![]() The original method, still used today, was to cover the surface with a contrasting colored powder that was hydrophobic (repels water). With the advent of textured stamp tools, the need was born for secondary color highlights. Without these secondary color highlights, stamped concrete would lack authenticity or natural appeal.Įarly stamped concrete didn’t require any secondary color highlights, as the patterns comprised basic tile, cut stone or brick that had no texture. “Highlighting” or “antiquing” stamped concrete is what gives the product its characteristic realism. “When customers want a custom color, or a blend of colors, we use color hardener as an alternative method to color concrete.” Keyes adds that she’s seeing a resurgence of color hardener in specialty applications. Today a vast majority of colored concrete, including stamped concrete, is produced using integral color. The ease of automated color dosing reduces inventory and labor, not to mention the mess of dealing with color hardener on the job site. That all changed with the introduction of automated color-dosing systems in the early 2000s. Aside from the added strength and vibrant colors, many installers claim the imprint they achieved with a color-hardened surface was cleaner and more defined. “Color hardener was for years the only way to color concrete when it came to stamping,” says Karen Keyes, owner of The Art of Concrete in Denver, Colorado.įor decades, throwing color hardener was just part of the stamped concrete system. With that in mind let’s have a look at a few of the biggest changes and innovations in the stamped concrete market over the last five decades. Stamped concrete might not make the front page of magazines anymore, but it remains a large part of our industry. It’s been 50 years since those first pioneering companies colored and textured concrete. It is also often the first thing people think of when saying the term “decorative concrete.” It is often considered the foundation of decorative concrete.Ī case can be made that in 1970 the decorative concrete industry truly began when the Bomanite Co., using Brad Bowman’s patents, franchised the process of stamped concrete. Stamped concrete, also known as textured or embossed concrete, is the most recognized decorative concrete finish. However, Karen Keyes of The Art of Concrete in Colorado says she’s seeing a resurgence of color hardener in specialty applications. But this went out of favor when automated color-dosing systems entered the picture in the early 2000s. For decades, color hardener was a staple when coloring stamped concrete.
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