why concrete? concrete press releases + articles
CHENG Concrete Makes the Great Outdoors Even Better with New Mix
Berkeley, CA (MAY 2012) – CHENG Concrete, LLC, announces the debut of CHENG Outdoor Concrete Pro-Formula, the newest addition to the time-tested CHENG Pro-Formula line celebrating its 10th year as the concrete mix formulation trusted by concrete professionals. Continuing the tradition of high performance standards, the new CHENG Outdoor Concrete Pro-Formula is formulated for both precast and pour-in-place applications in several popular colors. It allows professionals and do-it-yourselfers to make designer-quality outdoor concrete projects including planters, benches, fire tables and fire pits, barbeque surrounds, furniture, tabletops and garden sculpture.
Fu-Tung Cheng, founder of CHENG Concrete and author of best-selling Concrete Countertops, developed CHENG Outdoor Pro-Formula for his own award-winning design projects, blending crack-prevention agents, the finest grade fade-resistant pigments, and freeze-thaw additives that provide built-in climate flexibility. Cheng explains, “With CHENG Outdoor Pro-Formula plus local bagged concrete and water, anyone can create a superior, more durable concrete with a designer-finish—perfect for any outdoor project.”
GREAT FOR BOTH PROS + DO-IT-YOURSELFERS
CHENG Outdoor Pro-Formula will appeal to concrete and building professionals as well as the occasional do-it-yourselfer. According to Mike Heidebrink, President of CHENG Concrete, “Pros will like how CHENG Outdoor eliminates having to buy materials from different sources, inventorying them, and needing the real estate to store materials only available by the pallet.”
“It’ll also save a crew from needing to measure and consistently blend multiple materials. Time and resources are better spent focused on concrete forming and detailed finishing,” explained Heidebrink.
While appealing to the professional, Heidebrink describes how well CHENG Outdoor Pro-Formula works for do-it-yourselfers: the mix is designed and pre-measured, offering more time for what’s important—creativity. Simply adding locally-sourced bagged concrete mix and water to a 1 cu.ft. Outdoor Pro-Formula package will yield a ready-to-go, workable mix that delivers professional results.
CHENG Outdoor Pro-Formula is available in six customer favorite colors─Charcoal, Sand, Saddle, Stone, Amber and Platinum─as well as Base which, when blended with CHENG Base Pigments, creates an unlimited custom coloring system. CHENG Outdoor Pro-Formula provides the user consistent, fade-resistant color, strength performance, and desired surface finish results with each outdoor project.
Concrete countertops? Blown fiberglass insulation? The payback may be quicker than you think.
By JIM CARLTON
The following is an excerpt from
Concrete Countertops
At least one green building technology costs less right out of the gate: concrete countertops. Inspired by "Concrete Countertops: Design, Forms and Finishes for the New Kitchen and Bath," a book by designer Fu-Tung Cheng of Berkeley, Calif., builders around the U.S. have taken to making countertops by mixing their own concrete on a home site. The technique is considered both greener and cheaper because the concrete doesn't have to be shipped like the more prevalent granite counters, says Mr. Chandler, who began building them last year. According to online calculators, it costs around $1,100 to make 50 square feet of concrete countertop, compared with $2,000 for granite. But the do-it-yourself approach has its drawbacks. "The challenge is getting the right training for your crew," Mr. Chandler says. "You have to know how to reinforce steel in the right way. It's not intuitive."
