Vol. 5 No. 3 - June/July 2005

There’s nothing like a nice curve, but advance planning is essential. Ask any man and he will confess the more curve the better. Ask any women and she will agree curves are good as long as they flow — no bulging. Ask a decorative stamping crew and they will agree curves can cause loss of sleep at the design and installation phase.

Whether you create them on site or buy them precast, faux rocks can be a valuable part of your portfolio.

Proper application of a sealer is essential to just about every decorative concrete job.

Crushed or ground glass can substitute for gravel or sand while adding beauty to decorative concrete.

Graphic design can be produced before or after the full curing of the slab, utilizing saw cuts, specialty tape, stamping or stenciling. In this article we will focus on the methods used following a full cure, in conjunction with acid stains and acetone-based dyes.

This company’s founders left careers in an international construction firm to offer decorative concrete with the spirit of Aloha.

A commitment to quality, innovation and exemplary customer service make Specialty Concrete Products a leader in the industry.

An interior designer recently approached a decorative concrete contractor in Naples, Fla., for a solution to an unfortunate stroke of ill luck.

This concrete fish prepping table top was made by Michael Dahl, who precast it in a foam mold and used small mixes of different integral colors to create the mottled effect. The top of the sink is ground to expose the aggregate within the concrete.

The QuikShot Vertical Mix Shotcrete Machine, distributed by FossilCrete Inc., is a typical shotcrete pump, only smaller. And that makes it perfect for decorative concrete contractors.

CDCLarue’s Pulse-Bac Industrial Vacuum & Dust Collector will remove and contain that dust without constant clogs or lagging lift.

It happens often: A concrete contractor is faced with a project that requires adaptations to an existing form or tool to shape the concrete during that critical hour before it turns hard.

Is thinning a sealer recommended? The obvious answer is “no.” Anytime you alter a sealer’s formulation you risk affecting its performance — not to mention voiding any stated warranty.

One-part concrete sealer products are easily stored for reuse in the future. Of course, you want to avoid foreign contaminants, so don’t pour back into the container what you may have portioned off unless you strain the used material first.

Thanks to a new roller system from Kraft Tool Co., contractors no longer have to rock around the clock to get texturing projects done in half the time.

When it comes to texture skins, flexibility is often appreciated, and Brickform LLC aims to please.

A new stamp pattern from L.M. Scofield Co. offers serious stampers a taste of old America.

Custom Concrete Creations Inc., which sells interlocking, swiveling stamps to fit curved borders, plans to corner a whole new market.