Concrete Overlays & Toppings

Decorative concrete is going to the dogs. Or at least that’s the impression visitors are getting at Paws by the Lake, a pet boarding facility that opened recently in Avon Lake, Ohio.

David Brown, business development manager for Seal-Krete, says his company’s favorite projects are those that solve problems.

An overlay installation starts with the product in powder form being mixed with a specific amount of cold water. Right after it’s poured or pumped onto the floor you use a gauge rake to set the thickness you want the self-leveling overlay to be.

Vertical overlay finishes are being installed everywhere. They are the fastest growing segment of the overlay market, and that segment is growing faster than any other type of decorative overlayment.

Concrete finishes are typically intended to be smooth — polished even. There are polishing machines and sealants aplenty to achieve that flawless look. Careful selection and use of plywood concrete forms can also influence the finished appearance and texture. Various specialty and textured panels are available.

I have an exterior raised wooden deck that has a cement-based overlay applied to the top. The area that is under roof is fine, but the area that is outside is failing.

A job that began with a mere 80 square feet of overlay snowballed into a decorative concrete transformation — complete with faux hollow tree — for this restaurant and bar.

A new breed of seamless, spray-on, waterproof, protective coatings.

Are you seeing spots? How to get rid of spots when adding color to your microtoppings.

Jon Kopp of Quality Epoxy LLC in Gilbert, Arizona, got into metallic systems strictly by accident. And now, after 20 years in business, he wouldn’t change anything.

You find them on the floors of restrooms, kitchens and hospitals, among other places: curved, angle-free baseboards called "rolled radius cove." They've been called "ship's cove," too, because they were invented for use on ships to make floors easier to swab clean.

In order to complete the nearly 2,000 square feet of surface area in just one week, workers from Butterfield and Miracote teamed up with local contractors to take on the massive overhaul.

Hurricane proof concrete planks made to look like the original wood floor of the museum were the perfect touch. Durable, easy to clean and homey, the North Caroline Maritime Museum couldn't have asked for a better fit.

The handsome floor of the Arts and Crafts Room was the finishing touch at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, a facility improved by a series of decorative concrete projects as part of the 2010 Concrete Decor Show & Decorative Concrete Spring Training.

Nailing the gold in the O that is the official logo of University of Oregon sports couldn’t have been easy. But here it is, on a dyed and polished cement overlay floor at The Duck Store in the Clackamas Town Center shopping mall, near Portland, Ore.

Polishing 52,000 square feet of floor is never an easy task, but some jobs can be more demanding than others. This was one of them. It took contractor Darryl White and a crew of five 11 weeks to prep, polish and finesse the artwork for the floors of Alabama Robotics Technology Park.

A little-known fact about New Castle, Indiana, (for everyone not a Hoosier) is that it’s home to the world’s largest high school gymnasium. Basketball fever is so rampant in this small town of 18,000 that the community raised the money needed to build a high school gym that seats 9,325 spectators.

We announce the winners in Exterior and Interior categories of the 2008 Restoration Contest.

Thank you to our sponsors, NewLook International and Midweest Rake.

In terms of decorative options, existing concrete slabs are limited to topical color systems. In many cases these coloration processes are subject to fading and wear and are sensitive in high-moisture environments. You’ll find more versatility in 3/8-inch concrete overlays. Not only do you have a choice of UV-stable integral colors, but you can also choose from several types of aggregates.

Perfect for a one-of-a-kind finish, this floor treatment gives you lots of room to get creative with your colors.

When the Cincinnati Reds had to redo two cracked and peeling dugout roofs, they needed a decorative concrete contractor who could not only repair the cracked slabs, but get that Reds red right.

An review of Elephant Armor as told by concrete contractors in the field.