Vol. 11 No. 4 - May/June 2011

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

The U.S. Green Building Council's research suggests that a quarter of new buildings that have been certified in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program do not save as much energy as their designs predicted, and most do not track ongoing energy consumption. These findings don't generate a lot of confidence among the public in green building.

Membership in an industry association or society offers numerous opportunities for education, peer networking, and accessing a wealth of information that helps us grow professionally. There are several organizations that support concrete contractors and concrete construction.

The best training and the best products mean nothing if we can't find projects to prove our talent, right? I'm not going to sugarcoat our plight - I have been peddling decorative concrete for nearly 20 years and have never seen as many challenges as the ones we face today. Having said that, my goal is to have the best year possible, and I'm going to let you in on a secret as to how this will be done.

The BoHouse Café in Dubai gives off an artsy vibe with its eclectic crowd and creative dishes, and the restaurant's decor is right in line. On the café's ground floor, swirling rainbow stripes, sparkling clouds and colorful disks and hearts pop against a radiant white background.

There are few things you can add to decorative concrete that are as impactful - or as unpredictable - as light. Just like water, light is a natural entity with subtleties and effects that unfold in unexpected ways. Light can create an environment without help from structure, shape or texture.

Outdoor kitchens are becoming more and more popular, and special considerations must be made in order to ensure concrete's durability, longevity and aesthetics in these applications.

Steelhead trout rivers, bear dens, salmon runs, bighorn sheep ledges, Jurassic fossils - all hallmarks of eastern Washington state. All available for touching, climbing, wading and digging at the Discovery Playground in Mirabeau Point Park, maintained by the City of Spokane Valley, Washington.

Light reflects off surfaces, and what an object looks like depends upon the material's surface characteristics. Some of the light is reflected, some is scattered and the rest is absorbed, so we see different things depending upon how much light is reflected from the surface and how much is scattered. The color depends upon what is absorbed.

Once upon a time, there was a polished concrete job that was easy. It started out with a new, flawless install, a clean, even slab ready to grind. The client closed the building for a few days, providing ample, uninterrupted time to do the job. There were no hurdles. There were no surprises. Everything went according to plan.

Coloring concrete isn't just a matter of choosing pigment, sand and cement. How your concrete is finished will alter its color too.

The introduction of dye into the polished concrete industry has expanded the market enormously. The business is brimming with potential. However, we still face the significant hurdle of maintaining the integrity of an exposed concrete polished floor while protecting the dye in it against staining and moisture travel.

As business owners, as soon as we open our eyes each day, we begin to think and search. Where are we going to find more work for our crews? Besides the usual options of bidding on new construction projects, refurbishing old polish jobs or removing epoxy coatings, there must be other ways to make money with our equipment and skills.

Concrete Coatings is a Sundek dealer owned by Scott Burley, Will's uncle. It's a decorative concrete resurfacing contractor handling pool decks, patios, terraces and other exterior surfaces for commercial and residential customers in metropolitan New Orleans, south Louisiana and other points along the Gulf Coast.

In this industry we've all seen our share of old and faded colored concrete that has been bleached out by the elements and is in need of some type of color fix or restoration. That was the condition of the existing stamped concrete at Diablo Grande Golf Course & Country Club, near Patterson, Calif.

What do you think of when you hear the term "sealer maintenance"? If you are like most in the industry, the first thing that comes to mind is waxing or buffing a previously sealed interior floor. Well, with spring upon us, it's a great time to talk about another kind of sealer maintenance - maintaining exterior stamped or textured concrete.

This gorgeous interior finish echoes the classic look of Belgium stonework by combining a handful of texture skins with a variety of innovative touches that add to the concrete floor's natural look.