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| I have never given much thought to concrete, unless I accidentally trip on a raised part of a sidewalk or driveway. In fact, until I met Kevin Bloomer, manager of the Gierke-Robinson Company in Bettendorf, I looked at concrete as a necessary evil. Most certainly, the words “decorative concrete” were not part of my vocabulary. They are now. Kevin filled me in on the many uses of decorative concrete. He says the most popular type is stamped concrete. Until he showed me pictures, I didn’t realize that many times when I thought I was walking on tile, stone, brick, or wood, I was actually walking on concrete. A 14-year veteran with Gierke-Robinson, Kevin got into decorative concrete seven years ago. He says that customers were calling him to ask about the decorative concrete they had seen while on vacation somewhere. So, Kevin began working on getting into the decorative concrete business, and it has proved to be very successful, he says. I think it’s amazing what can be done with decorative concrete. Kevin points out that any type can be made to look like whatever you want. It’s like working with clay He says you can make it very ornate by joining different patterns and colors, and you can also create accent designs and borders. He adds that this type of finish is popular for patios, driveways, and sidewalks. Kevin tells me that concrete countertops are gaining in popularity, especially bar counters that are used for both indoor and outdoor kitchens. These are also popular in barbecue areas. You can even have a sink made out of concrete. Sinks can be square, oval, round, or rectangular. Vanities and pedestals can be made out of concrete. Even furniture designers are using decorative concrete to design one-of-a-kind pieces, including dining tables, chairs, bookcases, and benches. Kevin says that countertops are easy to install. Gierke-Robinson represents the Buddy Rhodes All-in-One System. As Kevin explains, everything you need is included in this package. “We can walk you through it step-by-step,” says Kevin. You’ll end up with a good result, and you’ll be very satisfied with it, he adds. Customer Ed Dilworth of Davenport can attest to that. He and his wife installed a concrete countertop overlay system by themselves. Ed says it was not hard to do, but if it hadn’t been for Gierke-Robinson, he would have spent thousands of dollars more than he ended up spending. He adds that anytime he had a problem, he called Chad Roelf at Gierke-Robinson and Chad explained what to do step-by-step. Ed says that he and his wife are extremely pleased with the finished product. “People who come to the house and see it are amazed. It was well worth it.” He adds, “We put it on over a year ago and it still looks nice. It hasn’t lost its shine and it wears very well.” Another satisfied customer is Gary Locke of Kewanee, Illinois. Gary and his wife came across Gierke-Robinson’s booth at a Quad Cities home builder’s show held in the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island. Gary says that they were building a new home at the time. After installing a floor heating system, they poured the concrete slab and installed designs with highlights and different effects in each room of the house. He says that everyone who comes to the house thinks the floors are made of marble or slate. “The building inspector was amazed,” he says. “He looked at the floor and asked, ‘What kind of stone is that?’ When I told him it was concrete, he said he was going to put in a concrete patio.” Gary emphasizes that he and his wife could not have done this project without Gierke-Robinson guiding them. “We learned a lot from them,” says Gary. “Everything went smoothly, and going with the decorated concrete was much cheaper than tile and carpet. It is a good company to work with.” Stamped concrete has become very popular. Experts claim that it has grown in popularity because the concrete stamp mats and concrete texturing tools produce very realistic results. Most people cannot tell the difference between today’s version of stamped concrete and more expensive materials such as brick, slate, and natural stone, Kevin points out. Concrete stamp patterns are available in a number of different patterns, including flagstone, cobblestone, fieldstone, and the aforementioned brick, slate, and natural stone. The rubber stamps can also be made to resemble wood, rock salt finishes, broom finishes, fossils, and leaves. In addition, stamped concrete can be used for vertical applications to create the look of stone or brick walls. Shawn McDermott, owner of Elite Concrete in Davenport, has nothing but good things to say about Gierke-Robinson, and Kevin specifically, in connection with using stamped and colored concrete. Shawn says, “Kevin is very knowledgeable on all aspects of the concrete world. Before I opened my own business, he was pretty much always the go-to guy. Now I use him for consultations all the time.” Shawn adds, “He comes out to the job sites and works with the customer. His advice is always dead-on.” Shawn says he strongly recommends using Gierke-Robinson for all decorative concrete projects because they do a great job. Another increasingly popular type of decorative concrete is referred to as acid-based concrete stains. Penetrating concrete stains enter the surface pores, chemically reacting with the cement. The result is a natural-looking, permanent color and durable finish that won’t peel or flake. The acid stains create irregular patterns that look like marble, Kevin explains. Acid-based concrete stains can be applied to old or new concrete to create a distinctive look, and they can be used on interior and exterior surfaces. Driveways, walkways, and patios are very popular for this method, as well as porches, landscape pavers, retaining walls, and garage and basement floors. Gierke-Robinson is located at 701 14th Street in Bettendorf; 14th Street is the street that exits directly off the I-74 bridge coming from Illinois. You will see Ross’ Restaurant on your left. The store hours are 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, and 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday. The phone numbers are 563-355-1120 or 1-800-765-4673. Kevin Bloomer can be e-mailed at kbloomer@grco.com. His cell phone number is 563-529-4871. The inside salespeople are Chad Roelf and Kim West. The company Web site is www.grco.com. Editor’s note: Additional information was obtained from www.concretenetwork.com. |
Gierke-Robinson Company |
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