WALT TOOLS

In this ever growing art of wall cladding and vertical concrete design it's important to have great tools. I once heard from a craftsman " that a man is only as good as his tools" I agree.

I have used some other tools in the past that just didn't perform well and just truly slowed the production of the project. I heard about http://www.walttools.com/ from Nathan Giffin of http://www.creativerockforming.com/ & http://www.verticalartisans.com/ he spoke highly of their products. Nathan Giffin is one of the elite trainers in the world of decorative vertical concrete. Giffin has mastered the vertical art form and continues to add innovations to this ever growing industry.



I have order many tools and concrete products from http://www.walttools.com/ and would recommend them to anyone. They are at the top of my suppliers list and I always look forward to their new innovations and products. Their customer service is phenomenal and the products are geared to helping the contractor succeed. I have found that with their decorative concrete products the possibilities are truly endless. Walt tools offers you the products and tools to create your clients ultimate dreams & wishes. Contact them at cs@walttools.com or call 888.263.5895 anytime. Feel free to drop Don Ciesielski & Greg Walters a line to share your thoughts on the site, all comments are welcome.…

Concrete Acid Stain
Concrete Border Stamps
Concrete Chutes
Concrete Color Hardener
Concrete Countertop
Concrete Flex Forms
Concrete Float Bars
Concrete Integral Color
Concrete Overlay Stamps
Concrete Release Agents
Concrete Sealers
Concrete Stain
Concrete Stamping Rollers
Concrete Stamps
Concrete Tools
Decorative Aggregate
Decorative Aids
Decorative Overlay
Grout Tools
Seamless Skins
Step Inserts
Vertical Concrete


www.overlaysolutions.com
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Decorative Concrete Hand Carved Tiki

Concrete Artisan Jody Smith of Overlay Solutions, LLC is carving a concrete tiki at one of his clients request. The tiki will be placed along with others around an island style pool paradise. Some simulated boulders and a tiki bar are also being created by Overlay Solutions, LLC. Smith says that the project is a first for him but found it fun to create the tiki. Smith used a photo that the client gave him and he carved in all the intricate details of the photo. Smith was also able to create the aged look of the tiki by using different coloration techniques. The concrete mix used is a light weight vertical mix that Smith creates in house.

This is Smith's long term vision for his company by giving the little extras to his clients by thinking outside the box. Trying new methods to enhance the clients request and taking decorative concrete ideas to the next level. Smith has a lot of new ideas and decorative concrete concepts in the works and plans to continue creating decorative concrete art all over the Charleston, Summerville, Mt. Pleasant, Isle of Palms, and surrounding areas.

"I want to give my clients one of a kind creations that no one else has. I do this by listening to their wants and needs instead of looking at the project on a production time scale. I do feel that every project needs to be completed in a timely manor without sacrificing quality. I enjoy my job and like the creative side that I take by adding the extra details when it's possible without adding cost to client. If I see something that would take the project to another level I just do it. I do this knowing that word of mouth can carry a company to great heights. This I learned being in the Landscape design industry for 16 plus years. If you want to make a name for yourself you have to earn it and that doesn't happen cutting corners." - Jody Smith

Visit Our Site: http://www.overlaysolutions.com/ to see some of our many decorative concrete services.

OVERLAY SOLUTIONS, LLC -DECORATIVE CONCRETE OVERLAYS

In the past when someone mentioned concrete, people rarely got excited. Concrete was usually seen as dull in appearance, somewhat expensive, and an unwise choice for a paving material given the harsh abuse of mother nature. When it came to flatwork around the home, home-owners usually ended up
settling for asphalt driveways and hoped they could afford traditional masonry for their sidewalks, patio or pool deck. Thanks to new advances, concrete is quickly redefining it’s role in the residential marketplace. Today, concrete can be made more durable with overlays applied in a wide variety of finishes and colors offering the homeowner endless design possibilities. With new tools and practices it can even acquire the look and feel of brick, slate, tile, or cobblestone for a fraction of the cost of the real material. Builders and homeowners alike are now realizing that concrete overlays can add tremendous value, flexibility, and curb appeal to their projects while allowing them to stay within budget.

“A homeowner can now have that brick or stone looking driveway and still have enough money left over to enjoy it.” says Jody Smith, Concrete Artisan & Owner of Overlay Solutions, LLC a company that specializes in decorative concrete installations in the Charleston / Summerville SC area. This material is being looked at in so many new ways. Not only are we getting more calls from general contractors, but now we’re getting just as many calls from homeowners, architects and designers asking us to consult on new design possibilities. It’s an exciting time to be in this business. ”Builders and developers of large commercial projects have long taken advantage of the beauty and flexibility of decorative concrete. To these budget-conscious professionals, it is seen as a perfect alternative to traditional masonry due to the savings in material costs, installation time, and overall maintenance. “Anyone who has been to Disney World, Six Flags Amusement Parks, or Las Vegas has probably walked all over those old cobblestone streets, slate and brick sidewalks for hours on end, never realizing it was actually concrete,” says Jody Smith.

Unfortunately, people in our area have been slow to pick up on these advances. They’ve been hesitant to use concrete creatively given the abuse it can receive during a harsh winter. Smith says this is unjustified. “Decorative concrete can be stronger and more chemical resistant than ordinary concrete with a higher cement content, advanced reinforcement materials, surface hardeners and protective sealers. Using these materials and proven cold weather placement techniques, there is no reason why a professionally installed concrete job here should not last as long as it would in any other climate.” In the past, decorative concrete was usually limited to a mason scoring a flagstone-like design, or embedding sticks, leaves and even coffee cans into the surface to achieve a desired effect. Today, the leading edge of concrete is a process called thin stamped overlays or decorative overlays. This involves stamping or impressing three-dimensional pattern tools into a polymer cement material with molds made from actual brick or stonework. When the stamping is complete, the product is then stained and sealed, highlighting the colors and providing greater stain and weather resistance. The result is a surface that combines the beauty of masonry with the durability of concrete. There are over 40 different colors to choose from, ranging from natural earth tones to bright pastels. Pattern choices include slate, brick, granite, cobblestone, tile, flagstone, and more. Although thin stamped overlays are a little more expensive than ordinary concrete work, a savings of more than 50% over masonry costs are common. Thin stamped overlays can also placed in a fraction of the time and there are no individual units that will shift or allow grass to grow in the joints. Feel free to call Overlay Solutions, LLC at (843) 871-7747 for more information.