| Sue Ostrowski is out to slay the grey dragon.
There's just too much grey out there, particularly when it comes to
concrete and residential neighbourhoods, says the co-owner of Diamond
Concrete Design.
"Concrete is grey. The driveway is grey. The basement floor is
grey. The sidewalks are grey. If it's cement, it's grey and boring,"
says Ostrowski, who along with her business partner Mary Fadi, is out to
change that. They want to transform plain concrete slabs into engraved
masterpieces.
Engraving expertise enables Diamond to create patterns and designs on
the previously dull and grey concrete surfaces and the colour palette --
as are the potential designs -- is wide-ranging.
"Utilizing your concrete's finish, porosity and blemishes, and
introducing our colour and finishing techniques, transforms each concrete
surface into a unique piece of art," says Ostrowski. "It's kind
of like creating art on concrete."
Designs can include geometric patterns, resemble abstract art or even
be as complementary as grapes on a vine for a wine cellar floor; it just
depends on where the
homeowner wants to go with the finished look.
Floors are the obvious choice for the concrete engraving process, but
are not the only option. Concrete walls or concrete countertops are other
possibilities.
Starting prices are $7 a square foot as the material -- the engraving
surface -- is already in place.
"Once you have an idea of the concept, we start designing,"
says Ostrowski. "Then we talk about colours.
"Everything gets laid out on a floor before any cutting (of the
concrete) occurs. If they want circles or arcs or lines on floors, we lay
it out first and then get homeowner approval."
However, the floor or surface in question must first be prepped to
reveal the concrete, grinding or sanding to expose the pores. That is
followed by a very good cleaning to ensure all the dust is completely
removed.
Once all the work is completed, a protective coating is applied to seal
the finish.
As for cracks in the concrete, Ostrowski says most are superficial and
can easily be incorporated into the artwork, adding what she calls
"character wrinkles" to the design. "Most of the time it
just becomes part of the art and you don't even see it," she says,
noting that an overlay -- a thin coating of concrete -- can be added,
though this will add a good chunk to the final price.
"More and more people are starting to look at this as a flooring
alternative,"
says Ostrowski. "Homeowners are tired of carpet, hardwood or
boring tile. They want 'Wow! Is that your floor?' With the concrete, you
can create a unique focal point in your home. This floor will grab you.
It's full of life with colour and design."
Sherwood Park's Diamond Concrete Design grew out of their existing
business, Enviro Clean Grout & Stone Care Inc., which specializes in
the restoration, protection and care of grout, natural stone and concrete.
"We've been doing this (the grout cleaning) for a few years,"
Ostrowski says. "It's a very unique service. People have been looking
for a solution for their grout or natural stone and we went out and found
a unique business opportunity.
"This is also how the concrete engraving came about; it is another
unique service. We noticed a lot of concrete -- whether it's a driveway, a
sidewalk or basement -- and people weren't sure what to do with these
surfaces."
While taking a course to learn about shining concrete, they came upon
another course on engraving concrete and the rest, as they say, is
history.
"We find that getting any kind of education is extremely
important," says Ostrowski. "We do take the time and spend the
money and just because we've taken one course that's not the end of it. We
want to bring all the information back to our customers and we believe in
continuing education."
Meanwhile, engraved concrete is starting to make it onto homeowners'
radar screens.
"People are ecstatic. They're wondering when they can rip their
carpet out or they're waiting for summer so we can look at their driveway
or their garage." Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal |
