June 2006 Industry Leader:

Gary Jones: Concrete Artist Leads the Way with Innovation and Education

Australian-born Gary Jones, self-taught decorative concrete artist and managing principal of Colormaker Floors in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, put down his first topping in 1974 in Australia. He's since dedicated the last 20 years to toppings, with an additional interest in natural stones. Upon his arrival in Canada in 1990, Jones dove into an emerging market by working with stamped concrete. But soon, the weather intervened. "Here we have 260 wet days a year, so we looked to the interior market and went after toppings," he explains. Jones began using concrete and various stains to replicate the look of stone, but says that it didn't take long for him to realize that concrete was much more versatile than any stone available. Which in turn spurred him to create innovative cementitious toppings and coloring processes that allowed Jones, and others like him, to shoot for the moon with decorative flooring possibilities. After creating Pentimento, Sgraffino, Rotofino and Pasto cementitious overlays (toppings), Jones says he pursued commercial clients such as retail, supermarkets and restaurants, bringing his unique brand of toppings to an untouched market.

He also developed Colorfast, a ready-to-use, finely-ground blend of synthetic iron oxide pigments and proprietary ad-mixtures designed for coloring cementitious materials and toppings, which is used as an integral ad-mixture for permanently coloring Colormaker's cementitious toppings.

Next up was the acrylic polymer activator / primer called Cp1000. Jones also created dyes such as Patinaetch, a mildly acidic water-based solution designed to etch and stain concrete or masonry substrates; Someru Dye, a water-based formula of transparent pigment used for coloring hardened concrete surfaces and toppings or for enhancing acid stained floors; and Decographic Dye, a solvent-based translucent penetrating color solution.

But he was just getting started, because Jones also created a line of sealers including Deco Seal, a film-forming water-based acrylic sealer with exceptional wetting capabilities that allows for excellent adhesion to most types of substrate; as well as Texture Seal, a fast-drying and highly durable solvent-based acrylic sealer designed to enhance the visual appearance and performance of concrete, creating a glossy finish.

Jones' sealer line is rounded out with Deco Finish, a premium formulation of a 100 percent acrylic metal-complex floor finish that has exceptional wear and imparts a medium- to high-gloss finish; and Uro Finish, a combination of tough glossy urethane with a water emulsion floor finish.

Jones has spent the past decade working with Mike Miller of The Concretist, training installers on actual projects so they can participate in the entire experience. Though Jones still offers these onsite training experiences on occasion, he says his main focus these days is the monthly workshops he holds at various locations. Called "Wild Workshops," these courses cover the step-by-step of topping placement, as well as explore a broad range of coloring and texturing techniques.

Jones and Miller are currently collaborating on a new set of "Master Series" workshops, wherein the students approach a commercial client who has never formally expressed interest in concrete, research the business, come up with a concept, create samples and a slide show presentation with a range of looks, and present the whole shebang to the potential client.

"Any mall or retail shop would benefit from concrete," Jones explains of the impetus for the new workshop.

Jones' work takes him on the road a lot, and it doesn't hurt that he loves to educate, running two to three-day classes per month on dyes, toppings and concrete art. With all of the workshops Jones leads, he says the goal is simple; to stretch, explore and experiment, all while increasing knowledge of decorative concrete materials and techniques.

Jones notes that education is important in the decorative concrete industry because techniques are tricky. "You can have an idea, but you need to understand technically how to do it, how to reproduce concepts," he adds.

"People come to learn to create artistic work—something abstract from the normal," Jones observes. That type of abstract work can include putting a theme on a concrete floor. Jones says this use of art on floors is not a novelty and allows for artistic input into the creation of a concrete floor.

That artistic statement, a far cry from the 12-inch-square tiles of yesterday, also allows for recurring themes in commercial venues. "It's pretty wide open with concrete," adds Jones.

And because it's so wide open, Jones is expanding into the overseas market, although he says the U.S. is by far the biggest market for his company. With distribution centers in Sacramento (Calif.), Atlanta and New Jersey, Jones says he's also looking to establish a new manufacturing facility in the near future.

"I like to lead and develop new concepts. Concrete allows you to create so many effects—there's always something new to learn," Jones concludes with a laugh. "I like doing things people haven't done. Once I've done something, it bores me."

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