Integral colors don’t fade, but over time, integrally colored surfaces can start to look dingy. Understanding why, and what to do about it, is just the beginning of getting a handle on color maintenance.
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Getting Creative with Finishing Brooms
Consider the broom finish. Because steel trowel finishes are “slippery when wet,” the broom finish has been used for years to create nonskid surfaces on driveways, garage floors, sidewalks and loading docks. It’s not necessarily pretty, but it works — it’s a utilitarian texture.
Virtual Ice Rink Created With Concrete Overlay
Happenstance led Tyson Long, president of Calgary-based Hardscapes Inc., to the new location of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame museum in Calgary’s Canada Olympic Park, where he used white and clear epoxy coatings to transform the floor of the museum’s ice-hockey exhibit room into a virtual ice rink.
How Joining Forces with Other Construction Companies Can Boost Your Bottom Line
You basically have two ways to make more money in decorative concrete — you can increase sales or reduce the cost of doing business. Businesses in times like these have a tendency to become paralyzed when becoming proactive would be the best option. One good way to become proactive is to consider a team approach.
Recipe: Rustic Chic Stamped Concrete
A bluestone-stamped field trimmed with richly stained faux beams, this technique is perfectly suited for any room with an upscale rustic theme.
How Do Concrete Stamping Contractors Handle Maintenance
Taking steps to incorporate a maintenance program for your customers is a great way to ensure ongoing business.
Let’s look at several ways you can promote maintenance services that help relieve headaches and save the industry from a tarnished reputation.
Getting the Most Out of Decorative Concrete Educational Opportunities
The cold truth is that our industry has seen its share of truly talented decorative concrete individuals fail, and it’s not because they weren’t good at their craft. Today’s artisans must be more than talented — they must be capable of overlaying talent with an entrepreneurial spirit. That’s where training and education comes in.
Decorative Concrete Overlays: The Power is in the Polymer
There are two common polymer types used by most decorative overlay manufacturers: ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and acrylic.
Differences Between Integral Colors and Color Hardeners
Contractors often discuss which is better, integral color or color hardener. Contractors’ creative abilities can really flow once they have mastered the use of both products. This allows them to produce unique, realistic-looking stone, brick or tile and there is absolutely nothing wrong with selecting either or both for decorative concrete work.
Using Etching Gel to Clean Up Spilled Acid Stain
Tamryn Doolan from Surface Gel Tek may have come up with a new use for her etching gel: neutralizing and cleaning up spilled acid stain on concrete.
She sent us a couple of before and after images along with the story.
