Decorative Concrete Paperback – 1 June 2005

great book

I've purchased other books on decorative concrete, but this is the first one that I think is worth what I paid! It has excellent discussions of different techniques and materials, something that other books lacked. And, since they are not promoting some specific product, they provide information about products that are not as expensive as some of the systems that are being sold. The pictures are not as detailed as would be helpful on some pages, but that is a minor issue. There are enough step by step instructions to make it possible to do projects from the book as you learn the techniques. I highly recommend it.

This is a surprisingly comprehensive overview of the potentials and techniques of creating concrete projects for the average homeowner. It shows both process and end product for a number of highly creative results, from polished concrete counters, to tinted floors and sidewalks, to one-of-a-kind sinks. As with most Sunset books, the illustrations are clear, the photos are gorgeous and unique, and the content an inspiration. While, for example, you'd probably not be able to create one the sinks pictured just from the instructions in the book, you'd still be inspired to create.

This book is not bad, but as another reviewer says, it lacks detail. It badly needs an expanded contents page. However, for the price the book is worth it.It has a lot of really nice pictures that give good inspiration, such as stains, test blocks and sinks. It has several good step by step examples, such as building a cast in place counter top, an upside down counter and a farm sink.The 'section' on floors is three inches of half page text and four pages of pictures, plus a two page project of covering a concrete floor with a commercial topping product.The center of my copy has sixteen pages duplicated upside down. Not a big deal, but the printer needs a bit better quality control.

I'd bought other books on the subject, but they were all just pics of other people's creations. This book goes a bit further. It not only provides great photos to spark your creativity, but also some very good basic instruction, and semi-step-by-step images of many projects. It also covers good basics on the different types of concrete for varied projects. Though there is room for improvement, I definitely recommend picking this up if you have any interest in doing your own indooor or outdoor concrete projects.