Stencil

Stencil concrete is a system of adding colour, pattern and texture to a plain concrete slab at time of pouring. The finished job has the attractive look of brick or stone with a contrasting grout line. Edges of plain, matching or contrasting pattern and colour can be added and decorative features such as special designs, company logos, monograms, can be incorperated into the paving allowing you to customise your look.

Emphasising the edging in your designs allows you to add another colour dimension to your project.It allows you to blend the colours of your external facade beautifully with your surrounding environment.

Add beauty to your living environment and add value to your Sydney home. Stencil concrete combines the unbeatable durability of concrete with the distinctive architectural appeal of traditional brick or stone pavers. Stencil concrete is stylish, strong and incredibly versatile.

Create eye catching features using contrasting colours and borders or include rosettes and compasses to add individual style. Choose from a comprehensive range range of colours from soft hues like sandy/yellows or traditional tones like red’s or terracotta’s, to add living colour to your home. There is also a wide selection of contemporary and traditional patterns to choose from, providing you with truly adaptable living solutions.

Stencil concrete is ideal for pool surrounds and enhancing your outdoor landscape as it is versatile and adds beauty to your living environment. You can also put a colour through the concrete and place your stencil pattern on top to give you a more natural look which blends in with your surrounds.

Stencilled concrete has been the rage since it was introduced to Australia in the 80’s. Almost everywhere you look now in new and old estates the most common styles of decorative concrete is the stencil concrete

commonly known among the concreting world as ‘Faux Brick’ this was the original name given to the product faux being the French word for false  “false brick”. The original method for creating this look was and still does apply today; it’s the process of laying and levelling of new concrete, then applying the stencil pattern to the surface at the correct time and cutting in to the desired job requirements.  Followed by trowling or rolling the stencil to a depth that is no deeper than the thickness of the stencil itself.

The next process is to apply the desired coloured oxides to the surface in an even and controlled manner taking care not to get any on surrounding bricks, drains, tiles, etc. so anything that is not the concrete itself really. Now if this is done at the correct time the oxide should soak up the last small amount of bleed water on the surface thus leaving a nice trowel smooth surface in preparation for the finishing of the concrete. There are many various styles of finishing the concrete and each with its advantages, styles could be Trowled, Broomed, Sponged, Coved, Hit and Miss Cove, Rolled or Wet Spray.

Below is a list of their advantages and disadvantages but at the end of the day it comes down to the owner’s preference of choice with the style they think most suits their home.  A good contractor should be able to show examples of their own work in all the above finishes as only an experienced concreter has been around long enough to master all styles of finish as most are set in their one way and that is the choice you have ‘their way’.  That’s not the way it has to be!

Trowled Finish – Stencil Concrete

Advantages

• It is a smooth finish, smooth as glass
• It is very easy to clean with broom or mop
• If tile patterns are used with this finish, they look like real tiles to the untrained eye

Disadvantages

• Very slippery when wet consider doing in dry area only (not recommended for driveways)
• Can be very glary depending on the surrounds and colour

My opinion

I would consider only having this style of finish in under cover areas only, plainly because of the slipperiness of the finish when wet, the process of achieving a trowelled finish means that the concrete has to be worked with certain tools more so then any other finish thus bringing more cement to the surface which in turn creates a stronger hard wearing surface.

As easy as this finish sounds there is quite a bit of hands and knees work and not the easiest finish to achieve.­

Broomed Finish – Stencil Concrete

Advantages

• Suits all patterns
• Gives good texture for grip
• Depth of broom texture can be manipulated to suit desired amount of traction needed i.e. steepness of driveway or path
• Easy to achieve

Disadvantages

• Can’t access all areas of job as broom needs to be pulled across job this is not always optional
• Concrete needs to set at an even rate if you have shaded areas textured finish will vary.

My opinion

Broomed finish is a good finish on steep driveways, not too hard to achieve if you are able to keep straight lines and consistent texture, this is an older finish preferred by the older concreters but is also a finish that can be resorted to on the hot days if the concrete tends to get away from you.

(fairly common)

Stencil Concrete – Sponged Finish

Advantages

• Makes for an even texture all over
• Easy to achieve
• Easy on the feet
• Easy to clean

Disadvantages

• None really

My opinion

This is a very easy finish to achieve also one that can be resorted to on the hot days but if not done right can look a little scratchy and in my opinion doesn’t leave that much of a appealing texture and if done late will wear quickly if not properly maintained with sealer.­
A not so common finish

Textured Roller

Advantages

• None really

Disadvantages

• Concrete needs to be quiet wet to achieve desired finish
• Same problem with shaded areas
• Because of the nature of finish other stages have to be hurried along thus resulting in problems with colour bleeding under stencil pattern if it is a stencil job
• Stencil could be pushed to deep because of premature colour application
• Roller lines may be noticed.

My opinion

Be wary of anyone offering this finish to you. I wouldn’t offer it to you as a last resort, concrete finished wet is a recipe for disaster as it was not meant to be finished wet and thus shouldn’t.  It will simply chalk up and wear in no time, there are more defects that will occur, simply avoid such finishes.
Not a common finish though I wouldn’t even class it as a finish at all

Cove finish  (full cove finish)

Advantages

• Even textured finish
• Great traction
• Looks good
• Hard wearing surface
• Good depth of colour is worked into surface if using oxide

Disadvantages

• To avoid colour variations in finish ‘once you start you can’t stop’
• Shaded areas will result in problems with first point

My opinion

This is a good way to finish concrete, because of this technique the concrete has to be worked and makes for a good strong surface. Like the Broomed style, it is one of the original finishing techniques but timing is of the importance and you need to be on your game and aware of all elements that could hamper you in giving a flawless finish.
This is a common finishing technique.

Hit and Miss Cove

• Tends to visually collect more of a build up of dirt and grime

Advantages

• Makes for a more natural look and gives the impression that a second colour has been added
• It is a very forgiving technique if weather conditions are not so favourable
• Suits jobs that are half in sun and shade as it overcomes the difficulties that are had with other finishes.

Disadvantages

• Same disadvantages as Full Cove style but can tend to look dirty if not maintained.

My opinion
This is similar to the Full Cove style except you don’t rub all of the colour in completely, hence the name ‘hit and miss’ this is a very versatile finish and has a motley appeal and because of the technique it looks as if 2 colours have been used.  This finish can be restored also if the concrete has gone to hard and a Full Cove style is not achievable.
This is a common finishing style

Wet spray

Advantages

• Overcomes all problems with shaded areas
• Makes for an even coat of colour over job
• Suits patterned and non patterned concrete
• Great traction
• Perfect for pool surrounds as well as driveways, paths and patios
• Can be used as an alternate finish if the days weather turns bad

Disadvantages

• A tad harder to sweep than other finishes.

My opinion
This is the newest product on the block bringing an older technique to fresh concrete.  This re-surfacing technique has now been adapted to fresh concrete with advances in products. It has been around now for 5 or so years and still 95% of concreters either do not know how to apply this product or are scared of it because of the first reason. If you are set up with the right gear and knowledge to achieve this particular finish it can really help you out in sticky situations not to mention its superior looking finish and slip proof qualities.

This is not a very common finish because of what I have mentioned above but should not be dismissed as one of your choices of preferred finish as in my opinion this is a superior product with more appeal than the rest coupled with its advantages.