Responding to the construction industry’s interest in sustainable construction, USG Corp. has expanded the Environmental Responsibility section of its Web site (www.usg.com).
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Acid Staining Concrete Give Floors a One-of-a-Kind Look
Integral color and color hardener are still the most common ways to tint concrete. But these days, the buzz is all about acid stain. Because the stain is the result of many individual chemical reactions, the tint is uneven — gloriously so. It can contain marbling, mottling and all kinds of variations in the base hue.
A-H Stained Glass Floor System: High-Gloss Film for Concrete Floors
The A-H Stained Glass Floor System, from Anti-Hydro International, is a solventbased system that creates a vibrant-colored, transparent, high-gloss film for concrete and masonry floors.
The coating, which goes on in four layers, contains no pigments and creates beautiful colors by changing the refractive index of light, like a precious stone.
Goodstuff Products Multi Surface Urethane
Multi Surface Urethane #275, from The Goodstuff Products, is a water-based, low-odor, low-VOC, clear urethane finish. Easy to apply and fast-drying, this high-quality finish works well on concrete countertops, floors, ceramic tile, vertical surfaces and other interior and exterior surfaces, including wood and some natural stone.
Quick Imprint Liners: Reusable Form Liners for Many Concrete Applications
Quick-Imprint creates a reusable form liners — for tilt-up, downcast, and vertical precast pours — enabling an imprint finish on both sides of the walls.
Tried and True Recipes for Concrete Homes
Just like there’s more than one way to make chocolate chip cookies, there are plenty of ways to build concrete homes with satisfying results. Here’s a synopsis of the main options on the market.
Concrete Color Maintenance System by NewLook Coatings and Stains
The Concrete Color Maintenance System, from Newlook Coatings and Stains, is a solid-color, water-based stain that penetrates the surface of porous concrete to stain it to almost any color desired. “It’s like integralcolored concrete, only more perfectly colored,” says Sonny Baird, a partner in Newlook.
Concrete Home Built to Withstand the Winds of “Hurricane Alley”
Fu-Tung Cheng designed this concrete home currently under construction on the island of Culebra off the coast of Puerto Rico, smack dab in an area known as Hurricane Alley. Because of its location on a wind-swept mountainside, the house has to be built to withstand hurricane forces and concrete was the logical choice.
The New American Home: A Modern Concrete Marvel
For the first time since 1994, concrete provided the vast majority of the structural elements for The New American Home (TNAH), the official show home of the National Association of Home Builders that debuted during the 2004 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas.
Synthetic Rocks Making Their Way to Residential Builds
The world’s great deposits of synthetic rock were once concentrated in zoos, theme parks and the occasional museum exhibit. But times have changed, and these days, faux rock is cropping up all over, from backyard pools and spas to shopping-mall waterfalls.
