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Posts tagged ‘counters’

Aug 2

The Modern Patina at Rusty Taco
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Rusty Taco

Last month I had the fun task of creating and installing a custom countertop for Rusty Taco’s new Minneapolis location.  The Rusty Taco is a delicious taco hot spot serving $2.50 hand made tacos and margaritas – yumm.  This new location opened just weeks ago and is located at 522 E. Hennepin Ave, Mpls.

With a garage theme as a guide, I created this swirling metallic silver and black countertop.  By using iCoat’s Metal Illusion product, I was able to create a stunning, unique, and durable countertop for all of those tacos to be served up on.

How did you do that you say?

Well let’s start at the beginning to see what’s under there.  The great guys at Cabinets by Dan fashioned a wood top for us made out of a special water resistant wood.  The finish we’ve created is just 1/8″ thick yet tough as nails.  It can go right over most surfaces but in this case, it was a new countertop.  Here is what the top looked like to start:

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May 24

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Studio Time

Some of you may be wondering what I’ve been up to for the past couple of months.  I’m wondering where all that time went!

I’ve been busily working in my studio in the evenings and helping a fellow painter out during the day.  As you may have noticed, I’ve been really caught up with the decorative concrete overlays lately.  Nothing has changed in the past couple of months!  I have had the opportunity to help a fellow faux finisher install a countertop overlay.  Terri was nice enough to let me delve right into each stage of the process.  I now have a much better idea of the whole process as well as many tips and tricks for all those details that are so important.

Back in my studio, you’ll find a large drying rack holding 14+ samples in various stages of completion, a 5 gallon bucket of concrete and drill laying out for daily use, and a generously sized table papered off where all of the work happens.

Here are a couple photos of my studio in full “concrete overlay” mode:

My two new favorite samples from my efforts:

I have a couple of concrete overlay projects coming up that I am excited about. One of them will be at the restaurant Rusty Taco.  This will be a silver metallic finish that will go really well with their men’s garage theme.  The second project coming up is an island for a family whose original countertops have cracked.  We are going to match the original counters to keep the look of the original kitchen intact.

I’m excited to write a post after they are completed to share the process!

Mar 10

iCoat Concrete Countertop Class - The Modern Patina
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iCoat Concrete Countertop/Flooring Seminar – Post 1

It has been two fun days of learning and playing with the my newly found product line called iCoat.  Bear with me as I tend to get very excited about new product lines and let my geeky art side shine strong.

I wrote a short post after signing up for the seminar which you can find right here.  This product line has a countertop and flooring/wall portion with unlimited options of texture and color combinations.

I’ve been in class for two days now and made nine sample boards – yay!

The first day we covered how to create countertops – truly one of the most fun products that I have ever used.  It definitely has the wow factor when applying the colorants and even more so when the epoxy coating goes on and all the colors pop once again.

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Jan 28

iCoat System
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New Class = Fun New Finishes!

At the recent Home and Landscape Expo held at the Metrodome, I found a great new product line: iCoat.

This amazing new product line allows a finisher to apply iCoat directly over tiled floors, existing countertops, sinks, walls, showers, and more!  (as you can tell, I am very excited about this class).

You may have heard or seen examples of Giani Granite, this is the Menards/Home Depot version of iCoat.  It is a sponge paint system that goes right over your countertops as well.  Where this is undoubtedly better than some laminate countertops out there, iCoat is clearly leaps and bounds above Giani in it’s results.  Let’s take a look at the results side by side:

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Oct 14

moms.counter.1
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Temporary Inspiration

When permanence is removed, true creativity can be released.

Old counters out, and a four week wait for the new concrete countertops left my parents wondering how to deal with the absence of a countertop.  How do they keep the remaining wood top waterproof and functional, let alone something that they would want any guests to view?  

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Oct 10

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Tadelakt Showers: New Options Abound

For those of you who are tired of dingy grout, of laminate shower shells, or are simply looking for a stunning new look in your shower – the Tadelakt finish will be your savior.

Tadelakt plaster is relatively new to the US however it has stood the test of time in Morocco.  This is an amazing traditional Moroccan finish that has been used in their public baths for over 4,000 years.  Because of the unique and natural materials, this finish is breathable to the air yet waterproof which makes it ideal for wet locations such as bathrooms.  The texture of this finish is so soothing and luxurious you’ll never need to visit the spa.  

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