How our ReFresco finish came about

Cement-based overlays were largely developed to resurface roads with a lot of help from American Concrete Paving Association . “Better living through modern chemistry” was a mantra of the middle of the 20th century, and that meant thinner overlays made strong with polymers like acrylics, styrene-acrylics, vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE), polyvinyl acetate (PVA), and styrene-butadiene resin (SBR). The cement was so improved by the polymers that rocks were removed creating polymer-modified mortars (PMMs) - that’s a class of material now used for all kinds of cool things.

PMMs are simply a mixture of cement, sand and glue (polymer is a fancy word for glue). The size of the sand grains determines how thick the material may be applied: coarser sand means it goes on thicker. The amount of glue determines the strength, cost, and finishing characteristics: less glue means cheaper, less strong, but much easier to trowel. 

Decorative concrete largely emerged in the 1970s and high-detail cement masons found that overlays could be used to create value in dozens of new ways. The were still a means to fix pavement: an overlay that didn’t cover fill in chips, spalling, and cover crack repairs was not considered a good overlay. Artisans figured out how to stamp overlays with rubber mats like concrete, spray them and knock them down like drywall, sand them and slurry them with plasters, and even carve rocks, trees and theme-park elements from PMMs.

I discovered PMMs I 2006 and loved how colors could be layered and concrete could be mimicked in novel ways to mitigate construction errors. Plumber missed the island? Install a stamped overlay that looks like barn wood installed flush to the polished concrete to create a flood-proof floor with rustic wood elements that would delight the clients in spite of that doggone plumber. 

In 2015, I had 3 projects in the same week where resurfacing would be a shame, but the surfaces were worn out. Meaning that shape of the concrete boulders, stamped patio and pavers were great, but the colors were terrible. I knew that painting concrete isn’t sustainable because all concrete passes moisture and the layer of salts that migrate out of the concrete below the concrete will ultimate cause paint to peel off. Also, any petroleum-based material will break down in color over time (water-based materials still have lots of oil derivatives that make them work). Integrally colored or acid stained cement are the only things by the mind of man that don’t break down in sunlight over time. Moreover, PMMs hand the high pH of concrete vastly better than almost any paints or resinous coatings. That’s when I came up with ReFresco™.

The idea was simple: replace most of the sand with cement and marble dust and polymerize it until it rolls on like a paint. The material cost was high, the coloring was a pain (compared to paint), but the performance was vastly better. It was true decorative concrete work, but since it went on so thin, the texture of application was no longer such an issue (installing PMMs thin without trowel marks is not easy). The texture of the substate would show right through, and the coating could have incredibly good tensile and flexural strength yet it could be integrally colored and stained like concrete. Since then, we have probably installed this material over countless paver driveways, repaired stamped concrete projects, walls, floor, you-name-it!

I am so thankful that I get to feed my family solving problems with great people using these materials. I do not think there is a more humanizing way to work. Thank you for reading about all this - we must be kindred souls. Please feel free to reach out to me at cory@element7concrete.com if you’d like to work together.