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  • Designed to look like an ocean scene that progresses from a sandy beach into deep waters, the mural is a bird’s eye view into the ocean that welcomes patrons to the market. In this image, the sand colored concrete blends into the shallow waters of the ocean and leads the eye towards the darker, deeper waters of the scene.
  • The mural covered approximately 2,500 square feet and took one week to complete. This photo illustrates the shallow waters where schools of fish can be seen swimming in and around shallow reefs. The sea creatures and coral reefs were created with Elite Crete’s ULTRA-STONE™ water-based stain. Light reflection in these areas was created with REFLECTOR Enhancer™ Charcoal Pearl mixed in undiluted ULTRA-STONE™.
  • In this photo, star fish and crabs appear deposited in the sand while the fish market name “Conway” has been sketched in the deep and drier end of the sandy beach.
  • Prior to the overlay being applied, the original concrete substrate needed repairing. “The concrete was spalling in many areas,” explains Morden, “and we also had quite a few cracks to take care of. We were able to pressure wash the majority of the concrete, but we had some sealer in one area that we ground off.”
    This photo shows the darker and deeper waters of the mural where large predators, such as this shark, are seen lurking below.
  • The mural was created with THIN-FINISH™, a polymer modified concrete overlay system applied in two coats. Once applied the concrete was colored with Elite Crete Systems CHEM-STONE™ acid stain, and ULTRA-STONE™ water-based stain used with PORTION CONTROL COLORANT (PCC)™ and SYNTHETIC PRIMARY PIGMENT (SYPP)™.
  • The first layer of color for the underwater scene was with CHEM-STONE™ Antique Blue and Antique Green acid stain diluted with water at various ratios applied by pump sprayers and sponges. The following two layers were achieved with ULTRA-STONE™ in various shades of blues and greens. The entire mural was sealed in CSS EMULSION™ in two generous coats.

At the Conway Fish Trading market in Melbourne, Elite Crete Australia and decorative concrete artist Audra Lynch Nanay teamed up to create an eye-catching ocean-themed mural on the deteriorated sidewalk in front of the fish market.

The fish market is approximately 400 feet from the Elite Crete Australia warehouse. “I wanted to have a standout project that was nearby that the public could see and appreciate, and that would draw some interest in the industry,” explains Morden. “When I proposed the idea to the fish market owner and showed him samples of Audra’s work, he was excited. We basically had creative freedom on the project, but the owners did make a few small requests for specific fish,” says Morden.

Morden and artist Audra Lynch Nanay met at the World of Concrete tradeshow in Las Vegas while Audra was demonstrating her talents using Elite Crete Systems products on the artistry in decorative concrete displays. After seeing her work, “I thought it would be ideal to get someone who is highly creative and artistic and also familiar with our products to take on the project,” says Morden. “We have some pretty creative guys and girls using our products, but I hadn’t seen anything that impressed me as much as Audra’s work,” he says.

An overlay was chosen for this project because of the durability and because it gives an open canvas to work with when creating anything artistic. “Because this overlay was in a public area and mostly outside, we wanted to use something that would be UV stable and we wanted to use a sealer that would allow the overlay and substrate to breathe without any worries of delamination,” says Morden.

The high traffic concrete sidewalk presented many challenges for the crew. Working areas were roped off to redirect pedestrians while still allowing them access to the front entrance. Wet winter weather also meant working in late night shifts and being caught in flash showers while watching hard work and concrete stains wash steadily away. The project took one week to complete.

“We also had a vandal the first night that walked through the base coat of THIN-FINISH™ and then decided to sign his name,” recalls Morden. “It was upsetting to see this in the morning but after watching this fool on closed caption TV write his name and then leave the foot prints to his apartment just down the street, in hindsight it was kind of humorous.”

Contractor: Elite Crete Australia

See more photos of this project on Elite Crete Australia’s website.

Related Information:

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See how a concrete mural with oversized coins was created for the entrance to this bank

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