Decorative Concrete LIVE! turns its attention this year to concrete’s impact on retail space old and new with aesthetically pleasing and sustainable vertical and horizontal applications during World of Concrete 2018 in Las Vegas Jan. 22-26.
This year’s exhibit will show concrete professionals, builders, architects and other visitors the ins and outs of what decorative concrete is made of. Consisting of four individual buildings encompassing a plaza complete with a made-on-site concrete fountain, the display measures 78 feet long by 55 feet wide.
The nearly 4,300-square-foot retail space — more than double Decorative Concrete LIVE!’s residential-focused space last year — will be situated directly across from the entry to the Las Vegas Convention Center’s South Hall in the Concrete Surfaces & Decorative Outdoor area.
The buildings will feature walls constructed with insulated concrete forms (ICFs), concrete filled building blocks provided by Fox Blocks. “Portions of walls and floors will be left undone so concrete professionals can demonstrate how to install and finish various applications,” says Bent Mikkelsen, organizer of Decorative Concrete LIVE! and publisher of Concrete Decor magazine. Demonstrations will be held throughout each day of the show.
Treatments such as trowel-applied coatings, stenciled or embossed patterns and carved toppings will grace the walls while the floors will feature an array of stamped and stained concrete including textured surfaces that have been saw cut, carved, imprinted or broomed. “You’d be surprised at how creative you can get with a broom,” Mikkelsen says.
Besides exhibiting a wide array of simple to refined architectural finishes, this year’s display will also delve beneath the beauty to reveal the products that contribute to concrete’s sustainability, such as vapor barriers, and durability, such as rebar. “We want to show how important underlying products are to an installment’s success and service life,” Mikkelsen says. And that decorative concrete is more than “just a pretty face.” In addition, Mikkelsen continues, “We want to heighten people’s awareness that they don’t need to bring in other finishes if there is concrete on a job site. It’s just so versatile as to what it can be used to create.”
Safety precautions will also be front and center during this year’s Decorative Concrete LIVE!, says Mikkelsen, who has been promoting safe practices in Concrete Decor magazine since the show last year. “And this year, we’re going to help bring greater awareness to the concrete community that following safe practices increases professionalism.”
In addition to promoting safe practices, the exhibit will include features that will make walkways compliant with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).
For more information about Decorative Concrete LIVE! or how you can get involved, call (877) 935-8906.
