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Concrete

Using Concrete for Interior Applications

Using Concrete for Interior Applications Concrete contractors OKCUsing Concrete for Interior Applications : concrete is an extraordinary material that is practical, expressive, and aesthetic all at once. From a primal and formless slurry, you can transform it into virtually any shape that becomes a solid mass. The possibilities for creative expression are endless. You can grind, polish, stamp, or stain it. You can embed meaningful objects within it.

Concrete has substance and mass, permanence and warmth. It feels earthy, and is at home in both traditional and modern settings. It assumes forms that irrevocably touch our daily lives-bridges, highways, floors, walls… even countertops. Concrete is also surprisingly tactile. Cast and shaped, it can feel like stone rounded by the sea. Textured and colored, it can echo the patina of timeworn tile.

It first occurred to me to make a countertop out of concrete in 1985, when a friend and I were hired to design and renovate a professor’s house in the Berkeley Hills. He gave us a modest budget and announced, “This is all I can afford to spend; do whatever you want.” Armed with this rare creative license (and plenty of youthful exuberance) we aimed to be as innovative as possible.

This invitation to imagine, play, and explore inevitably led me to experiment in my own kitchen, where concrete and I began what is now our nearly two-decade dance. My first countertop was a single piece containing 11 cubic feet of concrete. It weighed nearly 1500 pounds and took 10 people-and 2 engine hoists-to turn it over once it had cured. We barely managed it, but the piece came out beautifully and is still being put to good use today.

Because of its adaptability,

concrete finds itself welcome in all areas of the home, especially in the kitchen and bath, but also in fireplaces, patios, garden paths, or water features. Concrete can also be used as a floor material with enormous creative advantages whether seeded, stained, stamped, broomed or diamond-finished. It can be a sole performer or play the supporting role to tile, mosaics, decorative aggregates, stone, wood, or metal. It is inexpensive, durable, noncombustible, impervious to decay, and also very effective for passive solar gain in the right application.

With vertical treatments concrete gives us an opportunity to recapture some of the feeling of the monolithic wall-the feeling of substance, of protection. Walls are also a great place to explore form, explains Concrete Driveways Oklahoma City . A wall doesn’t have to be flat or straight, but can curve and undulate. It can be textured to be rough as stone or smooth as glass.

Surrender to the impulse… carve your initials in concrete.

Using Concrete for Interior Applications

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A Concrete Way To Raise Your Home’s Profile

A Concrete Way To Raise Your Home's Profile Concrete contractors SeattleA Concrete Way To Raise Your Home’s Profile : increasingly, homeowners looking for an inexpensive way to make their home more livable and increase curb appeal with an eye toward resale are embracing the nationwide trend of creating outdoor living spaces.

These areas usually feature spaces for entertaining friends and family while grilling, dining, eating and relaxing. That often means room for a patio, a grill, a sink or a fireplace. Some think of it as adding a family room without the roof.

For many, the building technique of choice when creating these spaces calls for using segmental concrete paving. This technique employs interlocking units-called concrete pavers-that are strong, durable and are growing in popularity worldwide. In Germany, for instance, there are 15 square feet of pavers installed per person annually. In the Netherlands, most of the streets and sidewalks are made of pavers.

Often used in walkways, patios, plazas and historic restoration projects, pavers are manufactured in a variety of shapes, textures and colors and can be easily removed and reinstalled.

One kind of home-improvement project where pavers are increasingly being used is a raised patio. These patios are known for their durability and can create a new sense of space in a yard, particularly when extended to meet an existing deck. Such spaces can be used as an outdoor entertainment area, complete with hot tub or barbeque pit.

There are a number of reasons why pavers have become popular in projects such as these:

– Their uniform size and quality allow them to fit tightly together for a strong, interlocking surface.

–  Paver joints allow for a small amount of movement without cracking. That means they won’t crack like asphalt or poured-in-place concrete.

– Their design makes them easy to install and repair

– They’re available in a wide variety of shapes, colors and textures.

– And they can be installed by either a professional or a skilled do-it-yourselfer.

One of the newest styles offers the high-end look of stone for a more modest price. Called “tumbled” or “antiqued” pavers, they can be used to add a stately look to a walkway, patio or driveway.

A Concrete Way To Raise Your Home’s Profile has been provided by Concrete driveways Seattle