Concrete, metal, and wood are the three materials Modern Craftsman works with for the most part. Concrete is at the top of the list. It is one of the most fascinating materials when it comes to creating functional works of art. Few materials have the same personality and characteristics. Few are as simultaneously simple and complex.
We turn concrete into everything from residential countertops to furniture for commercial spaces. We do so through a process that looks eerily similar to reverse engineering. In other words, we start with what the customer ultimately hopes to achieve then work backward from there. Making it all work with concrete is both challenging and rewarding.
Concrete Isn't Consistent
Concrete appears to be a very consistent material to the naked eye. But it's not. Concrete is a mixture of Portland cement, an aggregate (like sand), and water. Yet how you mix those three ingredients is critical. Heat and humidity also have a significant impact on the material.
All of this is to say that working with concrete is no more consistent than the material itself. We might find working on a concrete project simple and largely problem-free one day, only to turn around and encounter failure after failure the next. Such is the nature of this particular material.
One day we might add too much water in anticipation of high temperatures that never materialize. The next day, our mixture can be absolutely perfect. It flows into its form and cures perfectly with almost no effort. The next day, that same formula just refuses to set up or cure.
Challenging and Satisfying
As artists and technicians, the Modern Craftsman team finds concrete both challenging and satisfying. It is challenging in the sense that concrete is already a difficult material without trying to use it to create custom designs for which it was never intended. It is satisfying in that we feel a profound sense of pride and accomplishment whenever a project is fully completed.
We have found that our customers also get a great deal of satisfaction from concrete. It is a material that we don't often think of in terms of art. And when it comes to function, our brains think of concrete as a material for bridges, roads, and warehouse floors. Custom sinks and tubs rarely come to mind.
Seeing a piece of functional concrete art for the first time is incredibly satisfying. A commercial property owner will be left speechless by the concrete sinks we are installing in the restrooms of their building. Meanwhile, a residential customer on the other side of town is amazed by the custom concrete countertops we installed last week.
Always Something New
Perhaps the best thing about concrete as a material for functional art is that it always affords the opportunity to do something new. There are things we can do with concrete that could not be accomplished with metal or wood. Concrete allows us to push the envelope in everything from shape to texture and color.
Here at Modern Craftsman, we have an appreciation for honest materials. What do we mean by that? We mean that we want the materials we use to be authentic in their presentation. We do not want to manipulate the materials to make them look like something they are not. That is a big temptation when it comes to concrete. Yet after many years of building great pieces from concrete, we have come to understand just what a fantastic material it really is. We don't need to be anything less than totally honest with it.