General Info:
If you want concrete that doesn’t crack, that’s opaque or monochromatic, or that doesn’t age or weather and develop a patina, it’s likely our work isn’t for you. We provide custom decorative concrete installations. We produce beautiful one-of-a-kind jobs. We have successfully completed thousands of projects including interior floors, countertops, sinks, backsplashes, flatwork, patios, driveways, walls, ceilings, showers, stair treads and landings, water features, fountains, planters, fire pits, troughs, dining room tables, boardroom tables, bar tables, desks, fireplace surrounds, hearths, mantels, sills, lintels, pool decks, furniture, pedestals, columns, and art. Our work lends itself to old-world or leading-edge design depending on the architecture, concrete, design, scoring, colors, and finishes. If you are utilizing a concrete foundation, slab, or structural deck our work provides a sanitary living environment that doesn’t harbor dirt, odors, dust or dust mites, mold, or allergy/asthma-related materials. Concrete floors are environmentally friendly, energy-efficient, and produce less waste. No two projects are alike. Your project acquires its own unique patina, character, and personality through the concrete mix, finishing techniques, trowel marks, burn marks, variegation, grinding, polishing, salt finish, imprinting, sandblasting, porosity, cracks, stains, scoring grids, patterns, and designs, colors, and finishes.
Contractor Awareness:
DO NOT TAPE TO THE FLOOR! If possible, never cover the floor with protection before the decorative concrete pre-finish is finished to avoid ghosting images produced during curing. To protect the concrete floor for heavy construction, ie steel, welding, vehicular traffic, forklifts, cranes, etc., wait 28 days for the concrete to cure substantially. Cover the bare concrete floors with Ram Board overlapped at least 2″ and taped with Ram Board Tape. Then use thick black plastic overlapped and taped at the seams. Followed by 3/4″ plywood butted tight and cut tight to the edges. DO NOT TAPE TO THE FLOOR! General contractors should allow for additional communications with subs, signage, and protection. We do not pour foundations. We work on the given foundation or flatwork and create beautiful, durable, finished floors, patios, driveways, etc. We work on concrete that has been placed and finished by others, so be sure to specify the mix and concrete finishing you want. (see concrete mix and finishing below) Do not allow contaminants to contact the concrete until after we’ve completed the stain and prefinish phase, and it’s somewhat protected to help avoid staining. Concrete is a porous material similar to wood or stone and is susceptible to staining. Do not write on the slab with anything except a pencil. Some contaminants that can penetrate and stain the slab are red chalk, permanent marker, adhesives, flux, caulk, PVC primer/cleaner, PVC adhesive, food, grease, beverages, coffee, sodas, metal, nails, rust, and sawdust. Lumber, plywood, insulation board, and construction materials left upon the bare slab will draw moisture from the curing slab and transfer permanent resins, tannins, and or water stains into the slab, so place these somewhere else besides on what’s to be the finished floor. Oil from framers leaking compressors, hoses, or nail guns will stain the slab, so wrap them. Framers need to cut floor plates for doorways and cased openings ASAP. Keep the area clean by sweeping, vacuuming, and or blowing daily, and be sure to warn all subcontractors that the slab will be the finished floor. Do not cover or store any materials, lumber, nails, tools, sawdust, scraps, etc. on the floor before stain and prefinish. After the stain and prefinish phase, use breathable drop cloths, not plastic. Completely cover floor during primer, paint, stain, or lacquer stages. DO NOT TAPE TO THE FLOOR. Due to the nature of the products and application methods used in the scoring, stripping, scrubbing, staining, neutralizing, sealing, waxing, grinding, densifying, honing, polishing, and guarding of concrete, some “bleeding” of the materials onto surfaces other than the floor (i.e., mortar, stone, stucco, under wall plates, thresholds, base, walls, molding, trim, etc.) is possible and touch up may be necessary. Please schedule us before masonry or finished materials are placed. Scoring, sandblasting, dry sanding, grinding, honing, polishing, and mixing create fine dust. We are not responsible for minor touch up or fine dust clean up.
CONCRETE MIX: A concrete mix that will achieve the desired results is essential. Use at least a five-sack mix (at least 3000 psi). Use a .45 water to cement ratio, and don’t add any water for convenience while finishing. Do not use curing compounds or surface treatments. Do not pour below 40°F and rising. Additives like (Fly Ash, Retarders, Accelerators, etc.) need to be specified by the engineer or ready-mix concrete plant/supplier. They need to know the concrete will be the finished floor and whether it will be stained or polished. Consider aggregates selection and or seeded aggregates for exposed aggregates polished concrete. Early AM placement allows essential time for proper finishing.
CONCRETE FINISHING INTERIOR STAINED: On interior scored/stained concrete applications to achieve a polished marble-like finish, the slab should be slick, hard, power troweled, burn slab finished by the concrete finishers. Pay particular attention to hand finishing all edges, around plumbing, electrical floor plugs (set flush and plumb), treads, and risers. Your concrete contractor should have enough skilled labor on the job to handle good smooth hand finishing in all these areas. Your concrete contractor can create a beautiful burn troweled finish with power trowels. Consistency is the key. Burn finish concrete as you would a garage. Create burn marks on the slab with power trowels in a sporadic fashion. “Consistently inconsistent.” The object is to slick trowel the concrete to a tight finish with burn marks to create mottling over the entire slab using power trowels and hand trowels.
CONCRETE FINISHING EXTERIOR STAINED: On exterior applications or wherever slip resistance is needed, the flatwork can be textured by concrete finishing techniques such as rock salt finish, sweat finish, broom finish, and stamping. Or it can be sandblasted, ground, or etched after placement and curing time. Whatever the decision is, consistency is the key to a beautiful job.
Applications Schedual / Specifications:
SCORING: Scoring is cut after framers chalk off all walls (both sides) with blue chalk (no red chalk) and before framing on the bare slab. We need 110V on a 20 amp breaker within 200 ft. of the furthest point on the slab. We offer early entry concrete sawing, straight-line shallow scoring of grids, deep scoring, radius cuts, diamond cuts, numerous patterns, sandblasting, templates, compass roses, etc. We welcome your ideas.
STAIN / PREFINISH: Stain / Prefinish is done immediately after dry in, before any mechanical trades, insulation, drywall, or masonry work. We need two 110V plugs on two separate 20amp breakers within 200 ft. of the furthest point on the slab. We need clean water on site. We offer a range of colors achieved with acid stains from Kemiko, Scofield, and others, and dyes from Ameripolish and others. These colors can be applied in various ways to create different effects. The stain etches into and reacts with the finished surface of the slab and lasts as long as the concrete finish. We have completed thousands of custom projects using multiple colors, either individual or layered, intricate multicolored patterns, artistic staining, etc. We welcome your ideas.
FINAL FINISH: Final Finish is applied after all trades are finished (i.e., painters, carpet installers, and clean-up crews). The painters or make ready crew, need to remove any paint, stain, texture, etc., before we are scheduled. They may use steel wool, water, paint thinner, razor scrapers, wire brushes, etc. Don’t go through the seal or wax finish. We should be the last crew inside. We need to complete the final finish 24 hours before occupancy.
Maintenance
Floors:
Vacuum or dust mop daily to help eliminate dirt, sand, grit, etc.
Clean spills promptly with a damp rag, buff out with a dry rag.
Damp-mop floor with water when necessary.
To sanitize use a mild natural soap such as Simple Green, heavily diluted, and rinse well.
Re-wax on an annual basis or as needed depending upon traffic.
Our price for re-wax paste is $0.50 per sq ft or $500.00 minimum.
Our price for re-wax acrylic or re-guard is $1.00 per sq ft or $800.00 minimum.
Exterior Concrete:
Clean using a garden hose with a fan spray nozzle and a stiff-bristled broom.
Reseal every 3 years or as needed depending upon traffic.
Our price for re-seal is $1 per sq ft or $500 minimum.
Rug Pads:
Rug pads and rugs may damage floors. We have received several inquiries regarding rug pads that will not leave marks on your Scored Stained Concrete, Stone, or Hardwood floors. The only rug pads we’d recommend are made with 100% natural rubber – no additives or chemicals. Pads come in various thicknesses and can be cut to your specific sizes. Google “natural rubber rug pads” for info and suppliers.