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Concrete Decor - Index

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

Circle Reader Service Number 28 Circle Reader Service Number 71
68 | www.ConcreteDecor.net | Dec. ’07/Jan. ’08
Washing acrylic or latex diluted in a high volume of
water over a vertical surface adds natural-looking color. Water
migrates down the vertical face channels and concentrates in
the valleys, adding more color and creating a deepening effect.
There are some more unusual techniques too. Glazing, a
technique borrowed from faux painting, creates translucent
colors and different sheens. Tinted sealers also alter the
color and sheen. Using specialty aggregates in the GFRC and
washing the surface about an hour after curing begins results
in a rough sandstone look. Painting veins using an airbrush
or paintbrush adds dark color to cracks and crevices that
subsequently look like shadows when a lighter color is washed
over them.
Whatever technique is used, it is as much an art as a
science. Long says it boils down to “a certain amount of
natural artistic ability — what looks right to the eye. When
you try to overwork it, it looks contrived. Over time we’ve
developed proven methods that can be duplicated and used
to train our personnel.” Jenkins emphasizes that even though
coloring rock panels has an artistic angle, following tried
and proven procedures can make even a beginner into an
artist. And, like any other art form, there are techniques for
modifying the look, even correcting mistakes; for example,
washing more colors over white speckles that stand out too
boldly.
It is diffi cult to describe an unusual synthetic rock panel
creation because each one is unique and vastly different from
any other, but the arctic environment created by Lakeland
Photo courtesy of Synthetic Rock Solutions