The Stone Matrix --- The Awakening of Vertical Decorative Concrete

As a decorative concrete trainer I have seen many people take courses and learn a great deal about vertical decorative concrete over the last decade. They come from all walks of life which was a great surprise to me personally as I was under the belief that most people interested in the craft would be from the decorative concrete realm. However, this was not the case as there is a wide and diverse pallet of backgrounds. Despite the thousands who have participated in the trainings, the vertical decorative marketplace still see’s minimal growth.

Why is this? I propose that there are several reasons for this seemingly unproductive growth.

My first observation would have to be the current vertical market place and what is offered up as vertical decorative concrete. Even though the manufactures produce high quality stamps there are still the intrinsic flaws in these systems namely repetition of pattern design and texture.

Secondly those who do learn the craft of vertical decorative concrete understand fully the principles and concepts that they are taught but lack in confidence to sell projects. The self-confidence needed to finish wet concrete in an artistic manner before it dries is just is not there. Even though all the tricks of the trade are at the ready, the barrier of personal confidence will hold back even the most knowledgeable.

Never the less the craft of vertical decorative concrete continues to grow at a rather slow rate despite the few who really have advanced in their personnel craft.

Those of you who have taken the Art of Stone Facing course as offered on Vertical Artisans understand that at the end of the day you are still bound by process and the steps however simple must still be executed in turn order.

In this processes the most laborious tasks are the design and the clean out phase. Subsequently these two are the most problematic of all the steps taught in the course followed up with coloring in a close third.

May I introduce the Stone Matrix and what I believe to be the great awakening of vertical decorative concrete. There are six different tools that combine the full set of the Stone Matrix. Each has its own unique patterns and fully interacts with the other. In and of itself the stamping set offers very little in texture. This was purposely design this way to rely on random and unique texture offered by skins, trowels and rollers. Ensuring unique texture adds value to the projects authenticity and combats the rigors of repetition. Because each piece interacts with each other to form new patterns and designs, the problem of repetition is all but eliminated.

The notion of stamping the outlining pattern of the design not only saves time for the artist but also reduces the clean out of the pattern by 99%. Both design and clean out account for the bulk of the time spent on the wall. The time saved can then be used in more productive areas of the project and also in tweaking the artwork itself to the end result of perfection.

In short, the time saved and the results given justify this tool being in every vertical decorative concrete contractor’s bag of tricks.

As a seasoned professional I understand that time is a non-renewable commodity that cannot be replaced. The Stone Matrix vertical decorative concrete tool receives the highest award for answering the most common problems that have troubled the aspiring artists in this field.

To Purchase a Set of the Stone Matrix Click Here

Nathan Giffin,

Creator of the Stone Matrix

Owner of Vertical Artisans

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