Concrete artisans teach new creative ways to use hand-carved concrete at home
text by SHERRY A. BOYD
photography by Don Ciesielski and Vertical Artisans LLC
Homeowners are turning to concrete artisans to build custom rooms for enjoying hobbies and entertaining guests.
Forget those dark and typical recreation rooms and media centers of yesteryear. Homeowners have new expectations to create imaginative themed areas that can rival grand hotels, high-end shopping malls and theme parks that charge admission. Anything is possible using materials and methods once adopted in those places.
The range of new methods for vertical concrete combined with tried and true methods for adding colors, textures and patterns to horizontal surfaces can now allow homeowners unlimited creativity. While concrete contractors once simply installed patios, driveways and walkways, those with the skill and inspiration have moved up to offering a turn-key service crafting colorful outdoor kitchens, landscaped pools with waterfalls and spas, elaborate entertainment rooms, and even wine caves. There is enough ongoing demand for these areas of specialization that the custom homebuilder behind the project featured here formed a venture with artisan Nathan Giffin, which they call Genuwine Grottos.
In a spectacular 300-square-foot home wine cellar, hand-carved original concrete rockwork covers the walls and ceilings. The homeowner, an avid wine collector, wanted to convert his humble basement into a vaulted subterranean tasting room that would be reminiscent of one nestled into the hillside of a European vineyard. The new wine cellar was custom-designed to house his extensive collection of 1,500 bottles at a perfect 56 degrees, and provide tasting areas with an authentic character.
Visitors first see a brightly lit entry room through a glass and wrought iron door facing onto an alcove with a mural of a pastoral Tuscan vineyard. This is just the beginning of their journey. Progressing down a dim stone-lined passageway, they catch a glimpse of the main vault room and storage racks through arrow-slit windows and arched doorways. Changes in level and a couple of turns along their way serve to disconnect the larger room from the outside world, as if visitors were stepping back in time as they descend.
Producing such a uniquely personal space, complete with red oak barrels, steps and trim, custom storage racks and granite countertops took 11 weeks and a great deal of planning and skill. The project included gutting the basement space, removing old walls and constructing new dividing area and arches, adding three inches of insulating foam to act as vapor barrier and shaping undergirding layers of mesh lath to hold the wet concrete in place while it is sculpted. The work was planned around custom cabinetry and installation of a sophisticated HVAC system. The artisan behind the project is master craftsman and instructor in concrete carving, Nathan Giffin – a man whose passion is transforming simple concrete into a thing of beauty.
Giffin has perfected the process of creating one of a kind realistic grottos, feature walls and wine cellars by carving, texturing and custom coloring concrete to resemble dry-stacked stone walls and other natural rockwork. He describes the subtle coloring as a type of faux finishing with special pigments and resins. Giffin is one of the remarkably talented trainers who will share specialized techniques at hands-on workshops and demos in February 2012 at the Concrete Decor Show in San Antonio, Texas. The workshops listed here also will leave behind improvements for local non-profit organizations in the San Antonio community after the event leaves town. Here are just a few highlights:
Giffin conducts a two-day workshop and demonstration titled “Introduction to Vertical Carving and Sculpting.” He takes participants through the step-by-step procedures he uses for producing realistic rockwork, such as pillars, arches, fireplace surrounds, walls, grottos, pools and other artificial rock features, such as those featured in this article.
David Montoya of Stonemakers, an innovator in building ledge falls, demonstrates how to use a lightweight, composite panel system to build a water feature – from initial site review and design to fabrication and installation. The workshop features mixing, blending and shadowing, highlights and lowlights, as well as color application tips and techniques to achieve the beauty of natural stone. His course is titled “GFRC Water-Feature Design & Build Workshop: Featuring Advanced Colorization Techniques.”
Jason Geiser of Deco-Crete Supply conducts the two-day, hands-on workshop “High-End Stamped Concrete Custom Features.” He shares expert information on how to install in-demand stamped concrete features such as custom logos, borders and bands, and steps that can set your work apart from the competition and command a higher price.
George Lacker of GLC 3 Concrete provides a workshop on renovation of existing concrete with an overlay that is harder and more durable than the old concrete. This next generation of overlayments can be polished to a beautiful and durable sheen. In this hands-on workshop “Restoration with a Polishable Overlay,” attendees participate in restoring and beautifying a floor.
A wide selection of technical and creative seminars at the Concrete Decor Show will offer builders, contractors and specialty artisans opportunities to learn more about offering sought-after features and amenities.
Scott Cohen of the Green Scene, the popular garden designer and HGTV host, presents “Beyond the Barbecue: Design and Build a Better Outdoor Kitchen,” which covers the latest trends in building unique outdoor concrete counters that feature decorative elements, such as recycled glass, custom edge details, and fiber optic lighting. All attendees receive a copy of Scott Cohen’s book Outdoor Kitchen Design Workbook as a handout. “Designing and Building Outdoor Fireplaces and Fire Features” explores how-to construction techniques, selection of fire features, and space considerations to help expand business offerings.
Award-winning design build contractor Tom Ralston of Tom Ralston Concrete will lead “Sculpting Hillsides with Decorative Concrete.”
He provides a primer on digging into a hillside to create an outdoor space. A third-generation concrete contractor, Ralston offers strategies and ideas for unique decorative retaining walls, drain systems, hillside patios, steps, fire pits and lighting.
Workshops and seminars at the Concrete Decor Show include these educational tracks: concrete coatings, countertops and precast concrete, grinding and polishing, overlays and toppings, staining and coloring, stamping and texturing, plus walls and hardscapes.
These are just a few of the hands-on workshops and inspiring technical seminars that will be featured at the Concrete Decor Show Feb. 20-24, 2012, in San Antonio, Texas. The “Decorative Concrete Spring Training” offers an ideal opportunity to explore new business opportunities and gain new skills. Concrete Homes is a media partner for the event.
For more information, see ConcreteDecorShow.com or call 877-935-8906.
Sherry A. Boyd is director of communications for the Concrete Decor Show. She may be contacted by e-mail at sboyd@protradepub.com.