An example of irregular coursed stone masonry combined with precast concrete units to form a balustrade and the decorative features of it.
any color that fancy may dictate. The surface finish may be smooth or roughened, by any one of a number of easily applied methods.
The texture of building material is a factor of the greatest moment and one which requires very careful attention at the hands of the architect. A finish that harmonizes with one design may prove both undesirable and unconvincing in another. A house or other building to attract and please must have individuality. Surface treatment must strengthen the impressions created by the lines of the structure, and in concrete the great variety of surface textures possible makes the development of this phase of expression practically unlimited.
Much of the ornamental in concrete is obtained through the medium of precast units. Panels, lintels, columns, the various parts of balustrades, sundials, lawn vases, etc., are samples of such units. These in turn are made from plain to ornate by varying the forms in which the units are cast. Unfortunately the tendency is often to attempt too delicate a tracery or too intricate a design, resulting in disappointment. Yet, in the various ways that concrete may be used for ornament, there are casting methods that permit results almost equal to the sculptor’s achievements.
Some surface finishes are given after casting has been entirely completed. Others are partly arranged for when the materials are being selected. In small ornamental objects such as flower vases, sundials and garden seats, colored sands and selected aggregates such as marble chips and granite screenings are
often used in place of the ordinary sand and pebbles or broken stone. After the concrete has hardened and the forms have been removed, the surface of the concrete is treated in one of a number cf different ways to bring out the full effects of the selected materials.
The simplest form of surface finish that can be given to concrete is that secured by placing the material properly in well-made forms and insuring that coarse particles will not be exposed on the surface. Spading the concrete while placing next to form faces, and tapping or jarring the molds, will help to remove air bubbles that might form holes on the surface. This also causes coarse particles to settle back away from form faces and leave a surface as smooth as the forms themselves. But such a surface is rather monotonous. It is almost impossible to build large areas of forms so that the concrete will not reproduce joints, grain and other irregularities of the lumber or carpenter work on the surface.
In architecture the concrete is rarely left with the surface that it has when coming from the forms. An untreated concrete surface has a color due almost entirely to the cement. The sand particles that may be on or near the surface are masked by a coating of cement. To remove irregularities or impressions caused from form contact, the surface is often floated down with a stone or wood float. Forms are removed as soon as the concrete has hardened sufficiently to be self-sustaining or to per
The garden or park pool is made more attractive by proper combination
of concrete and shrubbery.
any color that fancy may dictate. The surface finish may be smooth or roughened, by any one of a number of easily applied methods.
The texture of building material is a factor of the greatest moment and one which requires very careful attention at the hands of the architect. A finish that harmonizes with one design may prove both undesirable and unconvincing in another. A house or other building to attract and please must have individuality. Surface treatment must strengthen the impressions created by the lines of the structure, and in concrete the great variety of surface textures possible makes the development of this phase of expression practically unlimited.
Much of the ornamental in concrete is obtained through the medium of precast units. Panels, lintels, columns, the various parts of balustrades, sundials, lawn vases, etc., are samples of such units. These in turn are made from plain to ornate by varying the forms in which the units are cast. Unfortunately the tendency is often to attempt too delicate a tracery or too intricate a design, resulting in disappointment. Yet, in the various ways that concrete may be used for ornament, there are casting methods that permit results almost equal to the sculptor’s achievements.
Some surface finishes are given after casting has been entirely completed. Others are partly arranged for when the materials are being selected. In small ornamental objects such as flower vases, sundials and garden seats, colored sands and selected aggregates such as marble chips and granite screenings are
often used in place of the ordinary sand and pebbles or broken stone. After the concrete has hardened and the forms have been removed, the surface of the concrete is treated in one of a number cf different ways to bring out the full effects of the selected materials.
The simplest form of surface finish that can be given to concrete is that secured by placing the material properly in well-made forms and insuring that coarse particles will not be exposed on the surface. Spading the concrete while placing next to form faces, and tapping or jarring the molds, will help to remove air bubbles that might form holes on the surface. This also causes coarse particles to settle back away from form faces and leave a surface as smooth as the forms themselves. But such a surface is rather monotonous. It is almost impossible to build large areas of forms so that the concrete will not reproduce joints, grain and other irregularities of the lumber or carpenter work on the surface.
In architecture the concrete is rarely left with the surface that it has when coming from the forms. An untreated concrete surface has a color due almost entirely to the cement. The sand particles that may be on or near the surface are masked by a coating of cement. To remove irregularities or impressions caused from form contact, the surface is often floated down with a stone or wood float. Forms are removed as soon as the concrete has hardened sufficiently to be self-sustaining or to per
The garden or park pool is made more attractive by proper combination
of concrete and shrubbery.