Location: Castle Rock, Colorado

Project: Eco-Friendly “GREEN” Decorative Concrete Floor System

Installation by: Double Diamond Homes

Material Supplier: Two Sisters Decorative Concrete Supply – Colorado Springs, Colorado

Total Sq Ft: 1,200  sq ft

Products Used: SureCrete Micro-Topping (trowel down), Eco-Stain, Water Based Polyurethane

When choosing a Eco-friendly “GREEN” flooring system for your home or office in the greater Colorado area you may want to look to Two Sisters Decorative Concrete Supply in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They carry the latest in concrete product technology for contractors and Do-It-Yourself homeowners who are looking to apply Eco-friendly “GREEN” decorative concrete systems. One company out of Colorado Springs, Double Diamond Homes,  recently used one of these systems. Lets look at this project and see WHY the owner of this property made an excellent choice in choosing a “GREEN” concrete flooring system.

The 1,200 sq ft home in Castle Rock, Colorado was looking to achieve a smooth concrete floor to compliment the color scheme and pattern chosen by the owner. The project began with the proper evaluation of the substrate. This particular home was new construction, so although the floor was a little dirty, there were no real stains, residues or glues to contend with. The reason Double Diamond Homes choose to use SureCrete’s Micro Topping was to change the floor from gray to white, giving more pop to the colors of the concrete stain. In addition to the white color of this trowel down micro topping, it is also Eco-friendly due to its Zero VOC single component mix design.

Once the micro topping had dried, they began the coloring and pattern creation stage. Looking to fulfill the Eco-friendly “GREEN” flooring system request they choose Eco-Stain for the coloring process. As the name sounds, it is environmentally friendly, Zero VOC and uses NO water or chemicals for cleanup, like typical reactive acid stains. With 29 UV-stable colors to chose from the client choose Espresso and Beechnut.

This particular concrete stain only sees the concrete porosity, there is NO chemical reaction. This unique attribute allows the concrete stain to bring the natural trowel marks of the micro topping to life, offering a gorgeous modeled floor affect. Once Eco-Stain had dried they were on to the sealer stage of the Eco-friendly decorative concrete floor system. Typical acrylic concrete sealers could have been used but would need more maintenance, for tis reason the Colorado contractor and owner of the home choose to go with a Polyurethane concrete sealer. Knowing that they would be moving in soon they had concerns of s strong solvent smell from the sealer. Addressing this concern and keeping with the Eco-friendly “GREEN” flooring system they recommended Dura-Kote Water Based Polyurethane. This sealer meant the “GREEN” criteria due to its low VOC makeup and also provided the owner with the aroma free application they requested due to their quick turnaround time needed.

Dura-Kote Water Based Polyurethane comes in satin and gloss finishes. For this application they choose the glossy finish. Two coats of the Water Based Polyurethane were applied to manufacturer specifications. Although light foot traffic is allowed after 12 hours, it takes most polyurethane concrete sealers 3-5 days to reach full cure and become a more scratch resistant finish. The end result was a beautiful floor that is not only functional, easy to maintain, pet friendly but the entire process was done to meet the Eco-friendly “GREEN” Decorative Concrete design by the homeowner in Castle Rock, Colorado.

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Why should I choose Concrete over granite for my countertops?

The answer is not found in which material is better; rather it comes down to preference of color and design. What we do know, is that for the past 10-15 years there has been a surge in granite countertops. When you walk into a neighbor’s house or even a relative, there is a great chance that they have granite and because of price points and quantities, the identical look you have. For some, this trend has robbed them of the individuality and style that they were intending to create in their kitchen or bathroom.

For this reason Concrete Countertops are gaining market space. Concrete countertops offer a natural handcrafted look and feel which allow for a variety of colors, textures and designs. This means that you can now accentuate your room and create a theme or design that is not available on a shelf or store.

What if my neighbor or friends try to copy me?

The makeup of a quality concrete countertop mix delivers natural variants meaning that your concrete countertops have subtle variations in color, shade, texture and appearance that cannot be replicated. Although they may want your identical look they will only be able to achieve the basic color concept. The hues and variegated look Concrete Countertops produce make each one a piece of art rather than a mass produced and over used depiction of what a company thinks looks good. Couple that with hundreds of colors, stains and effects and the questions is why would someone want to copy?

Whether you live in Denver Colorado, Chicago Illinois, Indiana or even Canada concrete countertops are being used in creating a timeless modern appeal to their kitchens, bathrooms and outdoor kitchens. This can be seen on HGTV and DIY networks where their designers have been using concrete countertops to provide a functional yet individualized look to their projects. We hope that you enjoy the same satisfaction and appeal when you choose concrete countertops for  your home project.

Location: Canon City, Colorado

Project: Staining a concrete retaining wall

Installation by: Anderson Thompson

Material Supplier: Two Sisters Decorative Concrete Supply

Total Sq Ft: 324 sq ft

Products Used: Orange Blossom & Oak Eco-Stain plus SureCrete Water based Clear Acrylic sealer

A concrete retaining wall is an important, functional element to your home. For many though, it is a blank canvas waiting to have someone bring it to life. That is exactly what happened to a homeowner in Canon City, Colorado. With such beautiful scenery surrounding his home, his retaining wall block was a large white eye soar that stood out. After searching online and finding Two Sisters Decorative Concrete Supply, they realized they could bring their backyard retaining wall to life and do it in a way that was environmentally friendly!

The team at Two Sisters DCS, explained the pros and cons of traditional reactive acid and acrylic based stains offered by many companies. Realizing they did not like the sound of chemical stain or the uniform paint like look of acrylic stains, they choose to go with an environmentally friendly stain called Eco-Stain. This product offers 29-UV stable colors and uses the concrete retaining walls natural porosity to give the modeled and variegated stain look desired. To finish off the installation they choose a low VOC sealer from SureCrete Design, Hi-Gloss Clear WaterBase Sealer. Since the homeowner did not want to take on this project, Two Sisters DCS offered some local contractors, which were qualified for this application.

The process of installation was to thoroughly clean the retaining wall via a pressure washer and SCR. Once the retaining wall was clean, the team with Anderson Thompson Group, sprayed on the two colors of Eco-Stain with a HVLP gun hooked up to a compressor. This technique allowed for an even amount of material, and reduced  the amount of concrete stain being applied. This gave the opportunity to minimize runs and uneven or splotchy  modeling on the concrete retaining wall. After the stain dried, which is typically 30-60 minutes, they then applied the Waterbase acrylic sealer. The sealer was a wise choice as it locks down the color and provides a protection against staining from the soil and other minerals in the ground and water.

Two Sisters Decorative Concrete Supply is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado but offers concrete products and supplies to all of Colorado including Canon City. For more information please contact them at 1-719-661-8978.