Concrete Decor's Current Articles

In a recent week, I’ve had two overlay projects with cracking. The first project had lots of short random cracks, the longest about 3 inches long. We noticed them the afternoon of the same day the overlay was applied.

Can a major axis of modern transportation infrastructure in Los Angeles somehow forge a tie to the region’s pre-modern heritage?

They wanted to polish the concrete floors at their new location on Weybosset Street, in Providence, R.I. One problem — the substrate in the building was gypcrete and not polishable. Typical overlay products won’t bond to gypcrete. A clear-cut job was becoming complex.

There is a famous paperback called “The Elements of Style” by Strunk and White. Many writers treasure it as a guide to writing clearly and succinctly while avoiding common grammatical errors. The handbook itself is a model of clarity.

Question: I have a 5-year-old stamped concrete patio that has not been resealed since being installed. The sealer is cloudy in some areas and in other areas looks like there is no sealer at all. Do I need to reseal or is there something I can do to bring back the original look and luster of the sealer?

Unfortunately, complaints about how color turns out are an all-too-familiar topic of conversation. Complaints can involve but are not limited to integrally colored concrete, color-hardened concrete, stamped and textured concrete and stained concrete.

As high-performance coatings become more commonplace in decorative applications, so do the problems associated with using them. Unlike acrylic sealers, high-performance coatings (polyurethane, epoxy, polyaspartic and polyurea) are not as forgiving when it comes to application, or more specifically, reapplication.

Burbank, Calif., contractor David Jack Corp. specializes in countertops. So when Los Angeles-based Reform Furniture hired the firm to cast a group of workstation tops for a client back East, it was business as usual -- with one exception.

It all started when I got a call from interior designer Julie Doran. Been a long time. Where you been? “Second career as a flight attendant, third career as a full-time mom. Now, I’m back into design.” What’s up? “Got a new client. I’m designing a tricked-out outdoor kitchen. I think you may be just the guy to do the countertops.”

To decorative concrete contractors, surface retarders are valuable tools for both pragmatic and aesthetic reasons. They’re easy to work with, relatively inexpensive — especially considering the costly alternatives of sandblasting or acid washing — and can be used to create endless textures and designs.

The Decorative Surface Solution Group (DSSG) members and suppliers collaborated to rejuvenate the flooring in the iconic Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California.

Color specialists offer advice for getting the look that you — and your customers — are counting on.

There are two types of F-numbers, which measure floor flatness and levelness respectively. Industry expert Allen Face is the creator of the F-number system, as well as the inventor of several measurement instruments and a principal inventor of superflat floor technology.

Sometimes paint is simply the best choice for a concrete floor.

The time will come when a general contractor, architect or another flooring contractor will ask you to bid on polishing floors in a new construction project.