Stamping & Texturing Concrete

It’s doubtful that any homeowner has found a more elegant way of decorating a neglected piece of land whose main feature is a septic tank field than the owners of the “Hidden Oasis,” a tropical-themed project that blossomed in a residential backyard in Stafford, Va.

Universal Templates manufactures plastic adhesive backed templates/stencils for the decorative concrete industry. The company has 15 different patterns, which can be purchased in 250 sq. ft. rolls (3 ft. wide x 84 ft. long) or in 500 sq. ft. rolls (3 ft. wide x 168 ft. long).

Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue under the flag of Spain, a country ruled in the 15th century by the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella. But do you know what nation Columbus called home?

Not that tough on the scale of trivia challenges, right? Columbus hailed from Genoa, now part of Italy.

It’s more dainty, more elegant, like between silk and cloth with hard-eners. The grays and browns last forever. He also likes to sprinkle color on top of the concrete with a brush to create freckles, just like real stones offer.

ConScape Inc., a commercial, architectural and decorative concrete firm in Fort Worth, Texas, seemed like a godsend to the parishioners. With decorative concrete as its intervention, the company transformed part of the church’s landscape from a tired terrain into a radiant and peaceful panorama.

At first glance, the dock looks like it’s floating just above the water. “It turned out exactly how I wanted it,” says Reuben Keim, co-owner of Keim Concrete in Wooster, Ohio, about his concrete platform. The pier and dock, which sit about a foot above the surface of a 2-acre pond in Keim’s backyard, was fashioned with Proline form liners.

The Decorative Concrete Council, a specialty council of the American Society of Concrete Contractors, recognized the winners of its ninth annual Decorative Concrete Awards competition Jan. 17 at the World of Concrete in Las Vegas.

The issue of car tires pulling sealer from concrete is known as “hot-tire pickup.” The initial conclusion most people make when they hear “hot-tire pickup” is that a hot tire is melting the sealer and causing it to peel off the concrete.

A number of new technological innovations give today’s contractors more choices when they’re looking to make an impression.

Surface preparation is a commonly used term in the decorative concrete industry. An argument can be made that it might even just be the most used term in the industry. We hear or read about it most often when dealing with overlays and stains. Grind, scarify, acid etch, etc.

Coloring concrete isn't just a matter of choosing pigment, sand and cement. How your concrete is finished will alter its color too.

We all know there are times when you just can’t get around stamping in cold weather. Here are some helpful hints.

Because their artistry is computer-generated, stencils empower every contractor to create stunning works of art regardless of artistic talent. It is amazingly simple to produce logos, images, and artistic effects with exact detail and concrete industry has an arsenal of magnificent images ready to order.

With the housing market in recovery, business is looking up for concrete contractors involved with stamping and texturing.

However, it's not just the residential market that’s driving stamping. Thanks to its low price compared with other outdoor options, more commercial developers are turning to stamped concrete.

You don’t have to be born into the family business to be good at it, but in Emil Gera’s case, it sure helped. Gera’s father, also named Emil, was a union concrete finisher who would take his son along with him to help on weekend projects. Some of young Emil’s earliest memories involve concrete and a trowel.

Hong Kong is home to what is billed as the largest quarter-inch stamping job in the world — 600,000 square feet of lines, arrows, and numbers that help condo dwellers park in style.

The decorative concrete business often can follow a roller-coaster trajectory, with ups and downs that can challenge the stomach.

Fortunately for David Edwards and his 30-year-old company Edwards Concrete, a profitable relationship with Florida’s amusement and theme parks has played an integral role in the ride.

Brian Oberman, who has been in the concrete industry for 25 years, merged his company with Life Deck Coating Installations about three and a half years ago. Today, as general manager, he’s had the chance to work on projects such as Coasterra, the Beach Terrace Inn and Westroot Tavern.

The project was a lot simpler than the one Baltz ended up with. “I was first approached to do some hardscape and subbase for a network of brick or paver stone terraces,” he recalls. “The connecting walkways were going to be asphalt.” He can’t hide the disdain in his voice when he makes that last statement.

Want to get in on the action of stamping concrete? Here’s what you need to know to get started.

Step-by-step instructions and useful tips from people in the industry who have experimented enough to know what works.

At the seventh annual Concrete Decor Show in San Diego, California, world-class instructors and eager students from around the globe joined their talents and enthusiasm to breathe new life into the outdoor surroundings of the Bannister Family House, which provides a home-like environment for people with family members in long-term at the nearby hospital.

The design for the project evolved during a couple of visits to the site and four or five different sketches for a two-tier patio, plus a lower seating area, on the Krepskys’ sloping yard.