Rating: 
Summary: Off the charts...
Review: ...10 ratings not allowed. Whether you're a designer, contractor, DIYer, or potential client...this book will floor you: Designers--ENDLESS possibilities; Contractors--getting the details RIGHT to avoid potential problems; DIYers--the mix, procedure, and RESOURCES, RESOURCES, RESOURCES; Potential clients--CUSTOM, CUSTOM, CUSTOM! It's rare that you find a book with such universal appeal. A wholehearted "Thank You" to you Mr. Cheng for sharing your knowledge and experience with us ALL.
Rating: 
Summary: Could be Better.
Review: Although the aethetics of the book are pleasing, this book was, in my opinion, not meant for the DIY person. ... It lacks some of those details that would allow the DIY person to complete a great project. It kind of breazes through a lot of what should be details. It seems to be a lot of fluff and not much meat. Great coffee table book because of the great imagery. I'm sorry that I would not recommend this book to anyone who is a DIYer. ...
Rating:
Summary: From Grogg to Artisan
Review: As a young man I paid for my through school by doing concrete work - sidewalks, driveways, paths... etc - At the time I felt concrete had a certain fluid beauty - but that was lost on all my co-workers. Today many years later as a business professional I'd come across Buddy Rhodes web site - and eventually that lead me to this book and building my own countertop. Form Soup to Nuts - this book is it. Design - Mold making - installation - care and finishing. It has it all - in beautiful semi-gloss photos. It's well written and easy to follow. If you're looking to build your own or are simply interested in the design aspect - give this book a browse. My wife even picked it up to look at the beautiful kitchens.
Rating:
Summary: At last methods - not just pictures
Review: At last a book which shows clearly how to rather than just pretty pictures. I would also thoroughly recommend this book - along with everyone else who has bought it !
Rating:
Summary: Trend for "high end" homes
Review: Beautiful & informative book. Concrete countertops are in great demand, particularly in the San Francisco Bay area, and are reflective of the "earthiness" predominant in so many homes. This book gives all the details as well as references to designers and fabricators. Credit needs to be given to Jud Smith who was a fabricator for Cheng Designs and is pictured throughout the book demonstrating his craftmanship.
Rating:
Summary: Strange and Wonderful
Review: Damn! as a Civil Engineer I've worked with concrete as a structural material for the last ten years, now I'm building jy own kitchen and thought I had an original idea. The book is not bad on ideas but poor in specifications and technical details. Moreover, the authors don't seem to know much about things like the effect of vibrating the poured mix, the qualities of different type of concrete, different aggregate and, last but not least, admixtures.
Rating:
Summary: Sculpt your countertops with concrete
Review: Everything you must know about creating your own countertops with concrete is included here, and in the most pleasant manner. Plenty of photos show the possibilities: working with pigments to create colored countertops, adding other materials such as glass, as well as the beautiful effects that occur naturally, sometimes out of human error. With concrete, you have many choices, but also some limitations. If you are seeking perfection, concrete is not for you. Even if you seal the finished work, acidic liquids may come along and change the look of it. If you see that as a negative, choose Corian! The author outlines the process from start to finish, and I cannot imagine that he left anything out, it seems pretty complete, including resources. Above all, concrete's most attractive point is that you can get really creative with it: embedding objects in it to match your decor/theme, creating a mixed material top by adding granite slabs, including built-in trivets (the top could be scorched by hot pots)...the possibilites are truly endless. As long as you plan ahead with all obstacles in mind, you're basically turning what is normally a boring chore into something highly creative and exciting. This is all about using imagination and creativity and having the guts and problem-solving skills to work through any unplanned effects that come with concrete. I have never worked with concrete before, but I learned so much from this book, and I'm now actually excited about creating a countertop, rather than just making the trip down to Lowe's to choose some boring, one-dimensional synthetic plastic material. No doubt, this is a monolithic project. You need the cojones to make it happen. Challenge yourself!
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: Excellent in both form and content. Beautifully presented and technically thorough. As a professional who makes concrete into artistic functional forms, and as an artist who appreciates books of eye candy,I recommend this book and I salute the author.
A valuable book for conveying not only how it's done, but how it can look. A virtual Muse for those interested in the design/function possibilies of concrete.
Rating:
Summary: An invaluble secret has been revealed by this book
Review: For the author to give the secrets away that he does in this book to his very special craft tells a lot about him as a person. Many people would love to keep unique skills such as this to themselves. This book contains every piece of information you need to create your own work of art that doubles as a kitchen counter or an end table, the possibilities are endless.The format of the book is more of a guideline on how to create from concrete than a step by step procedure on how to conjure a countertop from cement. The author shows examples (very nice photography) of work that he has done and gives details on how it all came together, so it isnt as dry as a manual on how to assemble a swingset or an entertainment center. Each part of the process is outlined by chapters, of which go into detail on how to construct a mold, mix cement, design, etc. The reason for this is there are so many ways to change each part of this process and expand on it, to me it seemed the author wanted to incite creativity upon the reader to make this art bigger and create upon the ideas that he has rather than just saying "take a mold, pour, glue it to some wood and viola". He gives multiple examples on the many unique things that can be done, things to avoid that cause problems such as sections too large (heavy), cracks, etc. I recommend this book to anyone interested in creating with concrete things that are outside of the mainstream. Concrete isnt just for sidewalks and driveways!
Rating:
Summary: An invaluble secret has been revealed by this book
Review: For the author to give the secrets away that he does in this book to his very special craft tells a lot about him as a person. Many people would love to keep unique skills such as this to themselves. This book contains every piece of information you need to create your own work of art that doubles as a kitchen counter or an end table, the possibilities are endless. The format of the book is more of a guideline on how to create from concrete than a step by step procedure on how to conjure a countertop from cement. The author shows examples (very nice photography) of work that he has done and gives details on how it all came together, so it isnt as dry as a manual on how to assemble a swingset or an entertainment center. Each part of the process is outlined by chapters, of which go into detail on how to construct a mold, mix cement, design, etc. The reason for this is there are so many ways to change each part of this process and expand on it, to me it seemed the author wanted to incite creativity upon the reader to make this art bigger and create upon the ideas that he has rather than just saying "take a mold, pour, glue it to some wood and viola". He gives multiple examples on the many unique things that can be done, things to avoid that cause problems such as sections too large (heavy), cracks, etc. I recommend this book to anyone interested in creating with concrete things that are outside of the mainstream. Concrete isnt just for sidewalks and driveways!
|
