concrete news, information, and inspiration
The Work of Skilled Artisans is Rooted in the Art of Design More Than Just a Countertop I began teaching countertop-making in February of 2002, shortly after the launch of my first book, Concrete Countertops. What began as classes to gage the amount of interest on the narrow subject of concrete countertops has progressed and evolved into a movement toward …
Calm Inspiration in Contemporary Times Whenever I travel to Europe and Asia, I see art and architecture crafted and merged into so many of the buildings and homes. There exists a sensibility in art, craftsmanship, and design that we associate with works of the past. There is so much detail to appreciate everywhere—and so much expression. In the art of …
Balancing Your Statement with Nature’s Timelessness Color is about visual relationships and what makes our world vibrant. Choosing colors is generally the last and most difficult choice when making design decisions; it’s always easier to work on the space, the plan, the shape, and all the details of a project in a black-and-white world before considering color. It’s like staging …
A Monolithic Sculpture and Functional Concrete Kitchen Island A monolithic pour of a wall and countertop is an exciting and completely rewarding undertaking. There is an undeniable impact when the wall and the counter it supports are fused into an integral, sculptural form. Working with concrete from a sculptural, rather than just functional, perspective elevates the value and emotional appeal …
One Material Has You Covered From Traditional to Modern Quick Tour of Concrete Concrete has been used for centuries to form all sorts of structures and surfaces. Most people think of it as an exterior material for large bridges or skyscrapers, public sidewalks or roads. In fact, concrete has extensively been used as a decorative and structural material in architecture …
Making colored concrete can be accomplished either by adding pigments directly to the concrete mix before casting or staining the concrete once it’s been placed. In this guide we’re going to take a close look at how to create custom colors for adding to the concrete mix prior to placement. The concrete is often referred to as “integral colored concrete” …
Hiring a concrete professional should be a process that produces a finished project you’ll enjoy for decades to come. These simple tips are a guide to prepare yourself with the information you should know, the questions you should ask, along with some do’s and don’ts during the process. Being prepared will make a difference in how smoothly your project gets …
San Mateo, CA (MAY 16, 2013) – CHENG Concrete will showcase a series of five Concrete Garden Stepping Stone Molds at Maker Faire at the San Mateo County Events Center, May 18 and 19, 2013. The Berkeley, CA-based company is an online how-to center offering concrete design for the home, instruction and information anchored by a store featuring a complete …
Fu-Tung Cheng, author of Concrete Countertop books and founder of CHENG Concrete and CHENG Design speaks with DIY Live host Karl Champley about his roots in concrete, and how he uses the material today as a designer, working on a range of projects, from the small-scale using found molds as formwork and up to large scale Residential Architecture projects like …
Spring is here! And I got called up for concrete duty… to finally finish the outdoor garden environment and entrance hardscape project I promised my wife three years ago as a birthday present. I removed a Monterey pine, reshuffled a concrete pathway, and then I began rebuilding the hardscape featuring a fabric-formed concrete retaining wall with a fiber-reinforced purple planter, …
