Staining & Coloring Concrete

Melanie Royals started out working on her own techniques and designs as an answer to problems she perceived in the stenciling industry. In 2003, Royals introduced Modello designs to the decorative painting industry, a fresh concept she called “the art of decorative masking.” This line of stencils, called Modellos, differed from Mylar stencils in that they are one-time use adhesive-backed vinyl patterns.

Passion, precision, artistry and creativity were all on display at the L. M. Scofield Co. ninth annual Decorative Concrete Awards ceremony. Scofield enlists professionals from the concrete industry to judge submissions based on skill of installation, artistic expression and integration with the overall design intent.

There’s more than one way to stain a slab, and Newlook International Inc. has found a way that is unique. Its products are modified polymer stains that require no sealer and are easy to maintain.

The finish on this water feature was achieved using a handful of soy-based products. It’s a great way to get a more earth-friendly surface that boasts deep, rich colors to boot. As an additional plus, the concrete is profiled with garnet abrasives, which not only ensure a low-dust blasting experience, but also give the finished surface a reliably nonslip surface.

Scott Cohen, artisan and construction defect expert witness, whose company The Green Scene makes decorative backyards and pools in Southern California, has observed problems around salt-chlorinated pools too, but he is far from certain that all salt pools are problematic.

Volunteers from the ASCC Decorative Concrete Council traveled to Hanson, Ky. to work on the hardscape of what is to become a therapeutic garden at the Ballard Western Kentucky Veterans Center. Three students from the Concrete Industry Management program at Middle Tennessee State University also assisted on the project.

Mike likes his concrete the same way he likes his breads and cheeses, with every bit of the material exuding something interesting and reflecting the character of the ambient conditions and personalities that shaped it. And he's not the only one who feels like this.

Today's trend has less to do with any certain product and more to do with a weak economy and saving money. Just like people are finding ways to make their cars go another year to save money, so too are they are looking for ways to make their existing concrete work another year.

Mike Miller explores examples of the concept of sensory concrete, which gives the material a voice. Sometimes the material is the concrete itself, and sometimes it's the material or the process influencing the concrete.

Wisconsin is not exactly the epicenter of the decorative concrete universe, but this determined contractor is making a splash with his beautiful work.

The first decade of the 21st century has been pretty huge for integral color. For one thing, decorative concrete as a whole has taken huge strides in terms of market share, and more decorative concrete means more integral color.

Many years in the making and rigorously reviewed by dozens of experts in the field, the much-anticipated 310R-13 Guide to Decorative Concrete was officially published by the American Concrete Institute in December 2013.

Contractors, construction companies, architects and designers are eligible to submit, and projects are judged on skill of installation, creativity, artistic expression and integration with the overall design intent.

Many of history’s most beautiful works of art were created for places of worship. These days, decorative concrete is doing its part to beautify churches across the country.

Acid staining is unpredictable by nature, but after years of experience, several of the country’s most gifted artisans have developed techniques that incorporate the stains into tried-and-true effects.

Longtime artist and acid stain master Gaye Goodman, 66, wasn’t always a guru of colored concrete.

She spent the early part of her career creating batiks and abstract paintings. Forms found in nature often served as her inspiration. She finally landed in the decorative concrete industry and truly blossomed.

On some decorative concrete projects, the only people looking over your shoulder are other tradespeople.

Discover why vertical staining is catching on despite some application challenges.

As part of the Aagen Group’s renovation of its facilities in Houston, the Business Flooring Specialists refurbished the company’s shipping and receiving ramp. The ramp was showing wear and tear and also needed its traction improved — especially when it was wet.

Learn about the four ways to add color to slabs that are intended for polishing: Integral Color, Dry Shake Hardener, Acid Stain and Dyes

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.

Anyone visiting the Bosch Tool outdoor booth at World of Concrete 2011 could not have missed this tool-carved decorative concrete work created by Steven Ochs and Gerald Taylor.

Kevin Brown is a soft-spoken, humble-yet-accomplished man who got into the business of concrete work through his family. As he describes it, he knew from a young age that he wanted to follow in the family footsteps.