Floor Seasons, Inc.:

Concrete Staining Company Ups the Ante in Las Vegas

Juliet Farmer, ConcreteNetwork.Com Columnist

Cary Grant, owner of Floor Seasons, Inc. in Las Vegas, Nevada, likes to keep things simple. "Floor Seasons is the only company in the area that specializes only in concrete staining," says Grant. "I do it for a reason...it's the only thing we do and we're good at it."

And if you think concentrating solely on concrete staining would hold Grant back, think again. "Out here there's a large union company that does practically all the hotels in Vegas, so people are always seeing concrete staining and other applications...then they try to find a non-union company to do their jobs – it's like free advertising for me," Grant laughs.

But one thing Grant never laughs about is his work ethic. "At first I had a business partner, but he didn't have any integrity," Grant explains. "He would sell jobs and then I couldn't do what he sold...not that I didn't want to, but what he was selling was impossible (to do)."

That's when Grant knew it was time to venture out on his own, and with that came a roller coaster ride of emotions. "I remember crying to my fiancé (now my wife) that I was scared and I didn't know where I was going to get the work from," he says. "Three days later, she sat up in bed and said 'floor seasons' and that's where the name came from. A week later, I was beating the pavement and going door-to-door selling jobs. One year later I started making a profit, and now I make enough that she is able to stop working at an unfulfilling job and pursue her dream as a company owner as well."

Grant is now set to help others when he launches a line of 20 to 25 how-to videos next year, many of which will be available at the World of Concrete. The videos - supported by familiar industry suppliers including Scofield Systems, Kemiko, QC Construction Products, 3M products and Makita - are aimed at weekend warriors and will include detailed descriptions, something Grant feels is lacking in the video arena to date.

"I really feel that the videos out there right now aren't geared to the weekend warrior," explains Grant. "My video line will allow almost anyone to complete a concrete staining job, and it may also inspire someone to open their own company."

Not bad for a guy who started out stripping and waxing floors. Grant credits his old boss with getting him into concrete. "My boss would always teach us new stuff, and eight years ago he started teaching us concrete staining," Grant explains, adding that he would often practice new techniques on the concrete slabs of large commercial jobs before laying down carpet. He also credits Bob Harris' Guide to Stained Concrete Interior Floors, as well as old-fashioned trial and error, with his success as a concrete artisan.

"At the time, I thought it was absolutely ridiculous and that no one would be interested in stained concrete," Grant quips of his induction into the world of concrete staining. Lucky for him, he stuck with it and is now working with some of the biggest builders in the Las Vegas area, where he spends about 70 percent of his time on commercial jobs and the remaining 30 percent on residential work, including indoor and outdoor applications.

Various projects Grant has crafted include a Gecko he stained on the interior entryway of a Las Vegas residence; a picture of the world he stained under a sundial at the PSI Seminars' Ranch in Napa Valley, Calif.; a company logo and dog paw prints he airbrushed onto the floor of Flea Bag's, a store for dogs and their owners, in an upscale retail area near Las Vegas; a 20-foot by 20-foot sample of various Floor Seasons' concrete staining work on the floor of Concrete Accessories, which is a Vegas landmark that supplies much of the material Floor Seasons uses for jobs; and a residential bathroom in Las Vegas, where Grant stained the floor blue, sealed it, cut in stars, cut away the excess concrete, and used another shade of blue stain to re-stain the cutaway areas before resealing the entire floor.

Grant also dons the interior designer cap for some of his clients, always taking into account such things as the existing space and how it's decorated, then offering up a plan based on the client's budget. "I enjoy helping my clients get the most for their money," he says. "That way they keep coming back for more."

Floor Seasons Inc
Cary Grant
2216 Opponents Ridge Street
N. Las Vegas, NV 89032
(702) 348-8971 Office
(702) 242-6824 FAX
Send Mail Now - Click Here
www.floorseasons.com

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