impressiverestorations.com Blog

Recently Impressive Restorations received an email with questions about one of the photos on our website. They wanted to know what kind of tile we used for the backsplash in the Georgia Place Tuscan Kitchen Remodel.

It’s ALL CONCRETE! No Tile was used in this kitchen. The decorative concrete in this case was applied over the existing laminate countertops. It was added in two layers… to give it the “tile and grout” 3D effect. But, honest to goodness everything you see in that kitchen that looks like tile…. IS CONCRETE. The Floor is concrete, the countertop is concrete… and YES the Backsplash is all concrete.

The fun thing about this method, is that you can make it look like nearly anything you want. Tile, brick and stone are the most popular. Yes, we can make it look like granite for much cheaper. Yes, we can make it look just like tile, only better. The advantage to using these products instead of tile and grout is… no chipping, and no grout cleaning or replacing… because it’s not grout. We have several different types of Food Safe sealers we can use, it’s your choice. Some choose a rougher natural stone feel, some choose a high build epoxy finish.

It really is all Concrete by Impressive Restorations. If you have any questions about our products pr services…. Don’t hesitate to call… (405(824-5910

This home was already graced with a large front porch and gorgeous covered back patio, Impressive Restorations added some beauty with a hand done concrete overlay. The gracious homeowners asked for something like flagstone, in colors to go with the brick of the home.

We always try to use colors that match the permanent features of a home. Paint colors can change, and go in and out of style yearly. Masonry on the otherhand is timeless. Stone, brick and concrete will live on long after the paint colors become dated. In our color process we never try to duplicate the brick colors, unless of course we are doing faux brick as accents, and then we try to make it as exact as possible. Instead we use the dominant colors of the brick as a background and the others as high and low lights. This way the patterns aren’t too busy to look at but blend as if they were always there.

Each client is special to us, and each job unique. We really do this work on our hands and knees, every inch counts.

We don’t hesitate to say that most decorative concrete contractors think we are crazy. They do it all standing up, spraying on concrete, stain etc. The faster they do it, the more money they make. We can’t even look at it that way. This is art. That’s why we do it.

In our latest home remodeling project, we worked with an artist, Mark, to enhance his home. Mark had concerns about allergies with existing carpet left over from previous owners. He also had begun painting a wonderful mural in the master bedroom. Impressive Restorations had to come up with a plan that would look good throughout the home, but especially work with the artistically painted master bedroom. Mark opted for a solid surface overlay, which we also hand colored to go with his master bedroom color palette, and adjusted to work in all three bedrooms, the office, the kitchen/dining area, as well as the large living room. We also resurfaced the tile on the fireplace surround, and customized his entry landing with a graphic design.

In Mark’s home, as in many others Impressive Restorations used concrete overlay products to go right over the existing tile in the kitchen and dining area. We used much the same process to overcoat the fireplace surround, and the entry landing. We can make the transitions smoothly from room to room, or make the overlay stand out, as we did on the hearth area.

As always, you can see the entire Impressive Restorations job photo portfolio on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/impressiverestorations/ Search Impressive Restorations.

Questions? Call us at (405) 824-5910.

For this floor in South West Oklahoma City we did something a little different. Many folks ask us for a tile look in 3D, or even a brick look. This floor is a single textured surface. The hand coloring gives it more interest, of course, than a single color would. The original floor was hexagonal tile, which looked old-fashioned. This new updated floor, along with the new concrete shower enclosure, and new concrete countertop, is a huge difference. The old look was fussy, the new look is modern, yet warm and inviting. Eliminating the fussiness enlarges the look and the warm tones make it oh, so relaxing!

The most interesting thing about his approach, single level overlay… is that it is actually cheaper than a tile look, even though it’s hand colored. Just one more of the many options we offer at Impressive Restorations.

Thanks for taking the time to learn about us, we appreciate our clients so very much. Thanks for telling your friends and relations about us.

Want to change the look of your kitchen floor? Tired of the old, or outdated tiles you have? Did you know that Impressive Restorations can overlay existing tile? You bet we can!

This job in Highland Lakes neighborhood in Edmond had just this dilemma. Existing white 12″ square tiles, with dark grout, made it difficult to keep this kitchen floor looking clean. In some areas tiles were cracked as well. The homeowners asked for a larger tile look, with a Tuscan theme to update their kitchen floor. The transformation is amazing. The kitchen opens out into many other rooms and it has changed the look, and feel of the area. These tones are much warmer and more welcoming than the previous white tiles. All waterproof and easy to clean with household chemicals.. you can even wax and buff if you like. Very durable, won’t crack if your kids drop a can on it, like tile could.

We’ve been working on small jobs and paperwork here at the end of the year. We are happy to report that we have updated the website and added a new Frequently Asked Questions page. We would love feedback from our fans. If you have any questions you would like added… feel free to ask them via this post, or info@impressiverestorations.com

Look for new posts and photos of our kitchen floor job next week.

Thanks so much for all of your support this past year!

Our latest job all started with the love of a volunteer grapevine. The homeowner had a grapevine come up near her back patio slab. Surely planted by the birds that frequent the neighborhood. She at first was skeptical and tried to cut it back, dig it out, and otherwise destroy it. It just would not die. So, being the reasonable person she is, our homeowner decided if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em- so to speak. She let it grow up and over a dog kennel, and when it engulfed the dog kennel she used a wooden support. The grapevine of course continued to show it’s can-do spirit and covered everything put in it’s path.

Meanwhile Impressive Restorations was working on a neighbors patio and our grapevine friend came over for a look. She loved the idea of salvaging her concrete patio, even enlarging it a bit… but first must come the grapevine. What she needed was a pergola, a really sturdy and lovely looking support for her grapevine. Impressive Restorations agreed to do both. The results are a happy home for the volunteer grapevine, and a new outdoor room for our homeowner! The patio slab was repaired and enlarged, then Impressive Restorations put down a hand designed flagstone overlay. We hand-colored it to the homeowner’s liking. We were rewarded with jars of Grape Jelly… from the very intrepid grapevine. It was great, by the way! Thanks Betty!

To see more photos from this job… Click Here

As always… Impressive Restorations (405)824-5910

At Impressive Restorations we get many questions about existing concrete problems. In one of our recent jobs we addressed one of them… What to do about a sunken walkway, that was below grade, and always dirty because of it. It was also lower than an adjoining patio slab, as well as lower than an adjoining garage entry slab. This made a tripping hazard. We were able to fix all of this and make it beautiful into the bargain.

On this site, the existing concrete walkway was in good condition. Impressive Restorations was able to form and pour another 3 inches of concrete on top of the original. We included expansion joints, to control cracking. Once the additional concrete was cured, we added the decorative cemetitious overlay in a pattern and colors of the homeowner’s choice. We have more photos of the Patio slab and other areas of the walkway here at our Flickr photo site

If you have any questions about concrete repair feel free to call Impressive Restorations (405) 824-5910

This could be your driveway!

… IF you don’t attend to cracks, and seal your concrete from the weather. Impressive Restorations offers both services, Crack Repair, and Sealing.

Damage to concrete happens because water trickles in any void, and in freezing weather water expands to become ice. The ice widens existing cracks, and the cycle repeats itself to damage your concrete. Left unchecked cracks can lead to spalling and crumbling concrete. When it reaches a certain point, replacement becomes your only option. This is easier, and of course, cheaper to fix now rather than later.

Impressive Restorations uses an epoxy treatment for cracks before freezing weather drives your concrete apart.

If you have weeds/grass growing through your cracks, damage has already been done. We can clean these out, and in some cases actually use a grinder to open them up to accept an epoxy treatment to literally join the two sides permantly. We can pressure-wash your drive, and or walks, to thoroughly clean them. Then we seal with a water proof sealer, either solvent based, or water based. Or we can use a colored sealer if you prefer, in hundreds of color options. This water-proof layer will protect your concrete drive from freezing weather.

Additionally we offer decorative cementitious overlay design options to completely conceal those cracks and prevent further damage. See our website for more ideas!

Please call Impressive Restorations for a free estimate (405) 824-5910

New Coupon!!! Good til October 15th ’09. Click HERE!