Decorative concrete is fast becoming a trend nowadays. In the past, when we think of concrete, we imagine those boring and gray rock-like materials that are used to build buildings and all kinds of infrastructure and ornaments, and which are only made to look beautiful after they have been painted and shined.



Now, thanks to human ingenuity and creativity, concrete can be transformed into an ornament that can stand by itself. Decorative contractors and designers have found a way of incorporating all kinds of materials, like pebbles, glass or coloring into concrete to make something worthy of getting front-page attention in major design magazines. What was just a functional building material before can now become a design front liner that can serve as an interesting conversation piece in house parties.

In the year 2000, according to the Portland Cement Association, a total of 22 million cubic yards of concrete made their way into plazas, driveways, homes, etc. Imagine how much concrete has been used since then to this time! At the time, around 16% of the concrete sold was decoratively colored.

Concrete may be mixed with different hues to be decorative. If you don't fancy its natural gray color, you can have your designer blend in concrete coloring before the blocks are made. Another option is to diamond polish its surface so that it shines in such a way that eliminates the need for waxing and polishing. Or you can mix in colorful pebbles to give it a tiled look.

You can also make three-dimensional shapes, cut out patterns into the material, or trace various designs and shapes. Since concrete's final shape and look is something you can manipulate and control, how you want the end result to look like is up to you. As mentioned earlier, the possibilities are endless. You can even trace in Egyptian patterns or cartoon characters, if you want.

Concrete is the most basic and most used construction material anywhere in the world. It is used in almost anything! With the right mix and maintenance, it can serve its purpose for many decades. In addition, it is also fire resistant and has the ability to carry huge amounts of weight and load. In short, concrete has so many positive characteristics that the fact that it can now be made decorative adds to its long list of good points. What is already good has gotten a whole lot better.