The world's foremost resource on decorative concrete
Concrete is the ideal material to use to transform outdoor spaces into outdoor rooms surrounded by stunning hardscapes and equipped with all the comforts of home.
The beauty of decorative concrete comes from its versatility and stunning final results. Each project’s unique traits help sell the next project. However, your future potential clients don’t necessarily have access to your past projects, which is why photography is a crucial component of your marketing plan — regardless of your company’s size.
When it comes to delivering difficult designs — like this circular plaza that highlights the entrance to the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills — you’ve got to have a plan. And we’re not talking just a quick sketch but a detailed drawing that clarifies precisely what joints and finishes are to be placed where.
At first glance, the dock looks like it’s floating just above the water. “It turned out exactly how I wanted it,” says Reuben Keim, co-owner of Keim Concrete in Wooster, Ohio, about his concrete platform. The pier and dock, which sit about a foot above the surface of a 2-acre pond in Keim’s backyard, was fashioned with Proline form liners.
Troy Lemon, founder and president of Cornerstone Decorative Concrete in Holland, Mich., starts his story with a familiar admission. “I was a concrete guy way before I was a decorative concrete guy,” he says.
You might think that rappelling from cliffs, learning about orangutan habitats and studying the prehistoric skeleton of a triceratops are activities without much relevance to decorative concrete.
Fixing Another Contractor’s Mistake Whether it’s your own work or someone else’s, you may be called upon to fix a decorative concrete project gone awry. Trowel & Error is a new column that celebrates the fact that there’s always a solution to every decorative concrete problem.
When Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs show called Richard Smith Custom Concrete about sending host Mike Rowe out to a decorative concrete job site for a day, Rick Smith rubbed his hands with glee, thinking to himself, "We’re gonna get this guy filthy!"
Beyond the beauty of its surface, a well-made pool deck can keep your customers cool and safe.
