Concrete Applications and Treatments

Concrete Applications and Treatments

According to the National Building Museum: "Concrete, produced at an estimated rate of 5 billion cubic yards per year, is the second most widely consumed substance on Earth, after water." Too bad it doesn't melt or evaporate as easily as water when we are finished using it. Visit the National Building Museum's Liquid Stone: NEW ARCHITECTURE IN CONCRETE exhibit at http://www.nbm.org/liquid_stone/home.html

Comprehensive Concrete Information as can be found at the following sites:

Concrete Network.com (Look at the topic column on the left side of the page)
Concrete Construction Magazine
National Association of Home Builders Research Center's ToolBase Services
Portland Cement Association

For more targeted help and information try the links below.

Cleaning, Coloring or Waterproofing the Existing Surfaces

Waterproof Your Masonary with UGL
These products are available at McLendon Hardware. The website says "Whether it's DRYLOK Masonry Waterproofer, Concrete Floor Paint, Fast Plug Hydraulic Cement or any other DRYLOK product do-it-yourselfers and professional contractors alike can be sure they are using the most respected name in masonry repair-DRYLOK."
Waterproofing Engineering & Technologies (WET)
This website lists one of many products as: "CONSEAL 1000-The ultimate for waterproofing, hardening, dustproofing and preserving new or old concrete."
Clean Your Concrete and other Masonary
The EZKleen website says: "Deep Cleans All Masonry Products Without Harmful Acids. We only do one thing, but we do it better than anyone else in the world." Be sure to go to their home page and put your curser on Product Information to see the other cleaners they have.
L & M Construction Chemicals
More chemicals than you ever thought possible for concrete. Contractors look here.
Behr Concrete Floor Coatings
These Behr products are available at McLendons. Colorful paints, stains and epoxy acrylics for concrete including garage floors.
Mason's Select Concrete Stains, Sealers, Cleaners and Safe Solution Non-Corrosive Concrete Etcher
From the SuperDeck folks. Their website says: "All Mason's Select Transparent Concrete Stain Colors are 100% Acrylic waterborne stains that offer soap and water clean up. These stains are safe and easy to use without the worry of handling dangerous chemicals."

Repairing the Surfaces

A1 Concrete Leveling and Foundation Repair
Visit their website to see the different applications for this service. In the Puget Sound Area call George at 253-472-2399 or email him at A1ConcreteLeveling@AOL.com Before you decide to tear out a sinking or not level slab, driveway, walkway, steps or foundation consider this alternative.
Fix Cracked Driveways or Walkways
The website says: "PERMA·CRETE can be easily applied over newly installed or worn, cracked and uneven surfaces -- such as concrete, masonry, steel, stucco, aggregate... It's ideal for resurfacing home exteriors, pool decks, pool interiors, driveways, sidewalks and even more."
Miracote
Decorative overlays and finishes.
Oldcastle Concrete & Asphalt Repair Products
These products are available at McLendons. Their website says: "From Concrete Resurfacer to Blacktop Patch and Quick Set Cement Mix, Oldcastle products make old concrete look like new. Use our brightly colored and informative packaging, project literature, and point-of-sale materials to tackle all kinds of repair prodjects."
KolorKrete
This website says: "Kolor Krete can renew your old concrete at a fraction of the cost of replacing it. Fast. Economical. Various Colors to choose from. Add any pattern you like."

Fresh & Artistic Application Ideas

Cheng Concrete Exchange
Find a full line of resources to design and build concrete countertops for your kitchen and bath. Created by Fu-Tung Cheng, author of bestseller Concrete Countertops and the new Concrete at Home. Click on Instructional Products at this site to see more about the design books.
Decorative Concrete Floor Finishes
National Association of Home Builders ToolBase Services show how decorative finishes can be applied to existing or new slabs. The finish can last the lifetime of the concrete, and are durable, sanitary, and easy to maintain. A wide range of effects is possible. The treatment may be as simple as coloring walkways to match architectural features or blend into the landscape. If the look of natural materials is preferred, a slab might be stamped to create the appearance of slate or granite, complete with subtle color shifts, surface texture, and real grout placed in the formed joints between pavers. A stained and scored surface can imitate terra cotta tile, or present a colorful palette of abstract intersecting shapes .
Basalite Concrete Pavers
These products are available at McLendon Hardware. Basalite presents a complete offering of custom colors, shapes, and sizes in most product lines: Interlocking Paving Stones, Fence & Wall Systems, Ornamental & Garden Products, Retaining Walls and Structural Block Stucco.
Mutual Materials
For over a century Mutual Materials has been the leading manufacturer and distributor of masonry and hardscape products in the Pacific Northwest. From the beginning when it was just brick to today when Mutual's product lines also include concrete masonry and hardscape products, Mutual Materials is committed to manufacturing the quality products our customers demand.
Stamped and Colored Concrete from Brickform Rafco Products
Look here for some amazing concrete slab looks.
Decorative Concrete Institute
Great photo gallery of possibilities here covering floors and countertops.
Rock Carpet
The Unique flooring system that combines natural river Rock to create a premium quality, durable, safe, attractive and versatile surface covering for Residential, Commerical, Indoor or Outdoor Applications.
Permanent Photographic Impressions in Concrete
This site says: "This new process (Photographic Concrete) is going to change the way we look at using concrete to create our structural visions. Imagine sound walls along highways with historical pictorials of that areas demographic history...or a building surface with permanent muralistic depictions gracing the surface."
Butterfield Color
This website says: "Color and durability are the very essence of Butterfield Color ®. With over 40 years field experience in architectural colored concrete, we offer a line of concrete color additives that are technically superior and meet the needs of the architectural specifier as well as the concrete finisher."
Emarald Paving (Asphalt)
OK. OK. This is not concrete, but it is an alternative to consider. Check out the photo gallery before you decide against asphalt. In 1993 Emerald Paving became the first licensed contractor in the United States to install a product called "StreetPrint" pavement texturing. StreetPrint is a method of imprinting asphalt to replicate hand laid brick or cobblestone. StreetPrint has evolved to become the best and most cost-effective decorative paving process on the market today.