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Showing How
to
Make Concrete
Beautiful
DCC Spring Event an indicator of the dynamic growth predicted
for decorative concrete
BY KEITH
A. TOSOLT
Decorative
concrete has been a definitive trend in the construction market
for some time, and the popularity of its use keeps increasing.
Several members of the Decorative Concrete Council (DCC) referred
to their industry's potential during presentations at the
group's 2002 Spring Event, April 5-6, in Oklahoma City, Okla.
More than 70 attendees learned about the techniques commonly
used to color and add texture to concrete. Skilled decorative
concrete contractors also demonstrated the step-by-step techniques
of creating artistic designs in concrete slabs and shared
some of their job-site experience in the process.
A specialty council of the American
Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC), the DCC formed 4 years
ago; its current Council Director is James D. Engelman, Engelman
Construction, Inc., Macungie, Pa. "Our goal is to train
and educate our peers on the importance and necessity of decorative
concrete in the marketplace," says Engleman. "It's
a booming industry across the country, and it may be the fastest-growing
segment of the concrete industry right now. Consumers are
seeking information on decorative concrete from contractors,
designers, and architects... so that's what we're trying to
do -get the message out."
KNOW YOUR CONCRETE CHEMISTERY
DCC's program at its Spring Event began with a look at enhancing
slabs with stenciled and stamped patterns. Stenciling offers
the advantage of faster installation at about one-third of,
the time compared to stamping, according to Doug Bannister
of The Stamp Store, Oklahoma City, Okla. He is a founding
member of the DCC, its current Secretary/ Treasurer, and an
ACI-certified Flatwork Technician.
A stenciling application involves
laying out a kraft paper stencil pattern on top of a slab
of fresh concrete and slightly embedding the stencil into
the surface with a long-handled roller. The crew then throws
a color hardener onto the surface and works it in; the hardener
also adds an element of wear resistance. A final pass with
a textured roller adds the look and feel of stone, tile, or
brick. Once this surface has hardened enough to walk on, workers
pull the stencil and natural-looking grout lines remain. Bannister
cautions against embedding the stencil too deeply, which could
cause defects in the finish after the stencil is pulled. Removing
the defects may require hand-retouching. It is also important
that the slab formwork be absolutely square.
Stamping and texturing are
other ways of imprinting integrally colored concrete, or concrete
with a shake-on color hardener. The stamps are plastic or
metal platform tools that usually leave deep grooves, which
can later be grouted or left open. Contraction joints can
be disguised as part of the pattern. Stamping mats imprint
a shallower pattern of grooves and produce a texture that
resembles slate, field stone, or other materials. Mat-texture
skins impart only a seamless, free-flowing texture. To produce
a pattern or texture, workers tamp the stamping mats or skins
into a surface that has been treated with a release agent
to permit removal without disturbing the imprint texture.
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