Concrete Decor's Current Articles

Take a closer look a the winning designs of the 2009 Concrete Counterop Design Competiton.

A big thank you to our sponsors, Preitech, Concrete Countertop Institute, Cimarron and Alpha Professional Tools.

Women CEOs of concrete companies are smashing glass ceilings and bucking trends that have emerged for women in other nontraditional occupations. While women CEOs only comprise 2 percent in the basic and infrastructure sectors according to World Economic Forum and Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

A good marketing strategy was only part of the overall picture. Just as crucial to Bomanite’s long-term franchising game plan was the networking — the sharing of expertise and innovations among the highly diverse and widely dispersed franchisees.

From Cairo to Seoul, this contractor has taught the basics of concrete around the world. Michael Archambault was more than a casual contender. Back in the '70s, before he was 25 years old, the sassy lad who grew up in San Diego had Houston by its concrete tail. He not only owned a Patterned Concrete Industries franchise but eventually bought out the mother company and served as president.

As a child, who wasn’t thrilled to see the wood forms come out indicating a new sidewalk, driveway or even basement was about to be poured? Today, we know concrete can do so much more, and certainly the forms that helped shape it have changed, too.

Trade-magazine editors are always looking for great projects to cover and they love to hear from contractors who have a story — and great photos — to share.

Remember the days when you could simply name your company “AAA Concrete” to ensure your business would appear first in the local directory? Those days are behind us. We now live in an era when “Google” is a verb.

In recent years the decorative concrete and coatings market has made its way over to the retail market. Retailers have unique needs that they have to address, and decorative concrete and coatings are becoming a more and more popular method for filling those needs.

On a project where different colors are desired, a simple solution is to use a solvent sealer in the darker field and a water-based sealer or a stand-alone wax (for interior projects) in the lighter field.

It occurred to the owner of Arcus that there must be an easier way to make contoured cuts than with a router. A few hours later, she was rolling a rimless, contoured salad plate on its edge, watching as it traced a perfectly smooth, contoured path. Thus, the Arcus Contoured Blade was born.

A number of new technological innovations give today’s contractors more choices when they’re looking to make an impression.

Last year, a homeowner in Augusta, New Jersey, went into a masons’ supply store looking for a fix for his pool deck. The pavers installed 15 years ago had settled. The deck wasn’t draining properly, and his homeowner’s insurance company had identified the paver portion of the pool deck as a hazard.

There are some important, key factors that can help you be more successful with your concrete countertops. Here I will discuss a fundamental ingredient: water. We’ve all worked with concrete and water, but working with a material isn’t the same as knowing how it works.

Industry experts predict that the demand for environmentally friendly, “green” building materials and methods will be the most significant driver in construction growth for the next five years and in the foreseeable future.

When fire stations are upgraded, contractors must complete improvements while minimally disrupting operations and firefighters’ access to equipment. Oftentimes, the return-to-service window of products used is paramount to completing this task, especially when coating and sealing concrete apparatus bays.