Things have been a little quiet in the ornament world lately. Planned projects haven't progressed like they should, others can't commit and there just seems to be a lack of quality projects right now. Speaking to colleagues and suppliers things are just not happening. Industry wide things are really slow. I am working on a small project right now and hope to install in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile I have jumped off into a new direction for our company. I've been watching some others do some amazing stuff with concrete and after about three years of observing have decided to make it a part of our business.
Vertical decorative concrete is what we are going to begin offering. There are some other areas of the industry I am very interested in but right now I'm looking at offering a variety of stone and wood options. This is basically a special mixture of concrete which bonds well and has a long drying time which allows for amazing textures. Rock, stone, and wood are just some of the basic things that can be done with it.
Applications include mantels, pillars, walls, wine cellars and basements, patio areas and so much more.
It can be stained and painted and weathers extremely well. Installation is much faster and lighter than real stone and is really more affordable too.
In many ways it it attractive to a wider audience than ornamental plaster. Currently we are in talks to do a mantel, the exterior of a cabin, a chimney and a rock wall with several clients. There are no plans to do away with plaster of course but in these changing economic times it's nice to develop new opportunities for our company.