Concrete: Not Just For Sidewalks Anymore

David Stephenson, co-owner of American Concrete Concepts Inc. in Rogers, is changing the way floors look in Northwest Arkansas one bid specification at a time.

He sets up individual “lunch and learn” sessions for local architects and engineers. “By training them to put better quality products in their bid specs, it’s changing the way floors look,” Stephenson said.

When he and business partner Rushard Hudson first moved to Northwest Arkansas from Houston a year ago, they were getting bid specs that asked for wax sealer.

“Well, wax sealer only lasts about a month to two months,” Stephenson said. “Then you have to re-wax it.”

Stephenson and Hudson worked in Houston’s decorative concrete segment for years before moving to the “virgin territory” of concrete finish in Northwest Arkansas.

“I had to educate the marketplace,” Stephenson said. “Our work is part construction and part design. The guys that were in here before were only doing construction.”

American Concrete specializes in concrete acid wash, acid stain and overlay for concrete floors. Stephenson said the cost of putting finished concrete in a home is $3.25- $3.75 per SF. The national average is about $5.25 per SF. The cost does not usually vary from new to existing homes, Stephenson said. The cost could be greater, however, depending on the prep-work needed for the condition of an existing surface, he said.

“You can get acid stain for cheaper,” Stephenson said, “but it wears away quicker and requires more maintenance.”

Stephenson and Hudson bought a franchise in June for $10,000 from Concrete Coatings Inc. of Salt Lake City and incurred additional startup costs of $10,000.

“Concrete is virtually impervious to damage, it’s warmer than tile and it’s easier to clean than tile or carpet,” Stephenson said. “You could eventually, in a 15-year period, wear through our sealer coat.”

Right now, the business is booked six to eight weeks in advance. Stephenson estimates the firm does a 50/50 mix of commercial and residential work. It has completed projects, has new bids with, or is contracted to do work for: Nabholz Construction Corp. of Rogers, SSI Inc. of Northwest Arkansas, Dixie Construction LLC of Fayetteville, Buildings Inc. of Springdale and Heckathorn Construction Co. of Fayetteville.

Jim Kronkow, construction manager for C.R. Lehman Properties, said he’s seen the requests for finished concrete increase dramatically.

“I think it has probably increased in popularity 300 percent,” Kronkow said. “Prior to two years ago, we didn’t get any requests.”

Prices, Kronkow said, have dropped since the initial popularity of the finished concrete trend.

C.R. Lehman Properties gets requests for both commercial and residential finished concrete applications, he said. Lehman owns Village on the Creeks, a 265,682-SF office/retail development in Rogers with 28,000 SF of available space. Kronkow has referred at least three jobs for his Village retail customers to American Concrete Concepts. He estimates that 25 percent of his customers asked for concrete in 2003.

Lehman wouldn’t dare attempt stained concrete themselves, Kronkow said.

“You are relying on a chemical reaction to happen,” he said. “If you don’t know what you are doing, you are going to make a mess. If you’ve got time to experiment, that’s fine. But when you are out there for the customer, you don’t have time to do that.”

American Concrete has also moved into the bathroom, offering concrete finish in the shower at $4.50 to $5.00 per SF. They can make concrete look like tile, and it’s 100 percent waterproof. They’ve done seven so far.