4 Creative Ways of using Concrete in your backyard

While many homeowners can easily envision entertaining in their backyard, other Phoenix area homeowners wouldn’t dare. If your backyard leaves little to be desired, perhaps you just need a little help to add a few features to your backyard landscape. Many people overlook the use of concrete, but this durable material offers an affordable way to build out backyard features you desire. Plus, concrete won’t give you sticker shock like natural stone or brick - especially when you chose epoxy flooring options or stamped concrete overlays. Take a look at these ideas that can have your southwest home ready for some genuine entertaining.

A Perfect Patio

Picture  great looking patio flooring with the look and feel of natural stone. Add in a few chairs with a table and umbrella, and you have yourself a great place to serve meals or simply sit and read a book.

Grilling Station and Wet Bar

What summer weekend would be complete without a place to grill or serve up a cold beverage? Using concrete to create a grilling station with a bar is easy to design. Plus, adding this feature for entertaining doesn’t require much space. You can install something small for two people or go as large as six. Whatever you choose, your concrete contractor can help you find the perfect look to match your façade.

Concrete Pergola Hot Tub

Adding a pergola for a spa can make a stressful day much more relaxing. Plus, if you like to garden, a concrete pergola is a great way to grow natural shade without risking wood rot. Placing a spa underneath give you and your family plenty of opportunity to watch the stars as you sip on a nice glass of wine.

Simple Fire Pit

While it’s not often those homeowners in Phoenix need to light a fire to keep warm, it does happen occasionally. A concrete fire pit can extend the life of your backyard throughout the fall and winter months.

Click here to set a free estimate! Our decorative coating contractors are committed to meeting your needs and exceeding your expectations with each and every project, and look forward to talking to you about stamped concrete flooring or other floor coatings!

This content originally posted @ http://www.ultimatecoatingsaz.com/4-creative-ways-using-concrete-backyard/

Pool Days A Few Days Away- Time To Get It Ready!

If you live in the Phoenix or surrounding areas, you know just how brutal the Arizona summer heat can be. This heat can also have a significant effect on your pool deck. The Desert City sees, on average, 17 days where temps are 110°F or above. What does this have to do with your pool deck? In direct sunlight, the concrete surrounding your pool can get up to 30 degrees higher than the air temperature. A Kool Deck can only be installed when your concrete is poured. But, what do you do when your Kool Deck needs repairs? Ultimate has you covered- and is known for doing 5 star work when it comes to Phoenix concrete resurfacing!

When Your Kool Deck Isn't So Cool Anymore

Over time, your Kool Deck can fade, crack, and sustain damages. Our team of professionals have the experience and expertise to transform your damaged and faded Kool Deck, bringing it back to life. We only use the highest-quality materials that are completely comparable and compatible with CoolDeck and designed specifically for repairs. These products are only available to select professionals, and can't be purchased in home improvement stores. If you find yourself tempted to repair your pool deck or patio flooring yourself, don't. Repair and resurfacing kits sold at home improvement stores are incredibly substandard in quality and applications. (Not to mention the lack of a guarantee.) With Ultimate on your side, your project will come with an unconditional, 100% satisfaction guarantee that will remain in force for as long as you own your home.

The Ultimate Experience

With one phone call to Ultimate Concrete Coatings, you are well on your way to a gorgeous, newly repaired cool concrete pool deck. Our professionals are dedicated to offering superior service and workmanship on each and every project. Contact us today for more information about your pool deck repair or resurfacing needs. Our professional staff can answer any questions you may have. If you live within 100 miles of downtown Phoenix, our visit will be completely FREE.

The First Things to Look For Epoxy Floor Coatings

It's been said that the owner of a commercial business must answer to three “masters”: customers, employees and the building's maintenance team.

If you're debating which type of flooring to install in your business, you might think you'll never be able to please all three of these masters. But think again, especially if you consider how epoxy coating flooring can address the five top criterion to which all all commercial flooring choices should be subjected:

Epoxy is durable – easily deflecting high foot traffic and heavy loads and outlasting any other type of commercial flooring or garage flooring or patio flooring or pool concrete areas.

Our epoxy floor coatings are safe – especially since floors are treated with a high-performance finish that creates a non-slip surface. It is also blissfully low maintenance and easy to clean – making it a sure winner among your maintenance crew, for obvious reasons, but also your customers and employees, who should not be inconvenienced by time-consuming cleaning routines necessitated by stains or spills.

Specially created epoxy Cool Deck Coating  turns a blind eye to weather and climate – and not just temperatures but also moisture that people will track in from the outdoors from getting out of the pool

Stamped concrete coatings areas, aesthetically appealing – especially if you venture beyond its traditional gray history and choose stained or stamped concrete  effects that can resemble marble or stone and infuse your business with color and style. You also can customize concrete with, say, your business' logo, emblem or mascot for a truly personal touch.

If the last point in particular has captured your imagination, reach out to Ultimate Concrete Coatings. We specialize in protecting, improving and enhancing concrete with our affordable epoxy finishes. Our professional concrete coatings team will show you how to address the expectations of those three masters -- and exceed them, too. Contact us now!

Install a Concrete Floor for Lasting Durability and a Beautiful Look

When installing a floor, homeowners and businesses have many materials to choose from. Few, however, provide the lasting durability and versatile beauty of concrete flooring. Concrete is far from a bland grey surface that crumbles over time. It’s a long-lasting building material that, once finished, can look just as good as the finest stones.  Concrete Provides Lasting Durability  Concrete is used in many building applications, because it’s a strong, durable material. According to Houzz, when concrete is properly installed by a concrete floor contractor and correctly maintained it can last for a century or more. In many cases, a concrete floor can outlast the building it’s in or near.  Concrete Provides Customizable Beauty  Concrete itself is drab and grey. A skilled concrete floor contractor can transform an ordinary slab of concrete into a beautiful surface that’s worthy of being the focal point in a room or yard. Depending on the area the concrete’s being installed and what you want it to look like, a concrete floor contractor might:  apply a non-slip epoxy coating (e.g. in a garage or around a pool)  stamp a decorative overlay (e.g. to make it look like stone or brick)  use a hand trowel to create a customized, textured design  Talk with a Concrete Floor Contractor  To learn more about concrete’s durability and versatility, talk with a local concrete floor contractor in your area. If you live in Phoenix, concrete floors can be installed year-round, including in the heat of summer and cool of winter, so there’s no reason today. Contact the top concrete coatings contractor today.

Benefits of Epoxy Garage Floors - How to Choose the Right Contractor

Compared to basic garage floors, which are nothing more than a slab of concrete, epoxy garage floors look great. They come in many different colors, and they can either be one solid color or have chips of different colors. Epoxy coatings don’t just cover up old stains in garage floors, though. They also have many practical benefits when they’re properly installed. Here’s why you might want to consider hiring a contractor to install an epoxy coating over your garage floor.

The Benefits of Epoxy Garage Floors

Epoxy garage floors create an impermeable seal over concrete, protecting it from several potential risks. Because liquids can’t seep down into it, an epoxy coating will bead up moisture and resist oil stains. In fact, cleaning an epoxy floor is as easy as wiping off your kitchen counter. It might actually be easier, depending how many crumbs are on your counters.

Some homeowners are concerned about slipping on the moisture that beads up, but many contractors that install epoxy coatings in garages add a slip-resistant coating. Providing traction, even when the floor is wet, this coating will help you stay on your feet when getting into and out of your car.

The Traits Contractors Should Have

When looking for a contractor to install an epoxy garage floor, you should first look for one near you. It doesn’t make sense to call companies in Florida about epoxy flooring in Phoenix. Unless you live in an extremely rural area, though, you’ll likely find several contractors who will do the job for you. Because the equipment required to install an epoxy floor can be transported, many contractors cover a wide region. In fact, one contractor who specializes in epoxy flooring in Phoenix will go to any home within 100 miles of the city.

If you have several contractors to choose from, you can how good a job they’ll do by asking about the preparation methods they use. A good contractor will customize the preparation to your specific garage floor, and the preparation might include:

• etching or grinding to ensure proper adhesion
• removing an existing coating
• treating any cracks in the underlying concrete

If you’d like your garage floor to look great, resist spills and be slip-resistant, contact an epoxy flooring contractor in your area. They’ll be able to explain the process of applying the coating and schedule to do the work soon.

Epoxy Garage Floors

After years of being parked on and used for all manner of purposes, garage floors will show wear and tear. Installing a new garage floor is usually impractical and cost-prohibitive, but epoxy garage floors return garages to like-new splendor without ripping up all the concrete. If your home’s garage has seen better days, consider giving it a makeover with an epoxy garage floor. They’re affordable and have several benefits.


















The Benefits of Epoxy Garage Floors

Garage floors can have three different finishes: plain concrete, paint or epoxy. If you want to protect your garage’s floor, you’ll want to either paint it or cover it with an epoxy coating. Paint is the less expensive of the two options (although epoxy garage floors are affordable), but epoxy provides more protection and lasts longer. As many realtors and expert conclude, applying an epoxy finish is a better investment than simply painting your garage floor.

Epoxy garage floors will:

• bead up moisture
• wipe clean like a kitchen counter
• resist oil stains

Possible Designs of Epoxy Garage Floors

Unlike plain concrete garage floor, epoxy flooring finishes don’t have to look mundane, worn and gray. They’re available in many different colors and patterns. No matter what your house’s colors are, you can probably find an epoxy finish that matches it.

Incorporating colors and patterns into an epoxy coating isn’t merely cosmetic. When done well, an epoxy coating can mask minor imperfections in the underlying concrete slab. The finish will disguise your garage floor’s faults, and make sure water and oil don’t seep down into any cracks.

Textured Epoxy Floors

Even though Phoenix doesn’t see much rain, some residents are concerned that epoxy is too slippery when it’s wet. Modern epoxy garage floors, however, have antiskid additives that provide grip. With an additive included, you’ll not have any problem walking on your garage floor -- even when it does rain, and the floor becomes wet.

If you’re tired of a drab garage floor that shows years of wear and tear, invest in an epoxy garage floor. You’ll be amazed at how sleek it looks and how well it holds up. It’s not a huge investment, and you’ll have a like-new garage floor for years to come.

 

Decorative Concrete Patio

 

When you're looking to install or update your exterior entertaining areas, consider the resilient beauty of decorative concrete patio options that include stamping and coloring. Stamped and colored concrete combines the stunning appearance of an indoor floor with the weather resistance and durability of exterior concrete in an affordable and long-lasting material. Benefits of a decorative concrete patio

One of the top benefits of a decorative concrete patio is that it offers options that impossible to achieve with other patio materials. Concrete is fully customizable because you can pour it into any size or shape to fit your exact space. The options for concrete stamping and coloring include brick, stone, and wood grain textures. Professional installers color your decorative concrete patio to complement your exterior details and landscape with a natural appearance similar to wood, stone or brick. To frame the concrete patio, professionals can install a decorative border that has a contrasting pattern and/or color. Achieving those results with true brick, stone or wood would be more expensive and labor intensive.

Designed for exterior entertaining

A decorative concrete patio is the ideal surface for exterior entertaining including eating, relaxing, and socializing. With an outdoor kitchen and different areas for conversation and dining, a concrete patio provides a durable, beautiful floor your guests will admire. With additional concrete features including a concrete walkway leading down to another patio area featuring a fire pit or fireplace, you create a unique backyard oasis. 

Mimics grouted stone

You can take a decorative concrete patio to another level by creating a tiered concrete patio that mimics the appearance of grouted stone. Stamping concrete in the form and color of slate gives a tiered patio a hand-laid stone appearance. By using a concrete base colored in a pale blue color then accenting with highlights after hardening, the material appears to be slate and adding imitation grout lines completes the stunning illusion that ensures no one but you will know it's stamped concrete, not slate. 

Obtaining the stone, wood, or brick appearance you've been dreaming of for your exterior entertaining area is easy with a decorative concrete patio. It's an affordable and durable option with nearly endless versatility. According to ConcreteNetwork.com, achieving the high-end look of natural stone is easy and affordable with a decorative concrete patio, which frees up money in your budget for other exterior enhancements such as an outside kitchen or fire pit.

Building a Backyard Patio Made Beautiful with Stamped Concrete

A backyard patio is the perfect place for sitting beside the pool, having a cookout, 

or just lounging and reading a book. In order to fully enjoy your backyard, though, 

you need landscaping that creates a relaxing atmosphere. Specifically, your patio 

needs to be inviting -- beautiful and attractive, not cold and grey. With stamped 

concrete, it’s easy to transform an otherwise plain slab of concrete into a 

stunning backyard patio.

Stamped Concrete is Beautiful

A well-designed stamped concrete patio will dismantle any misconceptions that 

concrete is merely a utilitarian building material. Stamped concrete is still an 

affordable, strong and versatile building material, as all concrete is. It’s also 

aesthetically pleasing, though.

Stamped concrete is available in any number of colors and patterns. For 

instance, a stamped concrete patio might resemble:

• large, pink blocks of granite
• subdued, non-uniform pieces of flagstone
• square, grey sections of slate
• uniform, patterned bricks

Alternatively, bolder colors or more abstract designs can be worked into stamped 

concrete patio.

Create a Customized Stamped Concrete Patio

With many colors and patterns available, the possibilities are virtually limitless. 

Working with a creative contractor that has installed many stamped concrete 

patios, you’ll be able to design something that is practical, beautiful and unique to 

your backyard. No other building material makes building an inviting backyard 

patio easier than stamped concrete.

Horrible looking Concrete?

You probably chose concrete for your driveway, garage, patio or walkway because of its durability and reputation for giving even the toughest stains the cold shoulder.

So if a little dirt and grime has marred the surface, this is no time to grow fickle on your surface of choice. Concrete responds surprisingly well to gentle cleaning treatments – and some elbow grease. Whether you wish to clean standard or decorative concrete, begin by sweeping the surface to clear it of topical dust and debris. Then proceed accordingly:

Clean Standard Concrete

• Hose down the concrete, paying special attention to corners and crevices, where dirt usually accumulates. Your goal is to remove even more dirt and to leave the surface slightly puddled with water.
• Sprinkle the concrete with a granular cleaner, such as Bartender's Friend or Comet.
• Scrub the cleaning agent into the floor with a push broom.
• Hose down the concrete.

If your concrete is particularly dirty, or contains oil and grease stains, consider using a power washer instead of a hose for extra cleaning power. Whether you decide to rent or buy this handy tool, choose one with a psi (pounds per square inch) of 3,000 and a flow rate of at least four gallons per minute.

Clean Decorative Concrete

• Run a dust mop or a microfiber cloth over the surface to remove fine dust or particles that might be left over from sweeping. Your goal is to remove the last barrier between you and the concrete surface.
• Pour a few tablespoons of mild dish soap into a bucket. (Do not use vinegar or ammonia, both of which could damage decorative concrete.) Fill the bucket with warm water.
• Use a mop to clean the concrete in small sections. Replenish the mop with the sudsy solution frequently and wring it out before applying it to the concrete.
• Refill the bucket with warm water only and mop the concrete again to remove any soapy residue.

When you're finished, your concrete should look as clean as it did when it was installed. It might even give you ideas to take the process one step further and change the color or add a coating to enhance its durability. That's when it's time to call Ultimate Concrete Coatings, Phoenix's premier indoor and outdoor concrete specialists. We're teeming with creative ideas for your home – and look forward to sharing every one of them with you.