Newbold Stone

Movin' on up.....or at least over

2010-03-05T05:35:00.000-08:00

Those following my extremely sporatic and quirky blog may be interested to know that it has moved......to my website. As part of a continued effort to stive for more professionalism, I have upgraded my website. The first step of which is to incorporate my blog and to fill in all of those posts that have been half-written for months now. Some additional features to soon include:
-Searchable Galleries
-New featured projects
-Extended color pallette
-Outbound links and partners page

To reach my new blog, go to:
www.newboldstone.com/blog3

test blog post

2010-03-01T10:48:00.000-08:00

As part of my migration of my blog to my new site, I am testing to see if posts made to this blog will autopopulate on my new blog.

Moving a website is like moving the sphinx

2010-02-22T04:41:00.000-08:00

Last week I began the effort of moving my website from one host to another. Its been so long since I started the website, that I dont even remember why we picked that particular host. However, due to some chronic email issues and generally poor service, the switch is underway. The host that I have found has lower cost, more features and so far, better service. To boot - I will now be able to host this blog within my own website!
As it is also about time to get some of my more recent projects on there, this should work out well.
Unfortunately, its all easier said than done. Like many other things you deal with as a business owner, you need to learn all of the technical details of the industry in order to make this operation happen. The key is in the "Domain Name Pointers", which is kind of like changing your address at the post office, except you also need to speak your landlord (your old domain host) and get them to give you permission (the key) to change it, and then give that to your new landlord (new domain host), and they have to fill out the paperwork for you at the post office. hence, the whole thing doesnt happen in 30 seconds like a computerized transfer should, it takes 4 days to change the pointers.

The down side is that website and eamil are both down for those 4 days, which is, shall we say, disadvantageous.

In the meantime, if anyone needs to contact me, they can use jnewbold2000@gmail.com

Avian madness

2009-10-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

As an active member of the design community and a contributer to the local community at large, Newbold Stone attends a number of events each year, particularly those that involve design competitions. There were two this year, Hello Birdie and Evolution, that involved the constuction of a birdhouse.

Mark Lind, a local architect with whom I have collaborated in the past had learned of one of the competitions and we were able to work together again to create a birdhouse made of concrete and empty champagne bottles to be a joyful spot to rest the feathers.

First, the tops of the bottles are cut at an angle

The mold, with several bottles. The best seemed to be Cristalino, as it was thick and consistant in shape....also inexpensive and tasty!

The bottles were held in place by a strong armature with rubber ends, then the concrete poured around them.

Repairing Damage

2009-08-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

One of the most common lines of questioning that I face is: "Why chose concrete over granite?". There are a number of reasons, but one of the less emphasized is "It is repairable".

Much like insurance, it doesn't seem like a big deal until you need it. Recently an equipment failure during the transport/installation of a rather large piece caused a major chip and the piece needed to be repaired.

This is the chip that came out...about 3 inches x 1 inch, ouch!

First step is to fill the hole. I make sure to mix up a VERY large batch, about 2-3 Gallons worth. The closer that you can recreate the conditions of the original pour, the closer the color match will be.

It gets covered with plastic to help prevent shrinkage and cracking.

When it cures, it looks pretty obvious (and ugly).

A good bit of grinding and polishing reveals the sand and blends the color.

Pinholes get filled in just like the original piece and then the finish goes on. Complete, it blends almost perfectly. You can tell but only if you really know what to look for. Otherwise it just seems to be a natural variation of the piece. Not as easy with granite or marble.

Still beating Icestone

2009-07-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

Recently I had a designer contact me about a small vanity that they were doing for a client. The client had seen a sample of Icestone's "Sky Pearl" and fell in love. Unfortunately, since Icestone sells by the slab and ships out of New York City(that ain't no Pace Picante), the cost of a small vanity was astronomical.

The designer asked if I could relicate the look. Even with the upcharge for developing a custom mix (yes, if you want something unusual, I do have to charge you for my time), the estimate was lower than the "yankee" option. Also, I had to assure the client and designer that if I wasnt able to come close to the sample they wanted, then I wouldnt charge them for it.

Top Left: Original

Rounds: Initial trials

Bottom Right: Final Product

At first, I tried with the glass I had around the shop, which was more of a dark Cobalt and took a stab at the proportions based on counting the individual bits of glass and Mother of pearl in the sample that was give me. Pretty far off the mark, but it created a sample that I have since grown to really like.

In the meantime I ordered some additional glass samples, one was still a little dark but another was a perfect match.

Then the most challenging, getting the proportions right of the clear glass sizes. The key, as it turned out was a "back to basics" approach. The mix designers at Icestone use a fairly standard aggregate size distribution. a couple of tweaks and boom.....Perfect.

The clinet then made the request to see more blue and mother of pearl and to add a slight gray cast.

These were easy to accomodate and now the client has a beautiful countertop at a reasonable price and it is 100% uniquely theirs!

PS. New Camera is friggin' awesome, Mr. Bigglesworth!!

Making a custom 1-off sink

2009-07-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

This one is more of a technical "how-to" post, as well as an explanation of why one must charge a lot for custom cast sinks. Standard cast sinks are less expensive to do, because although you have to buy the mold, it can be used over and over, and that cost eventually amortized over the life of the mold.

This technique may not be the best method for this, but it is reasonably simple and requires low investment. It does, however, require an artists touch.

Step 1: Determine the client needs. Seems like a it would go without saying, but too many out there go without doing this important step. If you make that rudimentary mistake, then you have wasted a lot of time and earned an unhappy client. This client wanted a round sink, but not one that was perfectly round....she wanted it hand hewn looking.....the actual term was "hewny".

Step 2: Styrofoam Core. I use simple EPS sheets, which I laminate together with spray adhesive when necessary. Its the same stuff they make

coolers out of and I get it at Ace Contractor supply. It cuts easily with a hand saw and I shape it with a disk sander and some 150 grit paper. Once I get it close to size I smooth it with 220 grit by hand. Its best to have a good shop vac around at this point because you are going to look like you came out of a snowstorm.

Step 3: Plaster. The mold would kind of work at this point, but regardless of how much you sand it, the styrofoam would always leave a rough finish inside your sink. Hence, the foam gets coated with a sandable layer. I use curing joint compound, which comes as a powder, and prefer the 20 minute mud. I would imagine that straightforward plaster of paris would work for this, or premixed joint compound, but I am a big fan of the curing kind for speed and sandability.

Step 4: Repeat. Sand and replaster a few times, till you get it almost perfect, and then I fill in any final holes or bubbles with a layer of premixed joint compound (spackle) and let that dry. Final sand with 400 grit.

Step 5: Primer with Kilz. This seals the plaster coat. It dries fast, so it typically gets 3-4 coats.

Step 6: Gloss Oil Based Paint. Again, 3-4 Coats. I like to alternate colors....it makes it easy to see how much you are getting down.

Step 7: Make a drain. Foam with some tape around it is quick and dirty, or the appropriate PVC. Reusable rubber ones are available as well.

Step 8: Place and Cast. Definitely use mold release of some sort, otherwise the next step is going to be a real drag.

Step 9: Ta-Da, a sink. Acetone is your friend, as it will dissolve the foam and soften the plaster. some digging and scraping is going to be required, but then you are ready to sand the concrete.

Its a 2-3 day process to produce one, and when you get done you melt it.

The result is something that the client knows is unique to them, hence step one is that much more important.

I Love a Parade

2009-07-12T15:42:00.000-07:00

This year I was lucky enough to have pieces in 2 homes on the HBA Parade of Homes.....One was even unexpected!

The downside to one of these parade homes is that you have a hard end date for having the home complete. We finally got the dimensions for the countertop about a week before the parade was due to open. I suppose that when the framer or insulation contractor is installing their part of the home and they get delayed by a couple of days, they get hassled for taking too long, but it doesnt seem like the end of the world. But it just means that the concrete countertop guy doesnt get to have those days to do his job. And those days add up, one after the other.

Hence, when you show up to install your countertop and there are 3 additional trades and a TV news crew all invading the master bathroom where you are supposed to install the 4" thick tops, life really goes to a step more towards tense. This of course happens after everyone concerned with the job has called you many times to make sure you will be on time.

But despite nerves that were tighter than a guitar string, the install went well and we produced a product that we were proud of.

The installation consisted of a 9 foot charcoal colored dual vanity, with 2 elevated sections for the custom cast ramp sinks. the whole thing was made of my latest Eco-Lite Concrete (80% recycled content and half the weight of traditional concrete). Both ramp sinks included slot style drains.

The great thing is that i got to spend some time manning the room during the tour and I would estimate that 80% of the people stopped, looked closer and turned on the faucet....just to see the sinks do their job. That was very gratifying.

Also, we installed 2 custom COMBI benchs in that home. To my surprise, next door Threshold Interiors had teamed up with the Micheal Hsu Design Office and placed another COMBI bench on their porch!!!

Winning awards at World Of Concrete 2009

2009-02-08T11:39:00.000-08:00

Each year the concrete industry has a convention in Las Vegas. I have gone the last couple of years and this year was no different. Its not all countertops....its everything to do with concrete. there are demonstrations of staining and polishing techniques and equipment ranging from a handheld rebar detector to concrete saws with blades that are 10ft across. There are many members of the decorative industry there as well, including an award ceremony from the Cheng Concrete Exchange. Fu-Tung Cheng is one of the originators of the concrete countertop industry and has been designing and building concrete countertops since the 70s, as well as writing 3 books and training others to build the best in concrete countertops. I trained under Fu-Tung and his team at the Exchange. This is the fifth year during which he has held a competition for design and craftsmanship, which they refer to as the 'Circle of Distinction'. Its a stiff competition of the best projects and products created by leaders of the decorative concrete industry. This year, Newbold Stone was able to bring home 2 awards. We recieved Best in Class for the Integral sink featured in my Dec. 10th Article below. We also recieved an Honorable Mention Award for a product we call 'The C'. This versatile piece combines concrete ends and wooden slats to create a very comfortable and distinctive stool, with applications both interior and exterior. It can also be flipped on end and used as a table, either on its own, or wrapping over the seat of a couch or ottoman.

Warranty is a drag, but the results speak for themselves

2009-01-31T12:49:00.000-08:00

As any business owner will tell you, warranty is the most painful thing you have to deal with. sometimes you can force the cost up the value chain to the vendor that sold you whatever it was that went bad....but sometimes you cannot. In this case, we had a sealer failure. As we stand firmly behind our products, it was a matter of course that when a client called 6 months after installation to say their countertops were badly stained, we had no choice but to offer a solution, refinishing. Some minimal staining is not unusual with concrete, even concrete that has been properly sealed, and the technology used for sealing keeps improving. We are constantly evaluating newer and stronger sealers. However, in this case, the sealer had simply failed.

In the end, it took about 3 days worth of time and several visits, but we ended up upgrading the old sealer that we had discontinued using, with a newer, more robust one. The customer is happy and ready to show them off to her Bunco group, and doesnt have to worry a bit about spilling wine on them......this sealer even laughs at Balsamic.

The outrageous sink

2008-12-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

In one of the longest running projects to date, we have finalized our work on a very intricate bathroom, with an extremely complicated sink. The key features include:

9 inch thickness
Cast in place sink with a drain that is actually housed within the wall
Integrated towel bar
Over 11 feet in length as a single casting
Concealed attachment to the wall
50% recycled content
Bright white color

I am now looking forward to some professional photography so that I can get this on my website!!

The Form

Once removed from the form, its time to polish and shape the edges.

Finished product in place.

No visible plumbing...the drain is contained within the concrete and the P-trap is inside the wall. Gives that magical 'floating' look.

Overcomming Adversity - The big sink

2008-11-20T13:48:00.000-08:00

Sometimes that which should be easy.....isn't.

This was the case when our client made a last-minute decision to use this extra-big italian ceramic sink. Oops!

However, the cabinet vendor, Kitchen Craft, Responded to the situation quickly and working hand-in-hand with them, the cabinet was trimmed just enough to avoid what would have been a very costly rebuild. Its very common for us to collaborate with other trades to promote quick and positive results.

Just barely fit!!

Better Than IceStone!!

2008-11-02T09:56:00.000-08:00

Although we have done many projects that featured recycled glass filled concrete, this is by far the most extensive application performed by Newbold Stone.

This product competes with a product made in New York, called IceStone, which is touted for its eco-freindly benefits. Our product is superior in 3 ways:

1. The product is made locally, of local components. Portland cement, from San Antonio, Crushed Glass from Dallas (or from the Austin Recycling center for multi-colored glass), local water and various additives. This eliminates the transport energy that is expended from shipping the sheet product from New York. It also reduces turnaround time and keeps the money in the local economy.

2. The product is formed in the shape that it will be installed. All sheet materials like IceStone (or granite or Silestone) is shipped in sheets and then cut to size locally. What happens to the extra material on the cuttingroom floor....landfill.....Texas landfill in our case.

3. The thickness that looks best for you. Sheet materials are available in a single thickness (or sometimes 2 or 3 if you pick the right one). Local artisans can customize a 4" curved surface, if that is what you want......now that is keeping ahead of the Jones's.

1/2" Thick Concrete

2008-10-12T17:03:00.000-07:00

My favorite thing about the GFRC techonology is that it opens up the range of what i can do with concrete. Although it has become commonplace to pour concrete countertops as thin as 1-1/2" thick with traditional methods, Use of the homogeneous glass reinforcement has enabled me to break out of this range. I knew I could make it 3/4" thick, and I had become fairly confident with 1/2" thick backsplashes, but I wasnt sure if it would work as a countertop. Wow, what a surprise. It is strong, stable, and fantastic. In this particular case, we added an integral sink as well.

Cantilevered Glass Sink

2008-09-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

This small guest bath was a surprisingly challenging space. The client was looking for a WOW factor in a rather small and standard powder bath layout. After countless exchanges and redesigns, they happened to find this Kohler Antilia Wading Pool Sink and fell in love with it.

The challenge then became finding a way to fit the huge 17" x 28" glass sink into the small space without having everything feel cramped.

It turned out that less was more and by cantelevering the sink in a frame of concrete, the semi-transparency of the sink was usefull in de-emphasizing its overall size and resulting in a very clean, very cool installation that you could see right through!!

Up...Up...in the air

2007-08-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

Another instance of having the right tool for the job came this week during the installation of an excessively heavy piece (340lb) At a client's 2nd floor Master Bath. Since this was a new construction project, we were able to take advantage of a lofted hallway before the railing had been installed. Renting a highlift turned out to be just the trick!

We love creative solutions to difficult problems.

Concrete sealant technology

2007-08-27T06:11:00.000-07:00

The number one question posed to me at the home show was regarding sealants. everyone wants to know if concrete is porous. It is very obvious that the silestone people have been doing a great job playing up the porosity of other materials and trying to make them sound unsafe.

Raw concrete, without a sealant, is inherantly porous. But just like granite, it is just a matter of the sealant that you use. Many different methods seal the surface. We use a newer hybrid technology and there are some critical reasons why.

Absorbtion is the first thing that must be sealed against. Raw concrete can absorb moisture by the fact that there are small pores on the surface. Filling these pores is critical, and once it happens, the health concerns which have been beaten into our heads by the ad campaigns of artificial surface manufaturers are no longer valid. This has been done many ways in the past, most notibly by the use of acrylic based sealers, many of which can be found on the sehlf at home depot (price $10-$60/gallon). however, these sealers have a tendancy to wear off and require re-sealing at regular intervals (one or twice per year). if you get too much of these sealers on the piece, then they can actually form a chaulky colored shell that can be chipped off.

Acrylics also dont protect against the second issue that plagues concrete and natural stone....ACID. acids are found in a lot of the more fun things in life...like lemons, wine, vinegar, etc. This is historically where waxes come in. People that dont like the acrylics, love wax. It protects briefly against the acids by acting as a sacrificial layer. the acid eats it before it gets to the concrete. but it gives you just enough time to clean the offending material off before it gets to the surface below. hence, wax needs to be replaced fairly often. its a good thing that they are less expensive. However, you have to get a food-safe version of these waxes...car wax has petroleum in it.

But the question is, what are the acids attacking? concrete is based upon a crystaline structure of Calcium Silicate Hydrate (CSH) between pieces of natural crystaline stone. the acids primarily attack a byproduct of the cement hydration process, namely Calcium Hydroxide. This byproduct is basic (similar to baking soda) and reacts quickly with acids. As soon as acids react with this chemical, it leaves the surface free to be stained. There are two ways to combat this reaction. One is to protect the Calcium Hydroxide, which is what the waxes do, and one is to remove it.

The sealer that we typically use is based upon Lithium Silicate. Lithium Silicate prrovides a ready source of silicate Ions, which react with the Calcuim Hydroxide to form more of our favorite crystal, CSH. The beauty of this reaction is threefold:

First, it removes the calcium hydrate from the surface, eliminating the targets for these acids.
Secondly, The additional crystals means additional strength and sealing of pores.
Thirdly, it continues to react for years. in fact, forever. Concrete is a curing reaction, which slows over time but never stops, which means that the production of Calcium Hydroxide never stops. those free silicate Ions remain, constantly forming more CSH.

If you dont get all the chemistry, then dont worry about it. Just know that it pays to have a guy with a chemical engineering degree building and sealing your concrete.

2007 Austin Home and Garden Show

2007-08-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

Set-up

After a couple of weeks of building display items for the show, the real work was in the 2 days preceeding. As this was the first home show we had ever done, it really was surprising to find out that an exhibitor:
1. doesnt need a badge before the show starts...i thought we would need them during setup.
2. gets to drive in the conventions center! you set up your booth with your vehicle right next to you. I had no idea. in the future, I will plan my booth accordingly.
3. the traffic within the convention center is anarchy!

The smartest thing we did was partner up with Kitchen Craft Cabinets. They did a fantastic job of preparing and setting up cabinets for the display. It really gave the booth a classy appearance. It was pretty obvious that they had done a lot of shows like this in the past. I bordered on frantic, they were very cool. But we ghot so mouch done on thursday, that friday morning, we actually had time to pour concrete!

THE SHOW:
Wow, um, exhausting. We had been under the impression that during the three days, we would have a a number of people to talk to. After all, not everyone loves the idea of Concrete Countertops. and there was so much else to see at the show. So we figured that we would have plenty of time to allow each other to rest, grab a bite, walk the show. the booth was PACKED the entire time. Both Kirsten (my lovely and intelligent girlfriend) and myself were talking almost constantly the entire show! By saturday afternoon, we realized that I was going to run out of business cards and Kirsten ducked out to get more at kinko's. She brought back a bottle of wine and some dinner. Since our main display was a wetbar, complete with wineglasses, it only seemed appropriate! during the last hour of the show on saturday, we broke it out to celebrate.

The booth itself featured 3 main displays:
1. Podium with triple black top, on which sat a screen showing selections from my portfolio.
2. Cafe table with Local post-consumer recycled glass, a heavy grind on the top and light polish on the sides. we had a bowl on this and a portfolio book.
3. Main display was a light "green tea Ice cream" wetbar, with cabinets by kitchen craft.
this was the main focal point as it included a sink and faucet, Integral drainboard with the torn paper look and a removable cuttingboard of Zebrawood. it also had a geode that I had been saving and a sparkle of amethyst.

It will be a few months before we know if the show was a true success, but it seemed as though it was.

The Impetus

2007-08-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

Several people have talked to me about the value of blogging. however, it wasnt until I saw a blog that referenced me (actually the 3rd that did) until the decision to start my own blog was cemented (excuse the pun). I found the other blog in the most unlikely of ways.
My website host has a function that logs visits and provides statistics on my site. At the beginning of the month, we showed at our first home and garden show. A rather expensive endeavor, I was very curious to monitor the results and see if it made sense to do it all again. Checking the statistics, my web traffic had grown quite a bit. then I checked where the traffic was comming from. although most searched for me directly, there were 2 clickthroughs from a blog. Researhing the blog, I found that someone had commented about the show and our booth. MOST of it was favorable, and ALL of it was informative. This very honest third party opinion didnt know that we had been standing for 10 straight hours on a carpet without padding. We know that they must have stopped by the booth after 7pm, because it was in this final hour of the show on Saturday that we decided to break out a bottle of wine to toast our success and the end of a very long day. We felt that the wine was a classy touch to a classy product offering. We still think it was, and appropriate considering that the main display was a wet bar! and, it was a very good bottle of wine.