If you want an all-encompassing guide to staining concrete floors, check out “Bob Harris’ Guide to Stained Concrete Interior Floors,” written by Bob Harris, founder and president of the Decorative Concrete Institute in Temple, Georgia.
Tips & How-Tos
Industry veterans, entrepreneurs and decorative concrete artisans reveal findings, divulge lessons learned and outline methods used to help advance the industry as a whole.
Decorative Concrete Tips: Getting Rust Out of Concrete
At a recent Flattoo workshop conducted by Surface Gel Tek, Tamryn Doolan discussed many decorative uses for the company’s products. But I also learned another surprising benefit of Tek Gel for Profiling besides its etching and stenciling capabilities.
How to Remove Paint, Rust Stains, Adhesives & Oil from Concrete
Many decorative jobs require cleaning up an existing slab. Here’s a look at products that remove paint, rust, adhesives or grease.
Effects with Reactive Stains on Concrete
There are unlimited opportunities to create fabulous effects with reactive acid stains. Acid stains are most mutable from the time they are sprayed onto the concrete until the reactive color change develops.
One of the Best GFRC Mix Designs
Let’s start at the beginning: What is GFRC, what are its benefits and what are its downsides? GFRC stands for glass-fiber reinforced concrete. The GFRC I use is a composite of portland cement, silica sand, Forton VF-774 , Liquefaction Compound, Vitro Minerals VCAS-micronHS, water, and alkali-resistant chopped glass-fiber strands.
How to Install Faux Rock Panels
Rock panels are a popular feature in many homes and businesses across the country. With so many companies specializing in this niche, it is natural that there are a variety of methods for installing the panels. Concrete Decor asked three companies how they told their customers to install faux rock panels.
High-Performance Mix Design — Understanding GFRC Mixes
GFRC is a combination of fine aggregate, cement, water, polymer, chemical admixtures and glass fiber. The key to GFRC is the glass-fiber reinforcement. The fibers take the place of steel in a wet-cast mix. They allow GFRC to develop much higher flexural strengths than typical wet-cast concrete, allowing you to cast thinner, lighter sections and pieces.
Three Tips When Using Tape with Decorative Concrete Overlays
After painstakingly laying out a grout pattern for your acrylic overlay, meticulously masking and re-masking surrounding areas, and then spraying or troweling in just the right color and texture scheme, you stand back and admire your handiwork, and the job looks great.
Preparing Your Concrete Countertops for Topical Sealers
The steps you take with your wet-cast or GFRC countertops prior to sealing them will affect sealer success more than the actual application of the sealer. It’s important to gain an understanding of what your concrete is doing, or more importantly, what you are doing with your concrete.
How to Free-Form Concrete Fabric Forming
The process for “free-forming” a fabric mold — for all kinds of creative, ripply results — is a little different but will include many of the same steps as basic fabric forming. The biggest difference is that you will be working on the outside of the mold first.
