Goodness, where does the time go?   *mumbling*  “I’m late, I’m late – for a very important date!” – The White Rabbit.  And so, I return to the blog with an overdue post on our latest work (there’s been a slew of it lately):

We have just completed a seven foot long double bowl vanity for a home’s master bath in Wilmington, Vermont. The owners wanted to evoke a slightly woodsy feel with the room, which is set in the lushly forested foothills of the Green Mountains near a small lake. The walls are painted a leafy green; the cabinetry is constructed of maple stained with an orange-y finish; the ceramic tile floor is white. We decided to run with a neutral palette on the countertop and sink bowls, to calm the wash area and allow it to stand as an element on its own – not competing with the other colors present in the setting.

The top itself is cast in our “Bone” palette choice, which is what we have dubbed our natural white portland mixed with native sand and gravel – this throws the color of the pure white cement into a gray/tan off-white tone. The sink bowls (round vessels recessed halfway into the top to keep the finish height workable) are cast in “Fog”, which is a silver-gray shade with a slight touch of blue in it. The sinks were cast in a two part fiberglass mold in order to yield a finely finished interior and exterior, as both are visible. The forest theme is implemented with relief impressions of maple and oak leaves cast into the top, replete with veins and small undulations. The leaf images were the result of hand brushed latex copies of real leaves that had been cast in plaster to create a negative, which was then reversed using the rubber copy. The rubber makes a clean reproduction in concrete and releases easily when the forms are stripped to reveal the hardened concrete surface.

A last detail (another facet of the nature theme)  is the heavily ground edge of the top, the backsplash, and the sink rims. This exposes the native aggregate inside the concrete matrix to lend contrast with the more uniform polished planes and adds specks of color and shape to the strong geometry of the assembled installation. Setting the faucets off to the right side of the bowls allows easier access by the users and a welcome assymetry to the composition. The entire project is sealed with our new sealing system by Innovative Concrete Technologies, of which we are quite proud. It is a lithium silicate based treatment, which actually densifies the concrete surface to a point where it is difficult for liquids and staining agents to even penetrate the concrete. It is water-based and actually gains in effectiveness over time! Not sure I can make the same claim of myself…

Art Underfoot

We’re just wrapping up another facet of the studio relocation to the Book Press building: the new office/showroom space. A 14 x 20 area was partitioned out of the 4800 sq. ft. shop to create a dust-free and “quieter” administrative workspace and display area for our concrete countertops and other cast architectural elements. We approached the project with an intention of honoring the hard-working past by giving it a new task: providing a textural counterpoint to the displays of finely finished artisan concrete which we will showcase there in the coming months.

The pre-existing  40 year old concrete slab floor was in pretty rough shape from its former life as a printing factory – gouges, drilled holes, layers of grease, ink, solvents, oil, and other nastiness had left their industrial mark. We scraped and scrubbed off the topmost layers, then rented a diamond floor grinder to get down to the raw concrete in preparation for staining it with a wash of transparent colors. We removedabout 60 pounds of concrete dust with the machine and an attached vacuum, exposing the aggregate to varying degrees in the process. Then multiple washes and wet-vaccing to clean up all residue before we spray applied 5 shades of water-based stain to create a vivid organic land/waterscape, sealed with a satin floor sealer. The result is a walkable canvas – what we call “Art Underfoot” – which will set the space apart as befits its purpose and “wow” our visitors with implications of concrete possibilities. Stop in and check it out!

A long absence from concrete countertop blogging, engendered by a protracted business relocation, is nearly over. No new posts since early December – wow! But now, six or seven weeks later, the shop is fully shifted and is now morphing back into production as we unpack boxes and crates and attempt to get the office/showroom into the same condition. We have been working the customer relations end from the old location at the Cotton Mill, waiting for the new office build-out to be completed – with mixed success; apologies to our clients and contacts who have been caught in the fallout. The new showroom plans include an overlayed and acid-stained floor!

Several concrete countertop projects have transpired in the interim and pictures and descriptions are long overdue. I hope to remedy that soon with updated posts and accompanying photos showcasing our latest work, including two more kitchens, a couple of vanity tops, a fireplace surround ensemble, restaurant tabletops and countertops, and others. Many more are in the wings as we begin to enjoy our new space and settle into a more efficient and productive studio workspace at the Book Press building in Brattleboro’s north end. Stay tuned, please!

Concrete countertops epitomize customization – and that’s the truth. No other material can be manipulated and personalized to the same degree. It’s the almost-magical phase change from liquid to solid that enables this opportunity; the artisan can work with and through the material to accomplish their design goals, be they straightforward or fantastical. Add to that the endless combinations of particular aspects such as color, shape, texture, dimension, amalgamation and the possibilities become limitless.

One example of the chameleon properties of artisan concrete countertops is the ability to coax several surface appearances from the same base. When concrete is turned out of the form, it has a solid, somewhat homogenous appearnance characterized by pigmented “cream”, the pure binder paste of cement and fines that line the face of the mold upon compaction in the pouring process. Lurking just below the surface are the aggregates that lend their strength to the matrix: first the sand grains and then the coarser particles, such as crushed stone or glass. The fabricator artist can reveal these at will, by varying the amount of grinding and polishing on the various faces of the piece. We have had a run lately (instigated by my friends in Putney) of what we term a light sand finish on the working countertop face, contrasted with a heavy grind on the vertical front edges. The subtle mottling and sparkle of the filled and polished worktop is set off by the multi-colored diamond ground profile of the counter’s edge, accented by a thin bevel where they meet. No other material can match this striking combination. Which is why we love what we do…

Does every blog entry require crisp photographs, maps and charts, or even links to other “relevant” content? Well, probably. At least the posting pundits and interweb wags would have it that way. But, I’m going rogue – at least briefly. Perhaps it’s just becasue I don’t feel like uploading another batch of pixels…

Concrete Detail is moving its concrete countertop studio to the BookPress building on the north end of the bustling burg of Brattleboro, Vermont. In two weeks. Are we looking forward to this transpiration of events? Yes and no: yes, because we will gain on several (or I should say many) fronts. More space, better space, cheaper space; better access for inbound and outbound materials and products; private entrance, showroom, room for expansion, synergistic neighbors, oh… I could go on and on.

No, because we have to schlep our worldly goods (after we sort through and fill several dustbins) piece by piece from one corner of town to another. I know, stop whining and get over it… OK, I’m over it. It’s all good.

Here we grow!

We are nearly ready to ship out the latest concrete countertop project from our casting tables and one of our most ambitious yet: a total of five sections of 2″ thick pure white concrete, destined for an inhouse restaurant at ABC Home and Carpet, on Broadway in Manhattan. Two of these pieces weigh over 600 pounds and are 10 feet long. They will form the bartops in a newly renovated restaurant at this prestigious New York retailer of interior furnishings – everyone knows of ABC in the design world!  Now a bit (or a lot) of Vermont craftsmanship will help the shoppers to satisfy their hunger for excellent cuisine and the best in architectural concrete surfaces. The bar was designed by Eric Slayton of  Brooklyn (go to http://www.ericslayton.com/) who has his custom furniture pieces on the showroom floor there. His work in steel, concrete, and wood emphasizes the material surface in a clean, straightforward manner, honest and functional.

Concrete Detail has planning a move to new quarters in a different area of Brattleboro, Vermont which is our base of operations. We are in a 1700 sq.ft. shop right now, part of an old textile mill near the Connecticut River on the south end of town. The property is owned and administered by BDCC as an incubator space to encourage new and growing businesses. They are great landlords and friends.

They also own a former printing facility on the north end of town which we have had our eyes on for awhile. A very large complex, there is a plethora of wonderful space there just begging to be used for cool creative businesses. We are beginning the buildout of our new space, taking 2400 sq.ft. for now (a 30% expansion) and an option for 2400 more, down the road. We will be moving into  true industrial space, 16 ft. ceilings, no obstructions, concrete floors (we’re on wood flors currently, which is a problem for water management),  and lots of very nice access. The slab is being cut in the next couple days to install drainage for our wet processes. Then wiring, some more walls, doors and windows and we can move in (and pay for it!). A little nerve-wracking, but very exciting. The future’s so bright…

Despite the ailing economy and the continued stall (nosedive) in housing starts, the fledgling concrete countertop industry seems to be on the upswing. We all took a hit in the recent malaise of course- the ripple effect was more of a tsunami in its swathe of shutdowns, postponements and downright failures in the building and design world. But the personal artistic appeal and the sustainable common sense of artisan concrete is making upstream progress against the tide of woe, and noticeable interest is waxing steadily stronger. Remodeling has become the construction option of choice, as homeowners decide they will (or must) stay put for awhile, and make a personal investment in their domiciles (rather than plan for reselling and the bland appeal of mass “taste”).

There is a renewed commitment to giving a little more thought to the true economic cost of product choices, to the “comfort” of a handcrafted surface, and to the local producer (and your own community, by extension). All of this can be realized by making a concrete choice and collaborating on a work of functional art for your home or business – and we would love to help you!

E-correspondence is amazing and terrifying, all at once. We’ve been working at forging connections and expanding our presence, amateur SEO-types that we are, and the effect is palpable. Talk about ripple effect!  We are aiming to connect with other concrete countertop artisans and anyone interested in the same: designers, architects, specifiers, kindred craftsmen, and the like. Dilettantes and hoi polloi need not apply. We are Twittering and we are LinkedIn; we are blogging and we are surfing; and we check our e-mail like nobody’s business. Let’s hook up!

We are working up our official sample sets, comprised of 15 beautiful earthy colors of concrete, showcased by 3 1/2 inch square “chips”  labelled and housed in a very nice wooden box with a hinged lid. These sets will be available for showrooms and designers to show prospective clients the range of expression possible in an artisan concrete countertop; of course, there is always the custom color option, since with concrete there are no limits! The colors were cast in small sheets at 3/4 inch thick, polished and sealed, then diamond sawn into squares, the cut edges eased for handling,  and each variety labelled with the color name for identification.

These are our fifteen colors (which will probably evolve over time – change is inevitable!):Night, Thunder, Fog, Bone, Stone, Fossil, Sage, Saffron, Slate, Moss, Mocha, Cayenne, Terra, Caramel, and Wine. And that’s just for starters.