Strong & fancy: decorative concrete offers endless design possibilities.

Concrete is the most widely used construction material. If the mix design is right and worker skills are good, concrete serves the homeowners' needs for long periods of time with little or no maintenance. It can be molded easily into any shape, has excellent tire resistance, and is capable of

Using it as a decorative material takes advantage of all of its strengths and lets creative contractors push the limits of what concrete can look like.

Henry Ford once said, "You can have any color you want for your car so long as it's black." In the past, that's been the concrete industry's attitude--plain concrete is good enough. Today, however, consumers favor colored finishes and anything else that inspired imaginations can design and build.

Unlike the production of Portland cement, where records show the total amounts of cement produced, no industry-wide statistics are kept about decorative concrete products. Despite the lack of information, however, decorative concrete is regarded as the fastest-growing segment of the concrete industry.

Believe it or not, color experimentation in concrete has revived interest in the material's natural color. Many specifiers now think that the color of Portland cement is perfect for decorative purposes.

For one project, Lance Boyer, owner of Trademark Concrete in Anaheim, Calif., says he broadcast stone aggregates with a top size of 4 to 5 inches onto the concrete surface prior to finishing. Then, using terrazzo grinders, he ground the surface to expose the aggregate and produce a surface with traction. He's also specified plain gray concrete with broken glass and ceramic tile pieces broadcast on the surface--again grinding the surface afterward to produce a decorative effect.

Another use of natural-colored concrete for flooring involves grinding and diamond-polishing surfaces to a high shine, which eliminates the need for sealers.

Plain gray concrete also is being used for casting indoor and outdoor concrete countertops with hard-troweled finishes, diamond-cutting patterns and 3-D relief in flatwork, special hand-tooled jointing details on slabs, and a wide variety of exposed-aggregate finishes on horizontal and vertical applications.

Park Boyer is the director of marketing for Cleveland-based Master Builders, which is working with liquid-dispensed integral colors in concrete. He's convinced that the colored concrete market is increasing because the "plain gray" concrete industry has done such a good job producing a durable product that doesn't scale or come apart under adverse conditions.

"Without good, functional concrete. there wouldn't be a decorative market," Boyer says.

Several years ago, decorative concrete was found primarily in high-end homes, but that's all changed. Projects of all sizes and budgets are getting decorative concrete treatments. Andrea Cochran, who owns a landscape architecture firm in San Francisco, says, "People often view concrete as plain and horrible. But when you add color of texture or special scoring details, they get excited. Regardless of money constraints, I first design artistic appeal into my plans: then I specify decorative finishes the client can afford."

Integrally colored concrete is the largest segment of the decorative market. Stamped concrete patterns and textures are next followed by a wide variety of popular finishes, including chemical stains, overlay cement products, spray overlays, stenciled patterned finishes, sandblasted stencil patterning, diamond-cut patterns, and decorative sealers and coatings, to name a few.

Kevin Crehan, a landscape architect with Nuszer Kopatz in Denver, designs hardscape areas for housing and retail developers. His firm uses decorative pavement and vertical elements to create themes that say "this is a special area."

For residential projects, Crehan specifies different pavements and treatments to designate outdoor "rooms," such as pool decks, picnic areas, and shade areas.

Decorative concrete can be an effective marketing tool, Crehan claims. A builder can justify the additional cost, he says, because colorful concrete can speed up sales and elevate the builder's reputation.

With so many colors and designs to fit any budget, decorative concrete will continue to gain fans among professionals who want to wow clients and boost sales.

This story first appeared in CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION magazine.jim Camillo contributed to this report.

Bomanite Patene Artectura (left) chemical stains are formulated to permanently color-etch new or existing concrete surfaces. The stain is infused into the concrete, which allows the character of the original slab to show through and results in a translucent, mottled finish that will not chip, crack, or peel. Patene Artectura can be used in conjunction with other components of the company's topping systems, including cementitious topping products Micro-Top (which can be applied over any stable substrate at roughly the thickness of a credit card) and Thin-Set (applied at a thickness of 3/8 inch to 1 inch). Bomanite products are installed by licensed Bomanite contractors. 559.673.2411. www.bomanite.com. Circle 10.

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Increte Systems Paver Sealer is a clear coating that protects all types of surfaces--including decorative concrete--from soils, grease, oil, acids, and alkali, according to the firm. In addition to sealing the surface so it's non-porous, the formula also imparts a natural wet look and inhibits harmful UV rays from discoloring the surface. The sealer is non-yellowing and will not peel, chip, or flake, says the maker. 800.752.4626. www.increte.com. Circle 11.

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L.M. Scofield The colored, textured, and performance architectural concrete systems this firm manufactures can be used in exterior projects. Texturetop comes in two "just add water" varieties, both of which provide concrete overlays that can be imprinted, textured, or chemically stained. Also available are a range of related products and tools. 800.800.9900. www.scofield. com. Circle 13.

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Oscoda Plastics Because they can accept a color stain, ProFlex expansion joints blend in well with decorative concrete, giving the surface a seamless look, the company says. The product can be used with any concrete work requiring expansion or isolation joints such as driveways, curbs, pools, spas, and drains. 800.544.9538. www.oscoda plastics.com. Circle 12.

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Trademark With offices in Anaheim and Oxnard, Calif., the company provides consultation services for residential and commercial concrete projects. Its residential designs feature colored, textured, and specialty concrete. The firm also consults on restoration projects. 805.988.9919. www.trademark concrete.com. Circle 14.

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