Even concrete can sparkle

Walk through any home center, and it will become abundantly clear that color factors into buying decisions beyond the paint and home decor departments. Increasingly, it’s showing up where you might not expect.



Case in point: concrete.



“For many years, the viability of concrete’s aesthetic versatility was overlooked or simply discounted altogether,” said Chad Corley, director of public relations for the Quikrete Companies.



That’s changing, he said, as more contractors and homeowners look for ways to enhance their patios, driveways, pool decks, sidewalks and other concrete surfaces. More than just a building material, concrete is being called on to deliver visual appeal, with stamping, polishing, etching and painting.



Staining, according to Corley, may be the most permanent way to transform an ordinary concrete slab into an artistic surface statement. He points to Quikrete’s translucent, penetrating stains that absorb into the pores of concrete and chemically bond for lasting color. The options range from “very light translucent colors to bright and bold solids,” he said. “Ideas for concrete are limited only by imagination.”