New York City Concrete Design

When I was at the recent World of Concrete show I met Jane Reamer of Iron Age Designs a designer and builder of custom Iron grates. My first thought was what an excellent New York City concrete design idea. The iron grates have an old historical high function appearance.

As you can see in the photos they are ideal for adding a decorative functional solution to concrete.  Notice the photo with the fish inlaid into the concrete. That one is from a walkway in Boston Massachusetts.  In New York City a concrete design idea is for decorative grates around trees that line the avenues like Park, Fifth or Lexington.

Iron Age Grates has found a unique niche in the big concrete market. Like with many products mentioned in Metrocrete concrete is not a stand alone product. There is always something that works with concrete that makes concrete better. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Is it the grates that make concrete look so good or is it the concrete that makes the grates look good. (I’d rather use the word great rather than good but too much?)

Anyway I liked the grates and thought that since I’ve spent so much time in New York City that they are a notable Concrete Design idea in any classic urban area.

For more information contact Jane at 206-276-0925 or visit their site at Iron Age Grates . Just click the link.

Residential Home

Paul Huneck owner of Hudson Concrete in New York City is a master of using concrete in Urban Modernist Design.

Concrete as a wear surface has become a popular choice in New York City. The style though is different than what the decorative concrete industry is seeing around the country.

Most pictures you see on internet sites feature acid stained concrete floors. Frequently they have geometric designs, multiple colors, textures with a glossy finish. The urban design for concrete in New York City is completely opposite. There is a big demand for clean, flat, gray concrete with a matte finish.

Creating a modernist concrete floor is very difficult. Paul Hunneck has been working for years on developing his systems. It has paid off. Paul is in demand by the most discriminating clients in New York City.

New York City Art Gallery

The challenge with creating a modernist floor is making the floor imperfection free. Concrete is a natural hand made product and is inherently imperfect. There are many factors that can affect the outcome.

Weather and air quality have an influence on the consistancy of the mix. Mixing the concrete to the perfect consistancy is an art in itself. Pauls choice of mixes are self leveling concretes. When self leveling concretes are flowing perfectly with no lumps they settle beautifully.

I’ve watched Paul in action. He is part perfectionist, artist, scientist and contractor. It has taken him years of hard work and experimentation to achieve the results he comes up with.

Surface Preparation

First he has become an expert in surface preparation. Recently he purchased a Blastrac Shotblaster which gives him contol over the surface prep process. In the past Paul has subbed out surface prep. Paul knows from experimentation how the products he works with are going to lay out and wants it right.

Secondly he frequently uses Mapei self leveling concrete. Mapei is an international specialty concrete manufacturer headqurtered in Italy. They have developed a product M20 Plus which has virtually zero shrinkage, hence minimal cracking if any ever. Being part artist and part scientist Paul has discovered coloring systems that have minimal seperation if the the client desires a variation free floor.

I forgot to mention that Pauls skill with coloring and eye for design enable him to choose the correct color shades. Wall color, lighting and furnishings all have an impact on the final result. There are unlimited shades of gray. Sometimes his colorants have a little blue mixed in or browns and/or reds depending on the plan of the room design.

Thirdly, the final seal coat is a critical factor. Seal coats are a functional and aesthetic challenge. Seal coats need to endure foot traffic and in a high end environment need to visually perform. Light stops dead in it’s tracks with amatte finish. A gloss or high gloss sealer will alter the results. Gloss and high gloss finishes pull wall color and the color of furnishings into the floor.

For example if blue is mixed in with the gray the blue will not be noticed with a matte finish. With a gloss or high gloss (and depending on the lighting) blue from a couch or artwork on a wall will be pulled into the floor. As a result the blue pigment will now be visible.

To achieve this sophisticated level of design requires a unique installer. Paul creates all kinds of results based on clients desire. His passion for perfection has propelled him into a unique category.

Floor of Rita Hazan Salon, Fifth Ave. NYC