Becker Architectural Concrete, Inc.

New Company Brings Award-Winning Work to Minnesota

Juliet Farmer, ConcreteNetwork.Com Columnist

One and a half years ago, the City of St. Paul, Minn., lucked out. Thats when Chris Becker decided to start his own architectural concrete company, Becker Architectural Concrete, Inc., which has since earned three design awards from the Minnesota Aggregate Ready Mix Association.

Considering the fact that Becker fell into concrete -- having graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Journalism and getting his start as a sales representative with a local ready mix company called Cemstone Companies in 1989 -- hes come a long way.

After he was later promoted to director of marketing for Cemstone, Becker saw the potential with the decorative concrete industry, which lead him to spend the next few years turning his fascination with decorative concrete into hands-on experience, both selling and installing for a company that is ironically enough --now one of his competitors.

His companys first major project was to retrofit a decorative concrete microtopping in a local supermarket. As with all jobs, there were some unique challenges, such as the fact that all the work needed to be done in phases after hours - not to mention the fact that there were moisture issues in the existing concrete and environmental concerns working in an occupied grocery store.

Fast-forward to today, and Becker says, "Our goal is to blend two distinct disciplines - concrete construction and artistry." A concrete contractor in his roots may not have an artistic aptitude, and a good artist may not be skilled with placing and finishing concrete. But to build a team with both disciplines in place to work side by side, we can bring an artists composition, color and texture into the demanding trade of concrete construction.

That approach might explain the awards. The firm won first place in the Innovation category for the cast-in-place concrete countertops that were formed and poured in place at the Fine Line Music Caf in downtown Minneapolis. After the establishment had a fire, the owner wanted to rebuild using noncombustible materials.

Beckers concrete countertops, which measured 100 linear feet and used two full cubic yards of concrete, were cast, stained and sealed onsite in four days to meet the demanding schedule of the project. Its one of the largest concrete counter installations in the Twin Cities, says Becker of the counter that was acid-based stained and sealed with a two-part epoxy to withstand abuse.

The firm also won first place in the Municipal category for a beautiful application of colored, stenciled, sandblasted and stained concrete for the Upper Landings Community Park located on the shores of the Mississippi River in downtown St.Paul. When the City of St. Paul wanted to capture the essence of the Mississippi river, they came up with a sketch of a navigational compass.

Becker was the first company called to bid on the project, and he explains, I looked at the way it was drawn, and realized that the intricate design could not be achieved utilizing traditional concrete finishing and jointing tools and something much different needed to happen. I thought about how to do it, and proposed the idea of a laser-cut template created from the architectural drawings to scale that we would use to sandblast the pattern into the concrete. From there, we worked with the owner and design team to introduce colors and final finishes.

The process then began with pouring a standard concrete mix, and applying a dust-on color hardener. Then Becker installed the template, sandblasted off the color hardener, stained the lines created, and sealed the whole thing with a non-slip sealer. In all, the project lasted three weeks from the first pour to the final sealer application.

Becker received a second place award for commercial use of concrete for 8,000 square feet of chemically stained concrete flooring and pan steps in the new Hudson Health Campus, located in Hudson, Wisconsin. First involved as a consultant, Becker knew the goal was a day-spa look and feel incorporating warm colors and using natural organic materials.

When a stained concrete flooring system was selected, a long process of meetings and on-site samples ensued. Finally, three weeks before the opening of the facility, Becker got to work. First, he and his crew cleaned two years of construction debris off the concrete, then applied a chemical stain and epoxy finish. The final steps were burnishing six coats of floor wax into the surface to complete the job.

Beckers firm offers both residential and commercial colored and stamped paving, precision concrete flooring, chemically stained concrete floors, specialty concrete overlays, concrete restoration services, cast-in-place concrete countertops and tables, concrete fireplace hearths and surrounds, and architectural concrete consulting.

Though the St. Paul area isnt knows for its balmy winters, more and more of the residents are using concrete as an architectural element both inside and outside their homes. Becker says concrete countertops are growing in popularity, due in part to the fact that concretes versatility allows it to be used in both modern and traditional homes.

Outside, people are using it for driveways, walkways and entries to express individuality and reflect the character of their homes, which also adds curb appeal. People are asking for colored driveway surfaces that look like hand laid stones, despite fact that their driveways are covered with snow half of the year.

Not that the weather is an issue. Decorative driveways hold up better than standard broom finished concrete, explains Becker. We use a higher-quality concrete mix and color hardeners. Its also cured and resealed after one month.

Since St. Paul is a progressive area and people arent afraid of something unique and interesting, there are a lot of opportunities for Beckers firm. Like working with a design consultant from Switzerland for the new Walker Art Center addition in Minneapolis. Becker created unique flooring models for the galleries, corridors and stairways, using seamless white cement-based surfaces for the floors that travel up the walls with a seamless cove. Were using emerging products and installations (for this project), he says.

Becker has also formed a strategic relationship with Fireside Hearth & Home, and he created a cast concrete hearth for them, as well as outside fireplaces and grills to compliment outdoor living areas. Although its cold in the winter, more people are using outdoor spaces, says Becker, explaining the logics of the relationship.

Becker understands that for consumers, selecting from an unlimited array of colors, patterns and textures can be a daunting process, so he commits to spending time up-front to understand his clients ideas, and from there, makes sure that ideas are translated into samples-no matter how small the project, and samples transferred to finished projects.

And thats what Beckers all about helping people redefine the way they live and thinking outside the box. We try to bring together the eye and creativity of a designer with the knowledge, skill and strength of a concrete craftsman."

Visit The Becker Architectural Concrete web site

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