Decorative Concrete

L&M Construction Chemicals says a third-party certified testing laboratory has verified the durability and abrasion resistance of its patented dry-grind FGS/PermaShine Polished Concrete Floor System.

Construction Technology Laboratories of Skokie, Illinois performed the tests.

The test compared the durability of the FGS/PermaShine System to that of a well-cured concrete floor with a hard troweled surface. The samples were "well cured" because comparisons of polished specimens to distressed concrete with an abnormally soft or dusting surface have been thought to have inflated the results.

The results showed that the abrasion resistance and absorption characteristics of the FGS/PermaShine System were greatly improved over that of well cured, hard troweled concrete.

More information, including a copy of the recently completed CTL report, can be obtained by calling 1 800 362 3331 or by visiting www.fgs-permashine.com.

R-Value Concrete Structures LLC has been awarded the Exemplary Project award from the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association for its “foundational participation” in the Onekama Hybrid Home.

The home features Build Block ICF walls from footings to trusses, stained concrete floors, and incorporates Lite-Deck floors with radiant heat/snow melt for the garage, porch and a unique second-story deck, all installed by R-Value. Many challenges had to be overcome during construction including very narrow window spacing, the second story concrete deck, and high winds throughout the building process.

According to Jake Vierzen of R-Value: "I am excited to see ICFs being recognized as an excellent complement to renewable energy technologies, and very pleased to work as part of Team Hybrid on this and other innovative homes. The Team concept incorporates many of the trades, starting with the architect, in order to deliver the absolute highest performance home possible.”

In addition to the highly efficient building, the Onekama Hybrid Home discreetly incorporates both a wind generator and solar hot water. It is expected to earn the highest rating possible under the new LEED for Homes program.

Should the purveyors of concrete countertops be worried?

One designer’s opinion may not be worth much, but one Bay Area designer has told the San Francisco Chronicle that she thinks so.

“I think the trend of the poured-concrete kitchen and bathroom countertop has wound down,” said Christel Heinelt of Lushart Decorative Painting & Murals and Christel Heinelt Design, based in Pacifica, California. “I think clients felt that, though beautiful, it was not stain resistant enough or as durable as slab marble and stone.”

Heinelt was one of several area designers interviewed by the Chronicle on a variety of different design and construction trends.

Two Minnesota construction firms specializing in concrete for residential interiors are winners in the Cemstone 2007 Decorative Concrete Awards.

The Grand Prize winner was Foley Construction of Le Sueur, Minnesota, for a project featuring kitchen countertops made with recycled crushed glass to create interesting color patterns. The judges said, “The hip and stylish countertops are well executed. Nice material re-use of the crushed glass to provide interesting color patterns.”

The First Prize winner was Allstate Decorative Concrete of Cokato, Minnesota, for a colored basement floor featuring a highly detailed coat of arms. The judges said, “This creative and whimsical use of colored concrete provides a rich, warm depth to the first floor basement.”

Cemstone, a supplier of ready-mixed, engineered and decorative concrete in the Upper Midwest, sponsors the award to recognize excellence in the design and use of decorative concrete in residential and commercial construction. The winners were selected from nearly 70 contractor entries that featured Cemstone-supplied colored, stamped and/or stained concrete.

Are you ready for see-through concrete? Lustenau, Austria-based Heidelberg Cement has introduced an interior material it calls Luccon – a translucent concrete that is engineered so as to allow shapes, light and even colors to show through.

Luccon is made of fine-grained concrete and translucent fabric, cast layer-by-layer in prefabricated molds. Its optical fibers allow forms, images and colors to be seen through the concrete even when it is applied in thick quantities.

Manufacturers say the material is as strong and durable as conventional concrete because it uses a relatively low proportion of synthetic fiber.

The product comes in lava gray and is produced in large-size 40-by-100 centimeter slabs.

A Seattle architectural design firm says its recent decision to choose concrete as the material for a new local winery was driven in part by the belief that it is “the most beautiful material in the world.”

Interior designer Kim Munizza of the firm known as Mithun says her team chose concrete for the Novelty Hill-Januik Winery for a combination of its artistic potential and the practical necessities of a facility in which wine would be made.

“It came largely from the wine-making process itself,” Munizza said. “We were looking for something fairly monolithic and based on the temperature control, and the ability not to grow bacteria, among other things. Plus, the beauty of the material itself and the budgets. We looked around and concrete appeared to be the winner in every category.”

Munizza said her team had never before attempted a highly artistic design using concrete as the primary material. But the 31,000-square-foot building has drawn raves. Lawrence Cheek, author of “Frank Lloyd Wright in Arizona,” wrote in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: “It's so good, in fact, that visitors should take a long, slow walk through and around the generous public spaces to drink in all the delectable details before indulging in even the slightest fog of alcohol. This is a building that can change your mind about concrete, the industrial aesthetic, and what you once might have thought was the arid wasteland of modernist minimalism.”

A Fort Lauderdale-based decorative concrete contractor has developed a method of simulating metal inlays in concrete overlay floors—without actually using any metal.

GLC3 Concrete, which recently handled all the decorative concrete work for The Lofts and The Lofts 2 in Miami, used what it calls a chrome tent to create the appearance of the metal inlay in The Lofts 2 project.

“We came up with a way not to insert the metal, but to make it look like it with a chrome tend, which is kind of a cross between an epoxy and a model airplane paint,” said GLC3’s Cathy Rankin.

GLC3 developed the method as an alternative to expensive metals that are normally used, although Rankin acknowledges that the work is labor-intensive, and the materials used to create the chrome tent are also not cheap.

“I think the combination we came up with for the chrome was about $500 for eight ounces of paint,” Rankin said. “I’m not sure whether it was actually way less expensive, but it’s very cool looking, and unless you get right down on it, you’d never know it’s not metal.”

GLC3 also worked on wall elements and countertops as part of the two Lofts phases.

ACJ Stone Concrete Polishing, a Nevada-based certified provider of comprehensive concrete surfacing and repair services, announced the completion of its second level of concrete renovation and repair certification training. The training focuses on the surfacing, repair and refinishing of concrete as an architectural design element for homes and commercial establishments.

ACJ-CP has completed the fundamental course requirement, Concrete Polishing 101, and has mastered the basic skills and implementation requirements. ACJ-CP has also completed the advanced Concrete Polishing 201 training program, completing a minimum of five concrete surfacing, repair or renovation projects and demonstrating the ability to produce a specified level of quality in its work.

Berkeley, California-based Cheng Design Products has introduced a new line of professional polishing pads for concrete countertops. Founder Fu-Tung Cheng says his four-millimeter CHENG Professional Polishing Pads allow for a 60 percent increase in the polishing surface.

Canadian-based Interstar Corporation worked with Cheng on the development of the pads.

Cheng Concrete Exchange, a division of Cheng Design Products, is the company’s educational initiative for professionals, do-it-yourselfers, designers and homeowners interested in designing with concrete. Cheng also teaches workshops in Berkeley on the design and crafting of concrete countertops.

"Concrete allows for highly sculptural designs in countertops, something not really possible with two-dimensional materials like granite or stone," Cheng says. "But, there's a shortage of craftsmen able to design and build them. We hope to address this shortage with our training programs and full line of specialty products."

Casi Morris, a spokeswoman for the company, said the new products and the training sessions are aimed both at contractors and individuals because of current trends.

“We have a very large base of contractors and professionals in the industry who swear by this product, but the do-it-yourself market is really a trend,” Morris says. “That’s a base that’s really growing and expanding, and we’re tailoring our classes to meet that need.”

A new translucent concrete dye for overlays – a product its manufacturer says does not produce a film that can be worn away – is now available to contractors for interior use.

Madera, California-based QC Construction Products recently released the translucent, micronized, chemically inert and non-reactive pigment that, when applied to overlays, profiled or polished concrete, provides coloring effects without creating a film or coating that can be worn away, the company says.

The concrete dye is manufactured as a ready-to-use product both in water-based and solvent-based formulations. This product is available in 16 standard colors and can be field diluted with a variety of liquids, from water to acetone, to yield a broad range of hues. It is available in one-pint, one-gallon and five-gallon containers.

“It’s a topical treatment for existing overlays,” says Tischa Coffman, communications manager for QC Construction Products. “If you had existing concrete and you’re going to polish it ― or a new pour that was finished ― it could be applied to that.”