Modern Concrete Provides Appealing Aggregates and More in Rhode Island

Robert Sousa, owner of Modern Concrete in East Providence, Rhode Island, has been in the decorative concrete industry since 1992 focusing solely on decorative work. Prior to the launch of Modern Concrete, Sousa owned a landscape construction company.

"One day a project called for stamped concrete, and I knew that was where I was meant to be," he recalls. "We were the first guys in town doing stamping, and we made it a division of our landscaping company. Eventually, we stuck with that and dropped the landscaping."

Sousa then merged his company with another decorative concrete company, and later parted ways, bringing some key personnel with him.

"It's basically the same company, but under a different name now," he explains, adding that he retained the majority of the employees, most of whom have been with him for 12 to 15 years.

Today, Modern Concrete specializes in decorative concrete applications, including everything from stamping and exposed aggregates, to stains, dyes and one-of-a kind projects.

With a portfolio made up of about 95 percent stamped, stained and exposed aggregate work, Modern Concrete splits their time between residential (60 percent) and commercial (40 percent). They serve most areas within a 60-mile radius, including East Providence, Rhode Island, Mass., Cape Cod and The Islands.

Sousa says he runs a small operation, which allows him to focus on high end work. For example, he recently finished a large exposed aggregate project at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. In all, 18,000 square feet of concrete was colored with Brickform® Liquid Color™ in Pewter and ¼" stone was added as aggregate for the new quad on campus.

Modern Concrete also recently completed 4,000 square feet of acid stained concrete interior flooring for St. Bethany's Church in Foxboro. Sousa says he used L.M. Scofield's Lithochrome® Chemstain™ Classic in Faded Terracotta and Padre Brown for the floor.

Sousa also recently completed an interior floor for a residence in Little Compton, Rhode Island, for which he used water-based stain on 2,100 square feet of concrete flooring with radiant heat.

"We've also been doing a lot of work on the east side, by Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island," adds Sousa. In that area, he says Modern Concrete focuses on creating / replicating the old look of the architecture there. "We're making new concrete look old," he laughs. "We've done probably 15 driveways there in recent months."

Vertical overlays are also taking off for Modern Concrete. Sousa says this year alone, the company has competed about 5,000 square feet vertical overlays for various projects, this compared to the 300 square feet of similar work completed last year.

"There are a few big condominium complexes that wanted the look of stone walls on their existing retaining walls," says Sousa. "I've also done vertical overlays on the foundation walls of homes."

Sousa says that the trends in the New England area have run the gamut, from ashlar slate (to replicate blue stone), to "so much stamping," to exposed aggregate (Sousa says this year he's done about 100,000 square feet of exposed aggregate).

But next year, Sousa predicts he'll be spending much more time inside. "Next year, I see radiant heat concrete floors and concrete polishing being big here, I can see that becoming the next big trend," he explains.

"I might start dabbling in polishing, because I've been getting a lot of calls about it," Sousa continues. "We see a future in interior work of all kinds, because it's not seasonal work, so our employees won't leave in the winter. It's tough enough to find good people—you want to find ways keep them around."

All in all, for Modern Concrete, Sousa says the future looks promising. "For 95 percent of consumers around here, decorative concrete is brand new," he says.

And because of that, Sousa is finding his niche in high end work. "We strive to be cutting edge, to stay ahead of the game," he concludes. "That's why we may pursue polishing, because no one's doing it in our area. If it's artistic, we go after it."

Modern Concrete
Robert Sousa
65 Taylor Drive
East Providence, RI 02769
(401) 434-4005 Office
(401) 434-4007 Fax
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