INDUSTRY FACTS
100% of all decorative concrete surfaces must be maintained with a periodic seal coat.
As many as 90% of all concrete coating businesses go out of business within two years
Hiring another coatings contractor can increase the cost of maintenance by as much as 50%
Industry Overview
The concrete coatings industry is highly fragmented with many small companies organized as manufacturers and installers. Most companies have less then 5 employees, many of them being a one-man band. Most companies do not specialize in coatings and textured overlays. For many concrete resurfacing is there secondary product offering. Many of these companies are painters, concrete finishers, landscapers and/or drywallers by trade, representing themselves as professional concrete resurfacing companies.
Concrete Resurfacing material is applied as a system not a single product.
Almost all concrete resurfacing applications are a combination of 2 to 5 products combined to create a system. Most consumers have the false conception that a single product is applied and that product will look and perform the same regardless of who installs the product. In a system each product must be compatible with the other products and together, if utilized in the correct manner,will form an attractive, durable and functional surface.However, if the products are not compatibleyour surface will deteriorate quickly or,in the very worse case, not bond at all to the existing surface.
Although most companies claim they have a revolutionary or unique product, there is very little distinguishable difference between products among leading manufacturers. Even if there was a difference, manufacturers cannot control each independent contractor and their installation techniques. There is,however, a considerable difference in craftsmanship, product knowledge, management skills and experience. Each company should be judged on their own merits and not the merits of the manufacturer.
Each surface is crafted on site by the applicator. As opposed to most products that are manufactured away from the job site and assembled at the job site. Concrete overlay products offer enormous flexibility in appearance, style, texture and durability. Concrete resurfacing applied by a skilled and experienced applicator can create a very simple look or a very elaborate one-of-a-kind mosaic. This flexibility is inherent in the product and allows an experienced contractor the ability to create a very natural, imperfect product that is very appealing to many people. However that same beauty if not properly understood creates a conflict on the job site and a regrettable choice by the customer.
