| Ralston
devised his own variation on the random stone theme with rave
reviews from customers. Instead of creating a random stone
effect across the whole surface, he uses it only in certain
areas. Ralston does not chase the cracks, but marks them with
nails and applies a 3/8-inch topcoat over the slab. Then he
uses the nails as a guide to score the original cracks using
the point of a trowel or rat-tail. He carves out random stone
shapes in the topcoat (using a stick or rat-tail for a "more
authentic looking joint") only along one side of the
cracks and dusts these with earth tone colors. He dusts the
remaining areas in between with a sandstone color. In this
way, the sandstone colored areas appear to be bordered by
random-laid stones.
Not
everyone wants a random stone look, however. Vollmer says
one of his customers wanted a more traditional tile pattern.
To achieve the look, "We laid the pattern around the
cracks and cut the cracks first. Then we popped chalk lines
and cut the rest of the pattern."
 For
a more realistic look, "small spider cracking is good
for leaves and other organic [design] elements," says
Meursing. Additional saw cuts can help incorporate the cracks
into a design.
Donaldson
suggests you can garner nice effects by highlighting a crack.
"Insert color in the crack with a sprayer, allowing the
color to absorb on either side of the crack."
Other
creative options include routing out cracks or spalls and
gluing in marbles or filling the voids with another color
or material for an inlay effect.
As
Vollmer points out, "There's nothing you can't do with
decorative concrete if you have an open, creative mind."
Never say never
No matter what your decorative
effect, "Cracks can be filled, but with no expectation
that they are fixed," admonishes Adamson.
Crack
repair is a big deal, but "I would never guarantee a
customer tno, cracks,"' reports Donaldson.
"Never
warranty cracks. They're there for a reason," exclaims
Anderson.
Do
you observe a common thread in these comments? That's right
-don't guarantee that the cracks will not return. Tizard has
even developed a flow chart to help keep him on track with
concrete crack repair, including the options to get a signed
release or to walk away from the project if the customer's
budget isn't sufficient or the customer doesn't want the cracks
repaired. Otherwise, his flow chart works its way down to
varying repair techniques based on the type topping to be
used - rigid and hard or soft and flexible -and the size and
type of crack. Creativity seems to be his only variable.
Across the board, contractors
are becoming more creative with concrete crack repair and
the decorative effects they can help achieve. As Meursing
observes, "Taking a defect and turning it into art, that's
art!"
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