Artisan Concrete designed to make the space around you Epic. I fell in love with concrete a couple years ago. I was remodeling my house and investigating materials for countertops when I came across a book by some guys that were making incredible concrete countertops. At the time, I had a small tile company and had set … Read more Artisan Concrete designed to make the space around you Epic. I fell in love with concrete a couple years ago. I was remodeling my house and investigating materials for countertops when I came across a book by some guys that were making incredible concrete countertops. At the time, I had a small tile company and had set a few shower pans, but the thought of tackling concrete countertops was daunting. I knew little about forming, nothing about reinforcement and was useless with a trowel (I still am). The thought of getting it wrong and having this horrible blob of concrete in my kitchen was terrifying. So I went with granite, my courtship of concrete was going to have to be postponed.

A year ago, I was reintroduced to the idea of design through concrete and decided to take the plunge. There were several developments in concrete technology regarding reinforcement and curing that struck me as a simplification of all the scary stuff that I dreaded. I watched several videos, asked probing questions of pros in online concrete forums and decided to order materials and set up shop. After several disasters and a couple wins, I have realized that you take what you get with concrete. What I mean to say is that you can treat it right, follow all the proper steps, heck, even take it out to dinner and buy it nice things, but concrete is a wild material that is best when guided toward a specific end and then left to do whatever it wants to do. The old adage, "If you love something, set it free," may have been talking about concrete.

To love concrete is to learn patience (and every few minutes I get a new lesson), to accept whatever outcome it gives you, and to appreciate the hairline cracks and whatever other imperfections become of it. Concrete grows character with use and like fine wine, gets better with age. It's dynamic, it creates movement even in its solid state. It lives with you, endures, reflects your life and the way you live. It's imperfect and because of that it is beautiful. Epic is about possibilities, Everything's Possible.