Concrete Construction Online Magazine: Most Popular

Stamped, Stained & Sealed

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 10:59:49 EST

Decorative faux flagstone over desert flex exterior flooring system

Wet Curing Concrete Floors

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:08:33 EST

After 18 years as a structural engineer, I have worked on numerous slab-on-grade projects and used traditional wet-cure methods. Most of these techniques, particularly synthetic curing blankets, were time-intensive, expensive, and they sometimes left discolored areas on the slab.

Concrete House Featuring Decorative Concrete Work

Tue, 5 Jun 2012 04:57:42 EST

A new house in Sun Valley, Idaho, features decorative concrete throughout.

When Concrete is too Wet

Sun, 12 Dec 2010 08:58:21 EST

When there is too much water in the concrete, there is greater shrinkage with the possibility for more cracks and reduced compressive strength.

Concrete Artists and Their Craft

Tue, 5 Jun 2012 04:49:27 EST

Concrete artists represent a variety of talents. Some creatively express themselves with a flare for a new tool or stencil system invention, some innovate with new concrete mix designs, and still others approach their work as multimedia artists. They bring an array of coloring agents, objects to embed in fresh concrete, or they develop layering processes for just the right visual effect. All bring a love of concrete and a spirit of adventure.

Glossary of Terms for Decorative Concrete/ Diccionario de Términos para el Concreto Decorativo

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:14:09 EST

An English and Spanish glossary of terms relating to decorative concrete.

Constructing My Own Concrete Countertop

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:09:45 EST

I was hired by Hanley Wood as a senior editor, because I had been a concrete contractor for many years, had experienced many of the problems and challenges affecting concrete, and had learned hands-on the skills of placing and finishing concrete.

Concrete Bathrooms

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 02:29:36 EST

The bathroom is an intimate room, not a place for cold, hard edges. So why is concrete increasingly used in bathrooms?

Painting Concrete

Tue, 5 Jun 2012 04:48:51 EST

Although painting concrete is the term most often used, it's not correct. Coating is the proper term for products that provide decoration and protection for exterior concrete walls; sealers or coatings are the products used on floors.

Polyaspartic Polyurea Coatings

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:24:10 EST

Polyaspartic polyureas are fairly new in the marketplace and have great potential for decorative concrete because of their many unique qualities.

Iron Oxide Pigments

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:14:10 EST

One of the fastest growing markets for iron oxide pigments is in decorative architectural concrete. Iron oxide pigments (IOP) are the lifeblood of decorative concrete and the means for that architectural expression. Only IOP offer the combination of cost effectiveness, light fastness, durability, and cement compatibility that makes colored concrete feasible. Although other types of pigment provide these properties, they do so at a cost several times that of IOP. Even with IOP, the cost of pigment can double the material cost over that of plain concrete, meaning that other pigment types are cost prohibitive for 99% of colored concrete projects.

Colored Pervious Fits the Bill

Mon, 1 Oct 2012 06:05:41 EST

Pervious concrete is ideal for a city park.

Exposed Aggregate ‘Rocks’

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 02:28:04 EST

New technology, new systems, and creativity are changing the look and life of integrally mixed or seeded exposed aggregate hardscapes.

Subway Stained Concrete Floor

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 01:38:25 EST

Restaurant chooses acid stain for new location's floor.

New Home Receives Unique Concrete Floor

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 01:17:50 EST

Concrete staining gives concrete floor the look of wood.

The Oohs and Ahs Have It

Tue, 5 Jun 2012 04:49:24 EST

Pick up the remote control, flip the switch, and the little green machine comes alive, skittering across the floor like a low-flying alien spacecraft or a high-tech dual-head lawnmower. Is this some toy maker's demonstration? a convention of wireless enthusiasts? No, it was the 2005 World of Concrete in Las Vegas this past January.

YoungLife's Washington Family Ranch

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 01:43:21 EST

Handcarved shotcrete rockwork and timbers mimic indigenous rock structures.

History of Decorative Concrete

Tue, 5 Jun 2012 04:49:31 EST

Between 1890 and 1920 many companies, especially precast companies who produced members for building facades, used colors and stains to make their work more interesting. Some mixed pigment into fresh concrete for a casting; others submerged their castings in solutions similar to chemical stains. Some of these creative and ingenious techniques are described in journals and publications from that era, which can be viewed today at the Portland Cement Association (PCA) library in Skokie, Ill.

What Are Dye Stains and How Do You Apply Them?

Mon, 1 Oct 2012 06:05:13 EST

Learn the definition of what dyes are and how to use them.

Using Calcium Chloride for Industrial Floor Construction

Sun, 12 Dec 2010 08:57:21 EST

Calcium chloride has a strange reputation—it's probably the most used admixture for concrete and also the most controversial. On the positive side, CaCl is an excellent, inexpensive accelerator; its bad rap stems from its contribution to corrosion of steel reinforcement and metallic floor hardeners.