why concrete? concrete press releases + articles
Seattle, WA—CHENG Concrete is proud to announce expansion of its Training Academy to include their newest Authorized Trainer, Mike Moncrieff of New Edge Design located in the Seattle-Tacoma area. CHENG Concrete’s innovative 2-day Professional Decorative Fiber Reinforced Concrete (D-FRC) Training will now be featured in the Northwest Pacific Region providing easy access from western Canada, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington state.
Moncrieff, a passionate artisan, has over 15 years of construction experience and nearly a decade experimenting, developing and creating with decorative concrete. He is a nationally-recognized, award-winning craftsman and one of the first-ever trained at CHENG Concrete in 2003.
Shortly after his training, Moncrieff launched New Edge Design, LLC with his father, Sam Moncrieff, owner of Moncrieff Construction, who has been in the concrete industry since 1974. Their focus at New Edge Design is designing and creating unique interior concrete environments. Their vast experience ranges from countertops, hearths, and vertical walls to inlays, logos, conference tables, integral sinks, furniture and more.
BEYOND THE “GLASS” CEILING:
Professional Decorative Fiber Reinforced Concrete (D-FRC) Training
Get ready to shelf traditional GFRC for the newest technology that will transform the decorative concrete industry, as we know it. NeoMix D-FRC is user-friendly, reduces production time, and is virtually error proof. CHENG Concrete now offers the most innovative, “sky-is-the-limit” technology in Fiber Reinforced Concrete. This authoritative training introduces a groundbreaking suite of D-FRC Products that yield ultra-thin, high strength decorative pre-cast concrete with precision results.
Compare Traditional GFRC methods to D-FRC Advanced Technology to gain the most insightful view of where decorative concrete is headed and how to design with a broader scope, work with unparalleled products, and to build a better business.
| Traditional GFRC Methods | D-FRC Advanced Technology |
| a. Long Learning Curve: equals time, capital and labor investment | a. Quick Confidence Gain: in products, process, and consistent, professional project results |
| b. Time-Consuming + Exacting: batch of GFRC, hours spent weighing out material preparing for a pour | b. Efficient + Simple = Savings: all necessary ingredients are in a bag, bottle, water, and mix—much less time consumed in the preparation, planning and execution |
| c. Limited Range of Environmental Conditions: need over 85 degrees before polymers start working; heat levels are at a narrower range | c. “Cast-Anywhere” Conditions: environments ranging from 40-90 degrees without the need of ice water, heaters, or expensive shop enhancements |
| d. Strength-to-Thickness ratio: sample countertop project yields a ¾” thickness | d. High Strength to Ultra Thin Ratio: same strength for large format countertop project that yields as thin as ½” thickness |
| e. Design Limitations: primarily based on vertical, exterior cladding system limited to abrasion-free applications (less desirable wear performance for horizontal applications) | e. Design Flexibility: Ability to control shape, color, dimension and achieve finer, detailed texture transfer for unlimited interior, exterior, vertical and/or horizontal applications; expanded ultra-thin 3/8” thick design applications including large format, floor tiles, stair treads/nosings, column surrounds, hearths, furniture, sculpture and more |
For more information or to sign up for a 2-day Professional D-FRC Training in Seattle, WA or Berkeley, CA, please visit www.chengtraining.com. NeoMix D-FRC Product ordering in the Northwest Pacific Region is available through New Edge Design at 360-318-8005.
CHENG Concrete Training Academy offers the industry's most innovative collection of concrete-for-the-home workshop and training programs developed by Fu-Tung Cheng and has trained over 2500 participants since 2002. For decorative concrete ideas, products, and training or to Find a Contractor near you, visit www.concreteexchange.com.
J & M Lifestyles
Upper Manhattan Master Bath
Project Location: New York City, NY
Total Retail Price: $12,000
Weight: Vanity = 200 lbs; Tub surround =115 lbs;
Cast leg = 260 lbs
Concrete Mix: CHENG GFRC custom color
Other Materials: Stainless steel drain covers
CONCRETE MASTER
Taking concrete to a new level, this New York City master bathroom combines interlocking vanity, tub surround, and shower elements and seamlessly integrates them with a bath of glass and tile to create a peaceful urban oasis. No material but concrete could produce the complex intricacies of this design in such a cost-effective way while allowing such diversity in finish.
Project Objective and Client Feedback
Designed and fabricated by J&M Lifestyles, a decorative concrete studio in Randoph, NJ, Jeff Kudrick, managing partner, explained that the clients had a concept of “clean and sleek and simple” for their master bath and asked for as much vanity space as possible next to the glass shower. Upon project completion, Kudrick said, “They [the clients] loved it! It was everything that they wanted in their bathroom.”
POURED CONCRETE SPECIALISTS, INC
The Nature of Water & Rock
Project Location: Amherst, WI
Total Retail Price: $5,000
Weight: 500 lbs
Concrete Mix: CHENG Pro-Formula in Charcoal and Stone
Other Materials: Stone from local quarry, recycled barn beams and concrete blocks, dried hydrangea blossom, ammonite
Turnaround time: 10 Days
NATURAL ELEMENTS
Nathan Yates draws on the power of nature in his meditative water feature, The Nature of Water & Rock. The versatile character of concrete allowed for a multi-textural result that appeals to the senses. He used concrete for its “sculptural quality” and because of the wide array of finishes that are possible with the medium. Yates, co-owner of Poured Concrete Specialists, also confesses, “Concrete is cool!”
KERR CONCRETE DESIGNS AND JOANNA KRAMER LANDSCAPE
Project Location: Chicago, IL
Total Retail Price: $1,200
Weight: 300 lbs (total of three slabs)
Concrete Mix: CHENG Pro-Formula in Stone
Other Materials: Inlaid wood-fired ceramic pieces
Turnaround time: 2 weeks
CONCRETE COLLABORATION
Concrete and ceramics come together to form an organic yet sleek result in this unique art piece. Now hanging in a home in Chicago, it was crafted in Evanston, IL by Andrew Kerr of Kerr Concrete Designs and Joanna Kramer, a ceramic artist. Kerr employed concrete for this sculpture because of its capability to produce “larger, more powerful pieces.”
J & M Lifestyles
Pennsylvania Farmhouse
Project Location: Doylestown, PA
Total Retail Price: $18,000
Weight: 1,200 lbs including island (approx. 100 sq ft)
Concrete Mix: Bagged GFRC mix, custom color
Other Materials: iron clavos, nail heads
Turnaround time: 3-4 weeks
ART OF ILLUSION
The owners of this historic farmhouse are used to guests admiring their beautiful kitchen with its wood counters and leather island tops—but the admiration turns into amazement when guests learn that they’re actually looking at concrete! While the clients sought a distressed wood look and feel, they understood that it is difficult to clean and less than ideal for areas exposed to frequent contact with water, such as a sink counter. Concrete solved these practical challenges and allowed for a unique and expressive surface that is completely at home in this farmhouse kitchen.
Throwing Rock Studio
Baker Street Backyard Garden Patio
Project Location: San Francisco, CA
Weight: 90,000 lbs. (24 cu. yards)
Concrete Mix: Custom with black pigment
Turnaround time: 2 weeks design, 3 weeks production
URBAN OASIS
Small, narrow backyards can make designing for the space a challenge. Undaunted, Brian McLean, Terry Walsh and Ciaran Lynch of Throwing Rock Studio, used their expertise to transform a confined, San Francisco outdoor area into an airy, urban oasis. Concrete was the medium of choice because of its longevity and versatility, in addition to the client’s appreciation for the refined finishes produced by Throwing Rock Studio.
REACHING QUIET DESIGN, LLC
COURTSIDE ISLAND
Project Location: Charlotte, NC
Total Retail Price: $15,000
Weight: 650 lbs
Concrete Mix: CHENG Platinum Pro-Formula
Other Materials: Maple, MDF, aluminum, LEDs, Avonite
Turnaround Time: 2 months
INCOMPARABLE ISLAND
This kitchen island, designed and fabricated by Reaching Quiet Design’s Eric Boyd, embodies a homeowner’s dream—clean lines, modern look, and a functional kitchen centerpiece at which guests can gather, talk, and enjoy a drink. It’s fun, too; with a simple touch, its LED lighting system sets the island aglow. Boyd needed to integrate a light sensor into the counter and concrete was the ideal material that allowed him to inlay the sensor without compromising the beauty of the surface.
Liquid Stone Studios
Golden Spiral Fireplace
Project Location: The EnSuite Showroom, Nanaimo, BC
Total Retail Price: $6,800
Weight: 650 lbs / 3 Pieces
Concrete Mix: Custom
Other Materials: Reclaimed Douglas fir mantel
PERFECT PROPORTION
- Fu-Tung Cheng,
CHENG Concrete
Combining classical proportions and contemporary design, this beautiful showroom fireplace in Nanaimo, BC Canada is both fire frame and visual experience. Ian Wyndlow, principal of Liquid Stone Studios, thoughtfully used white concrete to set off black steel and emphasize the complex three-dimensional spiral motif created from the Golden Mean, an historic and precise mathematical proportion of artistic consequence. Concrete, non-combustible and able to take on the ideal form, surface finish, and color envisioned for the end result, was the natural choice for this project.
REACHING QUIET DESIGN, LLC
Gallery Twenty-Two Wine Bar
Project Location: Charlotte, NC
Total Retail Price: N/A
Concrete Mix: CHENG Pro-Formula Base
Other Materials: Slate, oriented strain board, steel, Lucite
Turnaround Time: 3 months design and permitting, 4 months fabrication and installation
CONCRETE ART
Simplicity enhances beauty at Gallery Twenty-Two, the venue for a recent, striking installment by designer Eric Boyd of Reaching Quiet Design in Charlotte, NC. For his first solo commercial design commission, Boyd was asked to create a wine bar for the up-and-coming art gallery that would be aesthetically pleasing yet understated at the same time. Boyd succeeded in delivering what the client asked for via the bar’s clean lines and subtle color scheme.
CHENG Concrete Circle of Distinction 2010 Design Award Winners Announced
PHOENIX, AZ (March 2010) — Fu-Tung Cheng announced the winners of CHENG Concrete’s 2010 Circle of Distinction Design Challenge, the longest running awards competition of its kind honoring design and craftsmanship in decorative concrete, at the Concrete Décor Show in Phoenix. The Design Challenge featured 11 categories including Bath, Integral Sink, Outdoor Living, Decorative Finish, Functional Feature, Water Feature, Furniture, Fireplace, Commercial Retail, Sculpture, Interior Kitchen, and an overall Best of Show. Entries were submitted by CHENG Concrete Exchange Members, a group of skilled concrete artisans, many of whom trained under concrete pioneer Fu-Tung Cheng. Out of 103 entries and a long judging session, 30 awards were given to 18 individual winners: one Best of Category in each 11 categories, 18 Honorable Mentions, and one Best of Show.
The Pre-Conference Program offered by the Concrete Decor Show on March 16, 2010 in Phoenix, Arizona provides the building industry an opportunity to learn more about concrete sustainability and improvement of both the aesthetics and performance of concrete in building and renovation. Architects, interior designers, landscape architects, builders, property managers and municipal authorities are invited to courses that offer design and technical continuing education about architectural and decorative concrete and its uses as a durable, versatile and green material of choice. See details: www.concretedecorshow.com
