THE NEWELL POST: A trip to Concrete Boutique

A modern touch

Made in Italy, these funky chairs were constructed using air-molding technology. The chairs come in five fun colors and are suitable for indoor and outdoor use. Make them the finishing touch to a modern living or dining room, or use them to brighten up a porch or patio. Visit  www.umodern.com  for more information.

Jax Gems: Concrete Boutique I want to thank those of you who responded to my call for Jacksonville Gems - fabulous, but perhaps underrated local resources for home decor/improvement items.

The first response encouraged me to check out  Concrete Boutique , a place I have often driven past but had never stopped in to check out for myself - until last week.

Concrete Boutique, located at 3642 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville, offers more than its name alludes to. Concrete, yes, in almost any form you can imagine. Some of my favorites were the animals: majestic cats, sassy frogs, lazy hippos, friendly dogs and a lone, but adorable hedgehog, to name a few. But visitors can also peruse a host of other items for both indoors and out, and in different materials such as ceramic, resin, cast iron and wood.

The outside showroom has a lot to offer to furnish a back or front yard, far more options than the standard garden gnome or fairy. Plus, the place is well-organized so it's easy to find a treasure, especially if you have a theme in mind. Concrete items come in their original color but can be painted upon request.

What to go for:

Fountains - small- to large-scale, perfect for a residential yard Benches Birdbaths Figurines and statues in a myriad of themes, some of which include: religion, musical instruments, Asian (warriors, pagodas, Buddha, etc.

How to Build a Concrete Patio | Everyday Guide

A patio is an outdoor area that is made in a residential area normally for relaxing while viewing the compound. In some places it can be open without roofing although some areas are covered or roofed. Making a patio is a task that will take up a lot of energy but there are several steps that may be followed to create a patio that has a smooth concrete surface. When selecting the materials needed to start making the patio, it may be wise to look for the materials needed at the local store for home improvement.

When all the equipments have been gathered, start building the patio by making use of stakes, strings and chalks to outline where the concrete patio will be. The strings are placed outside the perimeter of the outline exactly 3 inches away. The space is left for the wooden forms. Mark the bends that will be on the concrete patio using a garden hose. Dig up the area for the patio and make use of weed killers so that the vegetation can be rid of. After this is done, utilize the expansion strips so that the locations of the patio contact with a building or wall is indicated. The forms are built by using pound stakes and 2 x 4’s into the ground to make sure the stakes are at the same level as the top of the forms. Double-headed nails are placed through the stakes and into the boards so that they are held in place. When the form is in place, a two inch base of gravel is placed together with crushed rock and cinders. This is done so to provide some form of flexibility to ensure that the concrete will not crack in times of winter when the patio freezes. This is also done to have moisture travel effectively under the concrete. A wire mesh can be laid on top into the hole and flattened to act as reinforcement. Some rocks are placed underneath the mesh to suspend it a little. The concrete should be mixed by an automatic mixer and then poured as quickly as possible and it should be sliced using a two by four to establish whether or not enough material is being put. Some floats are used for a smoother surface and making 3 passes at least, over the concrete using a trowel so that the surface is completely smooth. The patio is then allowed to dry so it should be covered using plastic sheeting, which traps moisture, to enable it to cure properly and it should be left for a week or so. The new patio should not be stressed for about a month because concrete cures in about three to fours weeks.

After the patio is well dried and treated the out come is very pleasing and strong enough for anyone to use while viewing the outdoor sceneries.

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