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(1 of 7) Bob Harris, along with business partners John Anderson, Luca Seminati and Maurizio Pontello of Ideal Works, recognized a need in the current stamped concrete market for new creations of innovative tools. They created Paladiano, the "Wonders of the World" line of stamping tools, which are cast from natural stones from historical regions around the world, producing authentic textures and shapes.
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(2 of 7) Harris and his team visited countless quarries obtaining native stones from more than nine countries. Taking castings from the authentic stones, they fabricated a line of tools called "Paladiano." The name surfaced from a meeting among the partners when Harris opened his favorite book Floors of Venice. According to Harris, "While scanning the glossary we came across the term Paladiana. We all agreed that we liked how the name rolled of our tongue not realizing the impact this name had relative to architecture. The name was actually inspired by the classic Palladian style of 15th century Italian architect Andrea Palladio, refers to flooring with an irregular surface of cut stones of various sizes, arranged to leave as little space as possible between one piece and the next. We had reason for celebration; we now had a name for the new company!"
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(3 of 7) Athens, Greece, Paris, France, Barcelona, Spain, the Italian cities of Venice and Verona, and Yorkshire, England are just a few of the locations that inspired the "Wonders of the World" stamping tool line. The Paladiano team visited 28 cities to obtain copies of more than 450 textures from 33 different types of natural stone, including granite, limestone and marble. "We took the samples from local quarries, exterior plazas, walkways and interior floors," says Bob Harris. "We also studied how the stones were laid, which allowed us to replicate the architectural characteristics of each location. Overall, our exhaustive research and development work involved more than 45 people, more than 800 hours of experimentation, 650 hours of flight time, and the use of over 2,500 pounds of urethane and 40 cubic yards of concrete, the addition of many grey hairs and for some of us, the loss of hair. The result is a line of innovative stamping tools is truly extraordinary."
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(4 of 7) The Paladiano line provides very authentic-looking stamps, but also appeals to the practical and creative needs of the artisans and craftsmen who use the tools. According to Bob Harris, "On many of our patterns, we were able to produce a very random appearance by increasing the number of tools per set. On some patterns, there are no repeating stones and textures. We experimented with handle placement, so when a craftsman lifts the tool from the fresh concrete, the edges of the stamp don't bow and cause marring of the surface. We also reduced the need for hand tooling and simplified the creation of monolithic borders by designing sets of tools that include top, bottom, and left and right halves."
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(5 of 7) Another unique feature of the tools is their special urethane construction, which expands the time frame for imprinting. They permit earlier stamping of the concrete while resulting in less fracturing of the joints if the concrete sets too quickly and stamping begins on a firmer surface.
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(7 of 7) Bob Harris has teamed with the global leader in concrete coloring solutions, Brickform / A Division of Solomon Colors, Inc., as the exclusive manufacturer and licensed distributor of the new stamping tool series. Now you can install a little piece of history with this unique line of high-quality concrete stamping patterns inspired by the textures, designs and history of locations around the world. The Paladiano Series will be available at your local Brickform / Solomon Distributor. The Paladiano line will debut at the 2009 World of Concrete. Visit the Solomon Colors booths #S12415, N724, and O40627.
Ashlar Cut Slate Stamp
Hand-tooled with a pronounced texture
Herringbone Used Brick
Tool Size is 44" x 27"
Rock Salt
Seamless travertine off-set
Bluestone Texturing Skin
6 skin set - only $1,173.20
Five Point Star Medallion
Concrete stamp only - $292.00
Brickform Stamping Tools
Precision stamping tools
