Concrete Decor's Current Articles

What's the difference between concrete and decorative concrete? One of the first indicators is whether it has the dull gray color of … well, concrete, or if it incorporates a natural or even not-so-natural hue, tone or shade. Of course, there are also several ways to add color to concrete, depending on the needs and desires of the client.

For years, it seemed to me that people thought stenciled concrete was the bastard child of decorative concrete. I never really understood that.

Concrete Decor asked a trio of art instructors from Southern Arkansas University to share their perspectives on concrete, color and texture.

Sealers and coatings, for the most part, go through the same phases as they dry and/or cure. Before explaining these phases, it is important to know that while all sealers and coatings dry, some also cure as they dry.

At Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica, California, learning sometimes takes the form of a hands-on experience. And there’s no more powerful example of this approach to education than the school’s special projects pavilion, part of the recently completed Science Education and Research Facility.

Preparing concrete correctly before applying a coating helps to ensure the coating’s success. Contractors must carefully evaluate the substrate and its condition to determine what cleaner or degreaser is needed and how it should be applied.

Hugo Bugg designed the Waterscape Garden, one of 16 show gardens for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014, highlighting global water issues by mimicking nature’s way of slowing down water, set in an elegant environment.

Polishing contractors take note: There may be a future in grinding and sealing concrete driveways.

There are as many techniques for layering stains as there are concrete artisans. Here are tips from some of the best in the trade.

It’s no secret that most people think sealers are the Achilles’ heel of decorative concrete. You can do nearly everything perfectly while installing your concrete masterpiece only to have something like a sealer decimate all your good efforts.

For thousands of years the permanence of concrete has made it an ideal construction and design medium for architects, engineers and builders. Even the word “concrete” is often used as an adjective to describe the reality, longevity and durability of everything from objects to ideas.

So we’re in the early stages of a polishing project after the old VCT (vinyl composition tile) has been removed. We’re progressing with initial grinding diamonds to open the floor, only to have the building owner walk through and complain, “What happened to my floor? What are all those lines? Is my floor ruined?

With its 1,149-foot “space needle,” the Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower is a Las Vegas landmark. When its owners, American Casino & Entertainment Properties LLC, remodeled it inside and out in fall 2012, they asked Owen Ondrisko, of Stampco Concrete, Henderson, Nevada, to design landscaping and concrete for the approaches to the building.

Discover why vertical staining is catching on despite some application challenges.

Over the years, wear and tear got the best of the carpet in this furniture store and the folks at Roche-Bobois decided it was time for a new look: Polished Concrete.