Vol. 16 No. 8 - November/December 2016

Lately, it seems that you can’t read an online article or browse social media without coming across an infographic. Considered one of the most powerful marketing tools in use today, is it just a trend that will soon be on the way out or is there more than meets the eye to this form of visual media?

Have you ever been in the process of completing or had just completed what to you was an amazing architectural concrete project only to be told by your client:
“It’s not what I was expecting.”
“Meh! It looks kind of ‘blah.’ I thought the color would ‘pop’ more.”
“I don’t like it.”

For a man who was an Eastern Airline employee for years and owned his own pest control company after that, he found working with his hands, LEDs and chemicals familiar territory. So when the economy began to tank, it wasn’t that far of a stretch when Clem Carrion founded Visual Artisan in December 2007, a concrete business that specializes in concrete countertops, innovative lighting and metallic epoxies, as well as faux wood and stone.

“Graceful Curves.” That’s what Scott Cohen and his team at Green Scene Landscaping and Swimming Pools call a recent backyard masterpiece in Malibu, California. Cohen describes it as the ultimate entertaining backyard that has everything and then some — including a pool that makes you feel like you’re in a giant lake.

There’s a grinder/polisher model available for just about every task, whether it’s prepping the floor of a big-box store or finishing a basement or small office. Finding the right tool for the job can make a big difference in speed and efficiency, so know what you want before you go shopping.

For a man who’s been into concrete as far back as he can remember, the business has changed a lot since he ran Carl Concrete Construction in Greensboro, North Carolina. Now co-owner of Spirit Stone, Bill Carl has moved away from the traditional uses of concrete to its more artistic side.

My contractor placed blue painter’s tape on the concrete for a few days to mark the placement of cabinetry. The tape was removed and the concrete was sealed with two coats of 25 percent solids acrylic sealer and two coats of acrylic finish. A few days later the concrete was discolored and had evidence of where the tape had been placed. No surface damage to the concrete was evident.

In the previous two articles, I discussed my bread-and-butter designs. I probably do one of those designs every other week and sometimes twice a week. They’re quick and easy once you become familiar with them. Practice drawing them on your warehouse floor a couple of times until you get used to the routine.

Fabien Mené, a French native and art collector, never thought he’d find himself working in decorative concrete. It all started after studying art at the Charles de Gaulle University— Lille III. The idea of creating stenciled tables came to him after making bar counters in a class and wondering if he could add a stencil to the bottom of a casing.