Gray matters: the latest decorative concretes are more than a chip off the old block - doctor spec - Buddy Rhodes Studio, Concreteworks Studio, Soupcan and Cheng Design are leaders in this field

Residential Architect, March, 2003 by Nigel F. Maynard

Once upon a time, concrete was like your unkempt childhood neighbor who had braces, a buzz cut, and thick glasses. But like your friend, who now flashes a winning smile and wears Brioni suits, concrete has blossomed into a snazzy trendsetter, a sophisticated spec for almost any project.

A mainstay of building construction for eons, until recent years the product's drab gray mien was considered too cold for all but the most esoteric decorative purposes. But as with industrial-looking stainless steel appliances, now widely accepted by the mainstream and newly tailored for residential use, concrete has been reinvented and reengineered for the home. Some of its deficiencies have been tamed, and a great deal more art has developed within the craft.

Concrete floors--colored and stained, scored and inlaid--were the first decorative use to catch on. Pacific Coast architects led the way, employing concrete floors both inside and immediately outside the house to reinforce a connection between interior and exterior space. Now, other temperate areas of the country rely on the same visual trick. In fashion-forward jobs, concrete moves off the floor to fireplace surrounds and even cast-in-place interior walls.

kitchen chameleon

Still, the most frequent interior spec for decorative concrete is in the kitchen and bath. Colored with a wide variety of pigments, concrete offers a vast palette and an inspiringly blank slate. That's why architect Michael Baushke uses it in so many of his projects. A principal at Apparatus Architecture in San Francisco, Baushke and his partner Stuart Hills spec it for countertops, sinks, drain boards, islands, bars, and many other applications.

"Stone is one of the best products to use in a kitchen," Baushke admits. "But finished concrete goes one step further. You can play with thickness and edges because it's more versatile. It has the same characteristics as stone, but you get more options."

Architect Marc Toma first happened upon concrete many years ago when an intrepid client brought the material to him. "The client had an affinity for new materials and was very much interested in it," says Toma, a principal of Burks Toma Architects in Berkeley, Calif. "We investigated its benefits and found great things." Toma has since been bowled over by the material's intensity, the way it absorbs colors and reflects light. "It is very luminescent," he says. "It ages well, and it has a hefty look that says quality."

Architect Dick Clark is another concrete fan. "It's easy to clean, long lasting, and as durable as granite," says the principal of Dick Clark Architecture in Austin, Texas. And when he specs the material for countertops, he sees fresh canvas for creativity: "We put in granite dust to give the surface a nice sparkle," he explains. "We also put in broken bottles. I like things that I can grind down."

casting call

Starting at about $100 per square foot, concrete can either be cast in place or precast at the fabricator's workshop. Because a good finish requires many hours of grinding, sanding, polishing, and sealing, most experts say precast is the way to go.

"The problem with cast in place is that you need the workers in your kitchen for days," says Susan Andrews, marketing manager for San Francisco-based Buddy Rhodes Studio, a leading practitioner of the concrete craft. Not only can on-site fabricators cause a traffic jam with other installers (and clients if it's a renovation), site work is almost always more expensive.

"Cast in place is also a messy procedure," says Ryan M. Martin, new projects manager at Oakland, Calif.-based Concreteworks Studio. "What you see is what you get, and you often get a sidewalk look." Andrews concurs, "It really makes sense to do it in the studio."

counter intelligence

As with any artisan, finding and selecting a concrete fabricator is tough, but there are some solid track records within the young medium. The aforementioned Buddy Rhodes Studio is known for producing meticulous indoor and outdoor concrete tiles, precast counters, sinks, tubs, surrounds, and many other architectural elements. Their product line is entirely handmade and colored, and Andrews says the studio is always working on new colors to keep the palette fresh.

Mark Rogero, who was trained as an architect, founded Concreteworks Studio in 1991 and is the primary developer of all its products. Using a lightweight cement-based composite, the firm designs, fabricates, and hand finishes tiles, stair treads, whirlpools, furniture, fireplaces, and more. But countertops still account for about 85 percent of his business, Martin says.

Chicago-based Soupcan used to make all types of countertops, but concrete counters now account for about 75 percent of its work, says president Jerry Santora. The company's line includes precast countertops in 16 natural, unpigmented base tones and 11 pigmented colors, but numerous custom color combinations are available.

Another top fabricator is Cheng Design in Berkeley, Calif. The firm, led by renowned kitchen and interior designer Fu Tung Cheng, has developed a concrete product called Geocrete.