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'Floating' Concrete Creates a Spectacular Entryway
Custom-cast concrete slabs are gleaming isles of white in a shallow indoor pool
The challenge
The owners of an ultra-modern home wanted the slabs surrounding the stairway at their front entrance to appear as if they were floating in a pool of water. This called for the use of a material that was not only decorative, but also highly durable and waterproof.
Design goals
The homeowners were after a sleek, modern look with clean lines for their entryway, which, along with the indoor pool, features a dramatic open staircase with glass walls and a celestial array of overhead globe lighting. "We were contacted by Eric Lee of VictorEric Design Group, who designs and builds multimillion dollar homes. He always uses great design features such as indoor/outdoor pools, interior concrete, stamped concrete, floating slabs, and concrete rock features," says Terry Kurucz of Futuristic Designs Inc. (FDI), a company that specializes in decorative concrete, overlays, and resurfacing systems. FDI designed and created the formwork for the concrete entryway slab and the "floating" concrete islands.
Secrets to success
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After pouring the concrete into the forms, Kurucz created the pristine, white finish by using an airless spray system to apply an integrally colored white microtopping. That was followed by application of a white patina stain. The airless spray system "allows us to create a finish that is truly seamless," says Kurucz.
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A solvent-based acrylic sealer was applied to the inside of the pool surfaces to waterproof them. All the exposed white horizontal concrete surfaces were protected and enhanced with a high-gloss urethane topcoat.
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To give the illusion of a floating floor, everything below the waterline in the pool was "blacked out" so that nothing could be seen but the white concrete.
Materials used
Microtopping : Miracote
Concrete stain: Aquacolor, from Colormaker
Urethane topcoat: WearGuard, from Tennant Co.
Going beyond the conventional
Kurucz is known in the industry for installing decorative concrete for projects that are outside of the mainstream. In addition to residential work, he has completed many large commercial decorative concrete projects in the Vancouver area and is in the process of expanding into Toronto. "Decorative concrete is the wave of the future," he says. "The demand is growing in the high-end residential market because people are looking for something that is personal instead of mainstream. By using concrete, the possibilities are endless. Although concrete is not a cheap substitute, it is a creative and durable one. It can be contemporary or traditional, simple or extravagant. It all depends on what the client is looking for."
Contractor
Terry Kurucz
Futuristic Designs Inc. (www.futuristicdesignsinc.com)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
info@futuristicdesignsinc.com
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