Vol. 13 No. 5 - July 2013

Of the many responsibilities that a contracting company takes on when it accepts a floor coating job, none is more important than designing for safe footing once the area has returned to service.

Armed with MacGyver-like skills and the intuitive know-how to solve problems while on their feet, concrete contractor Nolan Mayrhofer and his team thrive on projects that require creative intervention.

In today’s digital age, many contractors are increasingly using the Internet, social media and iPads to highlight their portfolios and suggest options to potential clients.

The market for concrete sealers is vast and it seems that there is almost every imaginable way to protect and enhance concrete floors. For the purpose of this article we are going to discuss two options that involve a clear sealer.

Achieving a fine polished look in concrete countertops requires using progressively finer grits of diamond pads.

Maintaining consistent color in integrally colored concrete is crucial during a project using multiple truckloads.

What caused the crack? And what are the options for dealing with it, since we are going to apply a decorative overlay on the concrete? We talked to multiple contractors about our options, and there are a lot of opinions out there. Chris Sullivan gives several options on how to solve this common problem.

I was recently asked to troubleshoot issues on a polished concrete floor that failed to show vivid color, even after all the usual right steps were taken. It was “The Case of the Disappearing Color.”

Self-leveling overlays that are polishable have been around for about years now, but only recently have they really gained traction in the retail and residential markets.

The concrete polishing industry has seen technical developments in abrasives, chemicals and equipment over the years. Most of these developments have led to polishing contractors increasing production and reducing job costs for increased profit.

Spice 6, a fast-casual restaurant in Hyattsville, Md., serves up a zesty visual feast that complements its Chipotle-like “modern Indian” bill of fare.

Stamped concrete is the very foundation of decorative concrete industry. The ability to take concrete and add pattern and color separates you from your competition. This ability also increases a customer’s expectations. Simply put, most customers will not accept a random crack running through patterned concrete, nor should they.

In the world of theming, epoxy is still an underutilized tool for creating levels of detail and realism second to none. For example, Polygem Inc. has spent years developing its 307 series of epoxy among others that are custom-formulated for this exact type of work.