilpin Falls Stamp from Butterfield Color could be used to make realistic-looking wood patterns on interior walls, even without coloring the Stone Edge Surfaces product they used for their vertical mix.
On one of the walls on the exterior, Dave Blasdell used Butterfield products to emulate stone and color the stucco. On another, applicators quickly applied a scratch coat using Graco equipment. Lemon and Gera applied the finish which included two coats of Stone Edge Surfaces color which was later scored to create a “brick-and-mortar” pattern on the top half. On the bottom half, Gera carved a stone pattern, completing the look for that exterior wall.
But that wasn’t all for the busy Biker Bar. Josh Annis crafted a memorial for the recent Las Vegas shooting tragedy. Meanwhile Dale Coughlin built a countertop complete with motorcycle exhaust pipes. Along the perimeter, a surface retarder from Nox-Crete was applied to a sidewalk. The sidewalk had previously been seeded with American Specialty Glass. They then sealed it to bring this exposed concrete application to life.
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Concrete Decor Store
Products used supplied by: Arizona Polymer Flooring, Elite PlastiForm, Fox Blocks, Fritz-Pak, Hi-Tech Systems. Additionally, Multicoat, Quikrete, Redi-Mix Colors & Sealers, SpiderLath, Stone Edge Surfaces, Trimaco, Viper II, Z Counterform.
Artisans: David Lascano and Francisco Duran of Multicoat, Rick Lobdell and Keefe Duhon
The Concrete Decor Store showed visitors designs that could they could both draw and etch freehand on a Stone Edge Surfaces overlay system. Rick Lobdell teamed up with Keefe Duhon to create a floor that featured stained concrete. Lobdell once again worked his magic by hand-drawing a design onto the floor. Then, he cut it into the surface and Duhon colored. “Together, we killed it,” Duhon says.
On the exterior walls, stencils, stains and flexible stucco were combined for a colorful storefront. The storefront featured faux designs of both Arizona flagstone and brick. The Multicoat team led by David Lascano and Francisco Duran also invited several participants to help with the application.
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Apple-like Store
Products used supplied by: American Specialty Glass, Elite PlastiForm, Fox Blocks, Fritz-Pak, Hi-Tech Systems. Additionally, Laticrete, NewLook International, Quikrete, Terrazzo & Marble Supply Co., Trimaco, Viper II, Warmly Yours, Z Counterform.
Artisans: Scott Kummer and Miguel Lopez of Visions Below, James Wood and Carl Postma of Arcon Global. Edgar Hernandez of All Access Manufacturing, and Jason Findlay and Jeff Benintendi of NewLook International.
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Across the way through a covered breezeway, multicolored epoxy terrazzo adorned with both stone and glass dominated much of the floor in the Apple-like Store. The Apple-like Store displayed how creative you can get with a polished floor, especially when you involve terrazzo.
Adjacent to the flowing design, a floor was left exposed. They did this to allow onlookers to glimpse the workings of a radiant system from Warmly Yours. As a lasting touch to the walls, countertop edge forms were also used to make window sills.
Arcon Global is an international full-service, designer and installer of one-of-a-kind architectural flooring. The company performed much of the pre-show prep work gratis.
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Fast Food Restaurant
Products used supplied by: Fox Blocks, Fritz-Pak, Ghostshield, Hi-Tech Systems, Laticrete, Quikrete, Redi-Mix Colors & Sealers, Speedymason, SpiderLath, Trimaco, Viper II, Z Counterform
Artisans: Edward Fedorowich of Laticrete, Glen Klassen of Fox Blocks/Airlite Plastics Co., Tony Szak and Shane Calmes
The Fast Food Restaurant next door featured a brand-new concrete protection process from Redi-Mix Colors. This included a black stain and also a specially formulated urethane to make the drive-through lane more attractive. Contractors then finished the restaurant’s exterior with a special mortar bed panel system from Speedymason. This product lets installers both easily and quickly replicate brick-and-mortar facades. Speedymason debuted the made-in-the-USA panel system at Decorative Concrete LIVE!
On both the restaurant’s interior and all around the mall, insulating concrete forms representatives demonstrated why ICFs are one of the best building solutions today. Also, on the inside, Laticrete representatives applied its premium epoxy coating system to the concrete floor. The goal was to replicate a commercial kitchen.
