 Its been quite some time since my last post. The past month I've done quite a few jobs and I'm excited to share photos of my latest one with you. For this job, I put in a stamped concrete walkway. I used all new stamps and flexible forms which enabled me to get the crispest stamping and the curved, rounded edges. It turned out great and the homeowner and I were very happy with the end result. Check out the photos and let me know what you think!   
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 Today I'm pleased to share with you some photos of my most recent job. I've really enjoyed working on this one and have been looking forward to posting the "end product" pictures! My clients had an old outdoor fieldstone fireplace that wasn't working right anymore and they decided they wanted to replace it with a new one, built to the proper dimensions for good drafting. I used Belgard brand Weston wall blocks and Dublin Cobble pavers to create a fresh and functioning outdoor fireplace area. Check out the photos and let me know what you think. And, if you are interested in creating an outdoor space similar to this one contact me and I'd be happy to discuss options.     This past weekend I drove up to Ithaca to build interior block walls for a camp bathroom. Sometimes I get called in when a homeowner (or campowner) attemts to do a project and then realizes it was a bit more difficult that they had anticipated. In this case, the camp had managed to get some of the walls started but decided the project would go quicker, and turn out better in the end, if they called in a professional. I put up 158 blocks to create partition walls, and by the end of the day the camp was well on their way to having have a finished, usable bathroom space. Check out the pictures and let me know what you think! By the way, if you've started a masonry project that you aren't able to finish, give me a call! I'm happy to discuss options and help you turn your "to-do" projects into "done" projects!       I've been working on a ton of projects in the past month and I'm excited to share some of them with you over the next few weeks. Today, here are some pictures from at 17' x 24' stamped patio I did with custom-made steps. It was 9 yards of concrete, which was stamped in Ashler Slate Pattern. The project turned out great and the homeowner is looking forward to using it this summer. Stay tuned for some more photos of recent jobs next Wednesday! Fun fact- I ran in the Boilermaker 15k race in Utica this past weekend (along with about 14,000 other people). It was such an great experience! I clocked my personal best time and I'm looking forward to doing it again next year! See you back here next week. Check out the photos and let me know what you think!      This week I finished a project that I’m excited to share with you! The job involved breaking out some bricks that were popping out and replacing them with new ones and stamping a patio. I ended up needing to replace about 200 bricks. As I began looking for the specific style brick to match the current ones I found that the specific type of they were quite rare now, so, after talking it over with the homeowner we decided to go with some similar looking bricks from Syracuse. After most of the brick work was done I pulled up the flagstones on the patio area and poured a 2” overlay on both the patio and front steps. I stamped the overlay in Ashler slate pattern, with a brick border. Afterwords, I added a black secondary color and stained the brick border red. Choosing color is an artistic endeavor and can sometimes be quite a project but in the end we were able to find a red that was suitable. Check out the photos and let me know what you think!       Training for a race is a lot of work but it’s helped me greatly in developing self-discipline over the past months. A lot of people I’ve talked to see training as a merely physical endeavor, but I believe training is way more than that. It’s more than getting "in shape" or looking attractive, it’s a lifestyle.
I run a lot; not because I have nothing else to do, but because I know that the better shape I am in the more efficiently I can work and the more effective my business will be. I am training for the Boilermaker race to push myself out of my comfort zone, sometimes until I'm winded and out of breath. (I have heard it said pain is weakness leaving the body, but I say pain is proof you’re still alive.) This is why training is not just a physical endeavor, it is philosophical. As you train, you have to make a conscious decision to exit comfort, and endure pain or discomfort. It would be so easy to do what was good and right if there was no pain in achieving it, but pushing through the difficulties makes us stronger. This week I challenge you to train in something - run, walk, bike, swim... train your physical body. That way when you come upon a difficult problem, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, you will have endurance and be able to choose to do the hard things for a long term benefit. Lots of jobs are in the works, so stay tuned for some more final project pictures in the weeks to come. For now, check out the NEW “Photo Gallery” section of my site with pictures of some of my recent jobs.  This past week has been full of adventure, which is part of the reason I didn’t get to my blog post last week. Aside from working on a chimney project I also took a road trip to Indiana and had my car broken in to, while parked in my driveway! Just wait till you hear the whole story… I'll start with the chimney. The homeowners contacted me because the chimney was leaking during heavy rain. While they knew they wanted the chimney to be leak-free they weren’t totally certain how they wanted the final product to look. I started by grinding out all the joints and repointing it. Then I removed the water shed and joined all of the flue cages to one large copper colored one. The overhang on the chimney cap was poured flush, with the ability to build it out. In the end though, the homeowners decided that they wanted it to be a little over 1”. They also decided they wanted to go with a different flue cage too. So I’m going back there to do some more work on it to get it just the way they want it. More pics soon. Sometimes it is hard to visualize what you want, but I’m happy to work with people so that they are satisfied with the end product. On Thursday night someone rummaged through both my wife’s and my cars. We live in a quiet area, so it was quite a surprise to walk outside on Friday morning and see the car doors wide open! The burglar (s) went through our glove boxes and consoles, left things strewn about and the car doors open, but they didn’t take much at all. In fact, all that was missing was a flashlight and a book! It seems the people were just looking for untraceable items. God is good in everything and He definitely was watching over us and our safety! We left Friday night for a great road trip! My wife and I survived two days of driving on only 3 hours of sleep, jellybeans, and coffee. On the way home, my brother decided to take a shortcut to save some time. Little did he realize he was taking us straight through scenic farm country- with roads full of Amish buggies. The highlight of the detour for us was seeing an buggy tied up to a pole outside Pizza Hut! It doesn't get much better than that! After this weekend I’m glad to be out of the car actually moving around, and I’ve decided to invest in a home security system. Thankful for Gods many mercies and hope you have a great week. Check out the pictures of the job so far and let me know what you think.     While I do put in a lot of new products, sometimes fixing a concrete floor is a more cost effective way to get a great product.
This last week I had a homeowner that wanted to fix up his basement floor, and after talking it over we decided to apply an epoxy product. Before applying the epoxy I needed to remove the carpet that had been glued down and then use and angle grinder to remove the old layers of covering. The grinding created a rough surface which is great for the bondability of the epoxy. I used two fans to try and contain the dust created from the grinding as much as possible. Because the house had poor ventilation it was difficult but the homeowners were great and once the dust was swept up, the floor was ready to go. The epoxy we went with could be tinted to any color (the homeowner went with a green with special chips in it.) The epoxy was a high grade epoxy that went on thin. Eight hours later I applied a clear acrylic to add body and depth to the surface. This job turned out to be a great, cost effective fix to bring back the usefulness of the basement, giving it durability and a great look.  I am a huge fan of setting personal goals. They will change your life!
I'm not talking about thinking to yourself,"Boy I would like to ___." I mean the full fledged and committed kind of goals that you can't turn back from. Take sky diving for example- you might say “Boy I would like to skydive”, and write that down on your list as a goal for someday, or you can go ahead and jump out of the plane and then set a goal of walking back to your car in half an hour. When push comes to shove, the second option is the one you can't turn back on, because there is commitment. Now it doesn't always take the most extreme type of "can't turn back" commitment, but in your mind you need to build a key concept. I guarantee that if you develop this concept you will be amazed at what you are doing every day. You ready for it? Okay here goes. The key concept is this, "If I think it I must do it." this isn't to say that every little thing you think of you must do but more that you should replace the "Boy I would like to." with "I must do it." A year ago I would have said, "Someday I would like to work in an environment that would challenge me more and stress me out less. I’d like to participate in stuff like a 15k race. And what I’d really love to do someday is to go sailing on a weekend rather than trying to catch up with life after a week that was way too busy." Then I found the key- “I must do it”. I would tell myself this time and time again, beginning with the little things. When I was driving down the road and thought about how much I wanted to pass the guy going 35 mph in front of me I would find an opportunity to do it. Today I am in a place in life's journey where I have used this key to unlock the opportunities to change my work environment. I’m training to run a 15k race this summer (currently running 12k three times a week ), and I’ve bought a sailboat so that I can spend Sunday afternoons on the lake with my beautiful wife. Lots of thoughts here I know, but I think its important to keep challenging yourself. I encourage you to put your full trust in God, surround yourself with encouraging people and keep the key in your mind with all decisions “If I think it I must do it.” Can’t wait to hear the places you end up going as a result! Leave me some comments with your thoughts and your goals you are going to accomplish!  I've seen a lot of stamped concrete in the past five years- enough to know how well it lasts, what it can stand up against, and new products that can help to make it last longer. Stamped concrete is a technique used in finishing concrete that gives the surface a look such as different kinds of stone or brick. The results of this product is a more cost effective patio, walk, or set of steps. They are as strong as the concrete used by the installer, whether it is 3000psi 4000psi 5000psi. The traditional difficulty in product longevity is actually in the fine sand and Portland layer on the surface of the concrete. This fine layer is created as the concrete is tooled with screeding, bullfloating, and sealing. I love to figure out how things work and determine their weak points and then try to improve upon them. Because of this I have a different technique in the way I do stamped concrete- a cutting edge product that will last a couple years longer than the current competitors. I find that working the concrete in the order of screed, bullfloat, and mag allows the concrete to get smooth and increases the surface strength while allowing for a better slip resistant surface. Most stamped concrete uses a powder release for the mats. This release is not only messy but mixes the secondary color in the surface. When this color in the surface wears off it is difficult to recolor the concrete well. I use a liquid release that is clear and add the color later on. The final touch to a great stamped concrete job is the sealer. There are a thousand different sealers on the market today. The most common sealer is one with a wet look. This sealer has several issues which include sun bleaching, toxic odors, flaking, and a thick seal which can make it slick to walk on. I have sealed stamped concrete for five years and used a few different products. The sealer I prefer is a water based sealer that gives a great wet look but also has a curing compound in it as well. This allows the concrete to cure as necessary over the next 28 days for the hardest concrete surface currently achievable. I've had a great experience with this technique and the pictures below show a job I did this way. It turned out great and continues to look great even months later.     |  I am:Mark Roberts ArchivesSeptember 2012 Categories |
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