Vol. 10 No. 5 - July 2010

A checkerboard-patterned floor was a natural choice for sprucing up the private garage of a racing enthusiast.

Picking the right sealer. Teaching the client. Selling a plan. Contractors have several ways to make sure their projects — their calling cards — stay maintained, durable and looking great.

Our regular feature offers two step-by-step description of a unique floor that was created with good old terrazzo.

From department stores to convenience stores, decorative concrete is turning up in retail spaces across the country.

Winning the battle with Mother Nature becomes a little challenging when the weather heats up. This is also the same time our services are in highest demand. There are ways to combat the heat and the challenges it creates, but few are profitable.

This column has little to do with discussions of intuitive freestyle art versus disciplined mechanical graphics, or with criticism of superfluous decoration as contrasted with really spare concrete - my normal "literary" territory. It's a column about me and a museum. It's a tale of two topping slabs.

This column covers a topic that could determine the sustainability of your business: indoor air quality both during and after construction. Although air quality for your workers and your clients has always been your responsibility, new federal rules are making it essential.

Traditionally, dyes weren't UV-stable and, therefore, could only be used on interior applications. No longer.

SS DYE-namic from The Stamp Store helps bring dyes into the 21st century.

Sometimes the most basic steps in completing a successful concrete pour are overlooked or minimized. When your goal is a floor with vibrant color, a polished slab that draws the eye or even a perfectly finished sidewalk, floating is one of those steps that get you to that point.

Decorative concrete lends color, resonance and beauty to the African Cemetery Memorial, completed last year at Higgs Beach in Key West, Fla.

The products and finishes in the decorative industry are becoming more sophisticated - polymer-modified toppings, nanotechnology sealers, and sustainable stains and dyes to name a few. But all need to remember the old tried-and-true products that still make up a large portion of the industry, and refresh ourselves on the right way to use them.

In some cases, people were in fact looking to get a free application of sealer on their driveway, or a buff and wax on an interior floor within the warranty period of our work. However most were just interested in protecting the investment that they made, and wanted our help to ensure that the right products and procedures were in place.