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Concrete Decor - Index

Concrete Decor - Concrete Decor Magazine, The Journal for Decorative Concrete - Index

Technique
Color manipulation
Scattering dry products onto the
fl oor prior to the application of stains
creates opportunity for color or pattern
play as well. We all know about the
wonders of Miracle-Gro fertilizer, but I
also love using coffee. Dry-ground coffee
(caffeinated or not) often produces small
black specks in the stain. Instant coffee
50 | www.ConcreteDecor.net | Dec. ’07/Jan. ’08
is even more interesting. The dehydrated
concentration immediately begins to
dissolve upon stain contact by sprouting
“legs.”
When working with Miracle-Gro, I
apply my stain in my normal “wet short
of puddles” method until I reach an
accumulation or slight mound. There,
I apply a greater volume of stain with
enough pressure to literally pick up
the dry Miracle-Gro and suspend it in
the stain just a bit. As the stain moves
the dissolving product, it creates a
wonderful organic effect. Staining over
absorbent materials such as sawdust
or cereal results in either a resist effect
(where the stain color is lighter or not at
all) or a concentration of color.
You can achieve the opposite
outcome with the same material
depending on the stain volume and the
absorbent-material ratio.
If the stain is applied lightly enough
that the material absorbs the stain but
the concrete does not get wet, no color
develops. However, saturating the
material may cause the concrete color to
develop further, if it remains wet on the
concrete longer than the balance of the
fl oor.
Resist
Resists provide amazing artistic
opportunities with controlled outcomes.
Various types of resist include gel resists
such as LesCoat or laser-cut stencils.
During the wet stage, the stains are
impacted by external factors as well.
For example, anything that causes the
stains to move, if stain volume allows,
produces pattern. Blowing compressed
air at varying pressures is interesting.
Spreading thin sheets of plastic over
the wet stain creates unique pressure
points and temporary vapor retardation,
resulting in stain pattern variance.
Concrete artisan Shellie Rigsby teaches
Advanced Techniques of Decorative Concrete
and Designing Decorative Concrete at the
World of Concrete show in Las Vegas with
Randy Klassen. She also offers hands-on
advanced training classes in the spring.
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