Vol. 6 No. 1 - February/March 2006

Achieve pure, consistent color while providing your customers a highly reflective surface. Ninety-nine percent of the cement used in the United States is gray. The other 1 percent is a startlingly bright white color. Because it represents such a small share of the market, many contractors know little about white cement concrete.

If you're new to making concrete countertops, you may have encountered any of a number of pesky problems. Even experienced concrete countertop artisans encounter a problem now and then, but they will also tell you that practice makes perfect.

A look at the pros and cons of liquid and powder releases. When a contractor decides to apply a release agent to a wet concrete surface to keep it from sticking to a stamp, there are two ways to go: liquid or powder. Each has advantages, but each also causes problems.

Cheng Design Exchange announced the winners of its second annual Members Circle of Distinction Design Challenge at the World of Concrete 2006 in Las Vegas. The concrete countertop design competition received 93 submissions, resulting in a total of seven “Best” category winners, two Merit Awards, and 11 Honorable Mentions.

Color and concrete have evolved. When considering adding color in conjunction with polishing, first it was integral colors or dry shake hardeners, then acid stains crept to the forefront as it became viable to combine densifying and acid stains.

Seamless has been coating floors since 1939. Now the company has taken a decorative direction.

Fly Ash is a coal waste products that acts a lot like cement in the right recipe.

Choosing the right sealer is not always easy. Once you've made your choice, then it's crucial to pick the right applicator.

Many contractors believe that their workmanship will sell itself, but too often, they depend on referrals. Decorative concrete contractors are artisans, not necessarily salespeople.

Super-Krete's waterproof deck system. On this floor, Super-Krete Micro-Bond were applied over the company's Bond-Kote and sanded down to achieve an ultra-smooth finish.

Essroc Cement Corp. has brought concrete that cleans itself — and the air around it — to the United States.

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.

Among the quirkier success stories of World Of Concrete 2006 is a little texture-mat tamper that manufacturer Proline Concrete Tools dubbed "The Billy Banger."

Using soy-based materials to strip, stain and seal concrete can be about as healthy as it gets. Concrete artisan Dana Boyer is selling the soy-based line through her concrete contracting outfit, Concretizen. Developed by friends of hers at New Century Coatings and sold by several "private label" resellers, the products have been personalized by Boyer to fit her vision.

Liquid and powder aren't a contractor's only choices when considering release agents, and Richard Smith's contracting company seems to have explored many of the alternatives.