100% Concrete: Fifth Generation Concretist Offers Creativity to Clients

For Jay Webb, owner of 100 % Concrete in Ripon, Calif., concrete is and always has been a way of life. He is his family's fifth generation to make a living out of pouring and shaping concrete. His company, which started in July 2003, is even a spin-off of his father's concrete company. "As soon as you could stand up and walk, you were in a job in my family," Webb laughs.

With a hard-working mentality that's ingrained in him, it's easy to see why Webb's new company is already so successful. As for why he decided to stay in the business that he grew up around, the answer is simple. "It's in my blood," he says. "I do enjoy it...the creativity. And I like the nonstop drama. There's never a dull moment."

Another aspect of the profession that Webb says he enjoys is working with his customers to create things. "Sometimes they want something they've seen in a magazine and I create it, or they like a particular color and I make something to match that," Webb explains.

With customers located throughout Northern California, Webb admits he tries to stay within a 100-mile radius of the office but that doesn't always happen. He's done jobs everywhere -- from the foothills to the Sacramento valley, from Merced to the greater Bay Area and East Bay.

He adds that his customers are constantly requesting two main products – backyard patios and pool decks. Because Webb is also a subcontractor with several pool companies, pool decks keep his crews very busy, and he says he has sent his two crews everywhere, including Yosemite and Mariposa, to create pool decks.

"When someone walks in a backyard and the first thing they see is a patio I created, they want to know what it's made out of," Webb says. "Usually they can't believe it when they're told it's concrete."

Webb adds that 60 percent of his concrete work is color, and often on the basic side, such as salt rock finishes with some color added. He also finds himself doing a lot of stamped work, especially working with slate patterns, as well as creating custom colors that fit a particular customer's theme. "A lot of customers are going toward stamped concrete," Webb explains. "Which makes sense because for the price, it's cheaper than flagstone, and it's very durable."

With his current business focus on concrete resurfacing and epoxy floors, Webb notes that resurfacing is a growing trend in the concrete industry. "So I'm investing time, money and education into it," he says. He has been recovering old concrete, as well as doing garage floors for new homes because he says, "I like giving my clients something nice to see when they pull into their garages to park their cars."

Webb's goal of pleasing his clients recently sealed the deal for a project – a pool deck he created in Shingle Springs. He found a compass stamp, brand new on the market, which fit the theme his customer was looking for. "The stamp sold the job for me," Webb says. The stamp, approximately four feet in radius, had a stamped slate pattern around it. Webb antiqued the compass stamp with green and brown hues, and colored the surrounding slate pattern in desert tans.

Not only does Webb aim to please his clients, but he also wants to help all consumers avoid being taken advantage of, whether they are his clients or not. "The biggest problem (in this industry) is when people don't use licensed contractors," Webb explains. "Consumers need to look at the product they are buying and not just the price of the work. Take it from me...we see and rip out a lot of bad work."

Webb adds that unlicensed contractors drag down the industry, and recommends consumers check the company they are considering using, making sure they're licensed and that they have general liability insurance and workman's compensation. "I've seen customers pay dearly for not checking out a contractor before having work done," Webb states.

A side job for Webb is his other company, 100% Concrete Pump, which offers concrete pumping services that he uses on his own jobs and rents out to other companies. Webb says pumps are great for concrete work, because crews aren't lifting heavy wheelbarrows and potentially don't get hurt as much. "It's also fast, clean and the concrete stays fresh, which makes it easier to work with for stamping," Webb adds. "The whole thing works better with a pump."

Whether he's creating unique pool decks and patios for clients, or offering his equipment for pumping, Webb always has his finger on the pulse of the concrete industry. Although he admits he hasn't had much of a calling for interior work yet, he realizes that may very well be in his future, and if so, he's ready for it. "The industry is headed into more creative work with concrete interiors, like countertops and stained floors," he says, adding, "I like to turn concrete into art."

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