 |
A
burning question
To
burnish or not to burnish? It all depends on the look
you're after
by
Stacey Enesey Klemenc |
For
many years, burnishing has been commonly used to make commercial
floors harder, more durable and easier to clean. But these
floors had no aesthetic value. They didn't need to; they were
an underlayment.
In the old days, they burnished concrete
for structural value," agrees Tom Ralston, president
of Tom Ralston Concrete, a third-generation concrete company
in Santa Cruz, California. "The more you trowel concrete,
the harder and the more abrasive-resistant it becomes."
But in addition to this incredible hardness,
something else happens to the surface's appearance, says Ralston,
a frequent speaker and trainer of decorative concrete techniques
at industry gatherings. "We found that burnishing really
mimics acid staining in that it creates a in of patina-like
variegation that people are looking for these days."
He recalls one client who wanted a variegated- looking countertop
some years back. With the help of a spray bottle, "We
found we got a nice variegation with gray natural concrete
just by adding water." The more they burnished ---with
a bum trowel typically three inches wide -- the more variation
of color they got.
Ralston, who is always scouting
for new products and techniques to help him with his one-of-a-kind
creations, was definitely onto something that went beyond
the basic burnishing of yore.
The highs and the lows
When you trowel over and over againwhich
is what burnishing is-it makes for a shiny, smooth and hard
surface, a look that people today want for their interior
floors and countertops.
Rather than for the shine, Ralston says
he burnishes to get the "highlights and lowlights"
of naturally colored concrete or color applied to the concrete
via a hardener. "If you extend the concept of burnishing
to include color hardeners that allows you to open up a whole
array of visual possibilities. Your trowel then becomes similar
to that of an artist's brush. You could make colored concrete
look like an oil painting."
And cutting-edge contractors like
Ralston are finding out that if you flash in color as you
employ these burnishing techniques you can create masterpieces.
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