Decorative concrete installers, in effect, produce art, so they’re often held to a much higher standard than those placing plain gray concrete. The ability to provide high quality work, satisfy customers, and gain referrals depends to a great extent on steps taken before a project even starts. The author presents seven steps that can help decorative concrete installers establish a routine, work smarter, and set themselves up for success.

A group of products developed by Surface Gel Tek, LLC, make cleaning and stenciling surfaces for decorative concrete safer, easier, and more environmentally friendly. Three of these products are combined in a process the company calls "FlattooingTM" - the art of tattooing images and graphics into concrete surfaces. Sample projects and a step-by-step walk through of the Flattooing process are presented.

In the spring of 1998, the Student Activities Committee of the ACI New Jersey Chapter proposed a concrete cylinder strength contest for local students. Since then, the contest has grown from a matchup between New Jersey’s most competitive concrete schools into the ACI Concrete Cylinder Competition, which drew 24 teams to the ACI Fall 2006 Convention in Denver, CO. Two of the people involved in launching the original competition show how the international contest came to be.