By Colin Jones
Preconstruction

To bring our Customers the latest in precast concrete technology, Mid-States Concrete has been working with a new product called Graphic Concrete®.

In the simplest terms, Graphic Concrete® is thick paper that has a design printed on it using a chemical retarder.  That paper is then placed on the bed, like a form liner, before we pour the concrete on top of it.  After the wall panel is removed from the bed, it is washed with a pressure washer. Wherever the retarder came into contact with the concrete, the aggregate is exposed to reveal the design.

We have spent the past couple of years testing Graphic Concrete® in our plant and are very excited to serve as a partner on the Maine West Fieldhouse addition in Des Plaines, Ill. with Pepper Construction and the Southwestern Shelby Fieldhouse addition in Shelbyville, Ind. with S & B Construction.  Both projects utilize Graphic Concrete® and have some unique aspects.

When Wight and Company first contacted Mid-States about the Maine West Fieldhouse addition, the project was planned as a precast structure with a metal cladding of athletic figures attached to the wall panels.  Representatives of the architectural firm were looking for the ability to add a design directly into the precast using the Graphic Concrete® process.  The designers knew the image had to blend in with the rest of the precast building and the existing structure.  Mid-States created multiple samples using different aggregates and dyes in order to provide the Wight team the options they needed to present to their client.  In addition to utilizing Graphic Concrete®, this project will also utilize form liners, sandblast finishes and Nawkaw stain.  The Maine West project includes a large customer logo stretched across the entire North and South sides of the building using multiple colors.

When Schmidt Associates, the architectural firm working on the Southwestern Shelby Fieldhouse project, contacted Mid-States with a rendering of what they envisioned for a project, we were excited to share our knowledge of Graphic Concrete®.  The architect wanted to use a design featuring the school’s mascot, a Spartan warrior, repeated multiple times around the lower perimeter of the building, surrounded by a ribbed form liner, the top half of which will be sandblasted.  Graphic Concrete® helped the architect achieve the desired aesthetics of the building.

While both projects are gym additions, that’s where the similarities end.  The beauty of Graphic Concrete® is that it offers customization at an even higher level than precast concrete already offers.  With Graphic Concrete® you can reproduce any patterns, textures and photographs with remarkable precision onto any precast surface. People often wonder if it really is concrete.

Mid-States Concrete is truly blessed to be chosen as a partner on such unique and important projects.  For more information about how we can help with your Graphic Concrete® project, contact Colin Jones at c.jones@msprecast.com.