New Website is Finally Up!

This has been a long awaited moments. The new and definitely improved Concrete Arts website is up.

The new site was designed to allow the consumer to view as many projects without getting overwhelmed. With hopes to inspire new ideas for your home or work place, this site features elements that allow for minds to wonder with thoughts on how to create your new patio, walkway, countertop, driveway, Fireplace etc.

Browse through the site and let us know how you feel. Suggestions are always welcomed. http://www.concretearts.com/

Carly Dus
Concrete Arts

Cigar Shop - Stamped

We just finished up a great decorative stamping project here in Hudson, WI. A Cigar Shop owner came to Concrete Arts hoping to get help to improve his patio for the store. The space wasn't large but it did need an uplift. In the process of planning, an idea came about to simulate a cigar which then evolved into a cigar box. Needless to say, the Cigar Shop now has a great looking pattern that is customized just to them, their own cigar box patio.

To add to the overall effect and theme of cigars, Concrete Arts precasted a cigar stair that leads to the patio.

The back patio looks great and is definitely a conversation starter for those sharing in the fun.

Carly Dus

Concrete Arts

http://www.concretearts.com/

Outdoor Stamped Concrete

I personally love camp fires. Hanging out with Family and Friends, telling stories, eating s'mores. So after a long, joyous July 4th weekend at the lake, it only seemed like perfect timing to post a project we just finished with stamped concrete around a Fire pit as well as other areas around the house.

This project in Stillwater, MN encompassed many natural, unique elements with Concrete. We stamped a patio and fireplace, and precasted architectural landscaped stairs. The patio was an Old Granite seamless texture that complimented the homes focal point, an Arizona Flagstone stamped Fire pit. To get from the the fire pit to the patio, we precasted concrete stairs. These stepping stairs are 5 inches thick with a hand chiseled edge to match the retaining wall. These three concrete elements enhanced the homes architectural landscaping appeal. See the pictures below.

Carly Dus

Concrete Arts

http://www.concretearts.com/

Relaxing in the sun!

It seems this summer more than ever, homeowners have been putting emphasis on remodeling their pool deck. Maybe it's the gorgeous 90 degree weather we've been getting or just that fact that people are starting to realize all the different options available.

A while back I posted about pool decks and a few options.

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Today I want to expand those options into the EZ Top deck, Sand Cast, and Revealed options. These three options differ greatly in look from the patterned and seamless textured stamped concrete. However, besides the look difference, they are very comparable to stamped concrete.

With these three options, you have the option to integrally color the concrete which means you add color into the concrete before pour and you have the option to acid stain. As you remember about stains, stains react with the concrete to give it a mottled look. Below are pool decks of the EZ Top, Sand Cast, and Revealed concrete.

Sand Cast

Revealed

EZ Top

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Carly Dus

Concrete Arts

http://www.concretearts.com/

Digging Deep For Creativity At the YMCA

Would you ever think flooring like this would be salvageable?

The YMCA and Concrete Arts has had a long lasting relationship, and it works out great. We've been able to dig deep into our creativity in repairing some of the worst existing floors that we've seen.

We've recently did a polished floor up in Longville, MN at YMCA's Camp Olson. As you saw in the pictures above, the flooring was in tough shape. The edging of the tile was cracked for so long that the sealers and waxes put over the existing flooring left stains in the concrete base. The flooring also had random cracks throughout the base surface. To mask these problems areas, the floor was grinded down and cracks were repaired. We then put a precast edging around the floor edges to hide the stains. We also added in random decorative saw cuts to hide the existing cracks. Each area was filled in with a different colored dye to add dimension.

Below are a few pictures of the final phases at Camp Olson.

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Carly Dus

Concrete Arts

http://www.concretearts.com/

Heart Breakers and In The Grove Music

In the last couple of months, Concrete Arts has finished a few Micro Topping projects. MicroTops are a great, cost effective solution to put over existing concrete without tearing it up. Laid down at a credit card thickness, Microtops give the flexibility to the application. It can be applied in a smooth coating or a texture coating. The two projects below showcase both textures.

In The Grove Music
In The Grove Music which is located in Downtown Minneapolis has an existing concrete flooring that was cracked and in rough shape. With the walls newly redone, the flooring needed to match the design aesthetics. The MicroTop application was laid down smooth and then stained a patina mottled look. Below are a few pictures of the areas resurfaced.

Heart Breakers
Heart Breakers in Uptown Minneapolis was a unique situation. The lower basement had a platform in the corner that they wanted to blend in with the rest of the old and scuffed up existing concrete. To blend it in, we made a slant from the platform to the base and applied the MicroTop with rough trowel marks to give the illusion of scuffed marks that had been there for years. This application was very cost effective for Heart Breakers because of the cost savings on not tearing out the existing flooring or leveling the platform base. Below are a few pictures of this resurfaced area.

Carly Dus
Concrete Arts

http://www.concretearts.com/

Elements of the Sea

We had a great opportunity to do a concrete trough sink for a Dental Office up in Stillwater, MN. This project was especially fun because of all the different and innovative elements that the sink encompassed.

The office staff wanted to play up the area for rinsing and washing with a nature and sea theme. It was important for them to create a fun atmosphere while still holding true to who they are. One element that made them unique was the tagline the company has utlized for years, "Be Happy With Your Smile."

The project below shows the different sea and natural elements that tie in with the tagline.
Notice the natural and sea details:

• Pebbles
• Rock
• Leaves
• Fish
• Wave of the tagline

The overall look of the trough sink turned out great. The pebbles of the sink showed a natural flow from the spout to the drain which adds a certain dimension to the natural sink. The fish and tagline were sandblasted in to "liven" up the piece giving it a playful feel, and lastly the rock on the front really gives it the natural feeling. Plus your eyes are drawn to that feature and all you want to do is touch it! Below is the finished project.

Carly Dus

Concrete Arts

http://www.concretearts.com/