- Stamped Concrete
- Stained Concrete
- Decorative Concrete Overlays
- Colored Concrete
- Concrete Polishing
- Concrete Countertops
- Concrete Resurfacing
- Design Ideas for Decorative Concrete
- Concrete Designs: Decorative concrete ideas for patios, floors, driveways, pool decks, countertops, and more
- Six Hot Decorative Concrete Design Ideas on a Budget
- What Is Decorative Concrete?
- Glossary of Decorative Concrete Terms: What is a band? What is a field?
- Types of Textured Finishes: Float and trowel textures, broom finishes, rock salt
- Decorative Concrete Mix Design
- Decorative Concrete Cost
- Maintaining Decorative Concrete
- Cleaning Decorative Concrete
- Concrete Sealers
- Other Resources
- Going Green with Concrete Floors and Countertops: An overview of concrete's eco-friendly benefits
- Concrete Contractors: Find A Concrete Product Supplier or Distributor
Concrete Couture
Chic Ways of Combining Color, Pattern, and TextureAs in the world of high fashion, the decorative concrete looks that really make heads turn combine color, pattern, and texture in trend-setting ways. The concrete contractors who do this work are true artisans who use specialized techniques and a creative eye to dress up concrete in style. Their concrete creations are anything but off-the-rack. They are tailor-made to meet or even exceed the unique design goals of each client. Check out these looks for ideas on giving your own decorative concrete more style and panache.
Tone-on-Tone
The highlight of this upscale custom home is a beautiful faux area rug on the concrete floor in the enclosed porch. It was created using a tone-on-tone overlay applied over adhesive-backed stencils in an ikat pattern bordered by a chevron motif.
Veining
This gorgeous concrete countertop shows the marble-like beauty that can be achieved by veining. To create the look, the countertop was precast and integrally colored with a blend of light and dark brown tints. Enhancing the countertop is a decorative curved cathedral edge. Learn more about special-effects products for concrete countertops.
Engraving
You can create any pattern imaginable, including swirls, circles and free-form designs, by decorative engraving. This technique works on both new and existing concrete, and the results are especially impressive when enhanced by staining. Learn more about concrete engraving.
Trompe-l'œil
At the Children’s Museum in Phoenix, distinctive trompe-l’oeil (translation: fool the eye) murals were applied to the concrete floors throughout. A team of artisans and decorative concrete contractors used microtoppings, stains and dyes to create their fantasy floorscapes.
3-D effects
Taking trompe-l’oeil a step further, some concrete artisans are creating stunningly realistic three-dimensional art on concrete that gives the illusion of depth and 3-D perspective. The process begins by choosing a piece of artwork and transferring the design, using an overhead projector, onto the concrete surface. After the design is traced with chalk, stains and dyes are hand-applied. Learn more about illusional art on concrete.
Stenciling
Using adhesive-backed concrete stencils, along with gelled acid stains, air-brushed dyes or tinted skim coats, an endless array of decorative floor designs can be achieved. The effects are especially striking when you start with a base of integrally colored or stained concrete and apply multiple overlays of stencils and colors, with each successive stencil protecting the previous color. Get more stenciling ideas: Stenciling Interior Concrete Floors.
