Vol. 17 No. 7 - October 2017

Hats off to Jeff Bach of Bach Custom Coatings of Oregon City, Oregon, for being the concrete highlight of the recent Street of Dreams, an annual showcase of new luxury homes in Portland that was held this past summer. This was the third Street of Dreams Bach has participated in.

I hope this missive reaches you before the Concrete Decor Show Nov. 6-9 as I believe our industry has reached a pivotal point in its development.

When Troy Lemon the concrete sculptor met up with Troy Wolfiss the home builder, a fireplace of great proportions ensued. Wolfiss, owner of Artisan Craft Homes, busily designed his new home which would be part of the Home Builders Association of Greater Grand Rapids’ Spring Parade of Homes.

For the first time in this series, I’m basing my article on a current job I just finished. In the last one, I introduced scrollwork as a design element. I was still focused on symmetry and using scrollwork as a larger medallion in a room.

According to the news, retail brick-and-mortar facilities are declining at a rapid rate. While I agree 100 percent that internet sales are impacting sales at traditional stores, this market segment is still relevant. And when it comes to polished concrete at retail establishments, business is still booming.

Too often mixing decorative overlays becomes an afterthought or path of least resistance process. This is the drill and paddle I have used for years, so it must be OK. Worse yet, and I am guilty of this, those of us on the training and manufacturing side default to whatever mixer is provided when we show up for a product demonstration.

First came the revolution. The decorative concrete wave swept the concrete construction trade not so long ago, churning up myriad visual concepts and the materials that made them happen. As the wave receded, decorative concrete concepts, methods and materials entered an evolutionary phase.

Need some perspective from the field on fillers and sealants? The people who are most likely to spend time with them are those who work on floors, with a heavy emphasis on the commercial and industrial markets.

Call them fillers or call them sealants (people often use the terms interchangeably), but it’s a good bet if you’re involved with concrete work, you’ve run into determining what to do with the joints.

Inspired by the pro bono work done on the Bannister House last year during the Concrete Decor Show in San Diego, Jodi Cain of Quest Building Products began looking for ways she and her fellow employees could use their skills and services to give back to their community in Southern California.

As part of a public kindergarten renovation project in Villemomble, France, the town approached Eqiom Bétons to present samples of finishing possibilities for the Joseph Gallieni School’s outside pathways. And, in the end, the project turned out just ducky.

For as long as he can remember, Joshua Thiel has had a passion for creating and building while also finding innovative solutions to problems. After going to school for mechanical engineering and spending years fabricating and learning how to work with different materials, it seemed like a natural fit to dive into concrete.

Decorative concrete done well, and properly maintained, is long-term free advertising. It’s like having a huge billboard on the side of the road showcasing your work.