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Decorative Concrete
Stamped Concrete
Stained Concrete
Decorative Concrete Overlays
Colored Concrete
Concrete Polishing
Concrete Countertops
Concrete Resurfacing
Design Ideas for Decorative Concrete
Concrete Designs: Decorative concrete ideas for patios, floors, driveways, pool decks, countertops, and more
Six Hot Decorative Concrete Design Ideas on a Budget
What Is Decorative Concrete?
Glossary of Decorative Concrete Terms: What is a band? What is a field?
Types of Textured Finishes: Float and trowel textures, broom finishes, rock salt
Decorative Concrete Mix Design
Decorative Concrete Cost
Maintaining Decorative Concrete
Cleaning Decorative Concrete
Concrete Sealers
Other Resources
Going Green with Concrete Floors and Countertops: An overview of concrete's eco-friendly benefits
Concrete Contractors: Find A Concrete Product Supplier or Distributor
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  • Try a concrete floor with a stenciled faux rug.: A custom adhesive-backed stencil was used to create this amazingly realistic 8.5- by 10.5-inch Persian rug on the concrete floor in this home’s master bedroom. Read more about the creation of this faux rug.
  • Try walls built with insulating concrete forms: ICF forms were used to build the walls for both stories of this Wisconsin home. The 22-inch-thick wall sections provide an overall insulation value of R-70, much higher than what can be achieved with traditional wood-framed walls. Learn more about this energy-efficient powerhouse.
  • Try a concrete patio imprinted with wood-patterned stamps: This concrete porch was stamped with a wood plank pattern to create a maintenance-free deck that will never need staining. The plank pattern extends from the porch and down the sidewalk to form a border for the driveway. See more photos of this project.
  • Try a concrete countertop enhanced with decorative aggregates: It’s easy to give concrete countertops the look of granite by seeding them with glass chips or decorative aggregate to add color and textural interest. You can vary the amount, size and color of aggregate used to achieve the desired effect. Learn how it’s done: How to Embed Glass in Concrete Countertops.
  • Try a hand-carved vertical concrete overlay: This old brick fireplace was transformed by covering it with a vertical concrete overlay, which was then hand-carved to create each individual stone. Acrylic stains in four different shades were used to produce the realistic color effects. See before-and-after photos of this project.
  • Try a concrete driveway engraved with a brick pattern: A plain gray concrete driveway can be stained and engraved to look like real brick, and often at a fraction of the cost of a hand-laid brick driveway. Special equipment is used to permanently cut the pattern into existing concrete. Unlike toppings or overlays, engraving won't wear away or lose bond because the patterns are cut into the concrete permanently using special equipment. Learn more about concrete engraving.
  • Try a custom-made concrete sink: This beautiful, contemporary trough-style bathroom sink displays the true versatility of concrete. It was fabricated with a 4-foot integral trough sink with a 7-inch apron and built-in concrete-faced drawers. Read about all the concrete details in this bathroom.

We may be a bit biased here at The Concrete Network, but we truly believe that concrete is just about the best building material around. After all, it’s hard to deny that concrete is superior to many materials when it comes to durability, design versatility, long-term performance, ease of maintenance, environmental benefits, and low life-cycle costs. You may not be able to use concrete to build everything around your home or building (it’ll never replace window glass, for instance), but you can use it for many applications instead of wood, granite, stone, brick, wall framing, and other traditional materials while achieving a similar appearance. Before you embark on your next home-improvement or building project, see these ideas for using concrete instead of the alternatives.

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