The world's foremost resource on decorative concrete
Polishing concrete on the surface (ha-ha) seems reasonably straightforward. Buy the right equipment, attach diamond tooling, turn on the equipment and “mow” the concrete. Do this one row at a time and repeat with finer grits. How hard can this be? Well, that just might be the first problem. How […]
Can you install flawless floors that will completely disappear with the click of a camera? That was the quest Nike recently presented to NEx Systems of Stockton, California. The company, in turn, tasked concrete artisan Adrian Henry and his talented team with the Nike studio job. Besides sporting a bright-white […]
In 2013, I introduced nine categories of polished concrete treatments at the Concrete Decor Show. Since then, some have ignored these nine categories of chemical treatments, while others have used them as game-changers. Today, commonly used treatments consist of densifiers/hardeners, grout and joint-fillers, and stain protection guards. In addition to […]
When asked what he likes most about McKinnon Materials’ Aurora metallics, the answer came quickly to Advanced Epoxy’s Ryan Stowell. “Its elegance,” says the Wichita, Kansas, company owner. “The final look is at the top of the line with any flooring choice.” Stowell has used the metallic epoxy dust floor […]
When I’m wearing my teaching/training hat, I’m known to say, “when you go back for rework, you just forfeited your profit.” But recently, an owner required one of my polisher/clients to do some rework on a polishing job. Consequently, during our conversation, I saw another angle. I had thought of […]
Whether you use a rotary (left) or a planetary (right) grinder to get the job done largely relies on personal preference. Both types of machines can handle light and heavy-duty grinding jobs of any size. Photos courtesy of Zanchettin Brothers Terrazzo & Tile Co. (left) and Superabrasive (right). Jobs always […]
I venture to guess that most of the floor-covering installers reading this tip don’t consider “grinding or honing wet” an option when bidding polished concrete. I don’t blame you. In the floor covering industry, the idea of adding water to the concrete sounds crazy. Most of the time, you already […]
After graduating from college, Evan Shanks knew his true calling reached far beyond a nine-to-five desk job. In 2012, he took a leap of faith and started his career as an automotive YouTuber. His goal was to be a positive influence while showing the ups and downs of building and […]
Let’s tackle understanding what happens when slabs curl and why concrete has light and dark areas that never change. (We call these differential curing marks). These are two more common types of damage that wouldn’t exist if you technically mixed, placed and cured concrete. Knowledge is power. What is curling […]
A year after the pandemic really started to bite, we’ve all gotten used to Zoom meetings and conference calls. In the past, many saw trade shows as a necessary evil. They were costly, took time away from projects and required both planning and follow-up. What we’ve forgotten is that shows […]
