Vol. 12 No. 8 - November/December 2012

The president of Artistic Concrete Surfaces, an award-winning company in Olathe, Kan., Mike Denny says that his commitment to quality sometimes drags on the business. “I’d rather lose money on a job instead of doing a job that didn’t look right. I have a good reputation for making sure everything is done above and beyond what people expect."

Fiberglass has been used in the precast industry for many years. The use of resin-and-glass mats to make master-mold plugs, keeper molds to hold the shape of rubber molds, and good old-fashioned production molds is standard in the industry.

Turning a profit in today’s construction industry is no accident. This is why it is essential — now more than ever — to practice the strong fundamentals that every successful business is built on. I witnessed a perfect example of such a business this fall and it made me rethink my effort as a decorative concrete professional.

There’s a lot riding on your price. It’s a reflection of your brand value and the perceived quality of your work. Customers will even use heuristics to determine if your price per square foot is consistent with what they would expect to gain from hiring you.

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.

One of the most common questions I get asked is, “What is the best sealer?” My answer to this is, “It depends.” While this may seem like I’m dodging the question, it really gets to the heart of the issue. Selecting a finish solely based on how good it is said to be can often lead to undesirable results.

Seeing a finished construction project put to good use is something any contractor welcomes.

There are as many variables in manufacturing diamond tooling as there are diamond manufacturers. So which specific variables should you concern yourself with and why?

If I were a contractor I would take “preexisting” projects over new projects every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

A couple of homeowners in West Milford, N.J., were looking to enhance the curb appeal of their house by enhancing the front entryway. They initially contacted us about the possibility of resurfacing concrete steps leading to the front door and pouring a new sidewalk from the driveway to the steps.

The choice you have is between a liquid release agent and a dry-powder antique release. Both products are similar in function — however, the application technique is completely different for each. This results in a different final look as well.

Their still-in-progress project includes a number of concrete features inside the home, the centerpiece being a cast-in-place, carved, stamped GFRC staircase that resembles rock and leads into the basement-level man cave, graced by a sun-and-clouds water feature on the wall next to the staircase.

A “punch list” is the final review of a project. It is usually completed by the project architect and is most often completed after the project has reached a milestone called “substantial completion.” And for a decorative concrete contractor, the punch list is probably the single largest money-losing piece of a project.