Pot meet kettle

I told Emily because she didn't have a toilet paper dispenser in her master bath that I would make her one of concrete. She told me I was crazy. Pot meet kettle!

Top shelf

Yes concrete!








My first concrete shelf. Not as heavy as you might think. I have several design and decorative modifications in the works. More to come on this one.

A bridge to nowhere

My last outdoor project of 2009 was nothing short of waiving my magic wand to build this bridge. Thankfully I had Emily's dad Ted with me. He is a good carpenter and a valued friend.

A little help from my friends

Sometimes working in the "conex" (wherever that may be) can be lonely so it's nice to get some cheap labor from time to time to liven things up.

The Happy Couple

We surprised these two on Christmas Day with there new bench and they loved it!
There bench provided valuable challenges and insight for future projects.
I have been working on several others while the bench was being built and I can't wait to share them with you.
If you have an idea for something let me know and we will give it a try!

Finished product

The bench was actually quite easy to put together. A five gallon bucket, a helper, and less than ten minutes and we were kicking back quite comfortably.


I am looking for a nice place to set this at the newlyweds house in the next few days. I hope they will like it.

Stencil and stain

Adding the letters will no doubt give this bench a personal touch.






A good brush and a steady hand and I'm starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel.
Next I will dress up the sides and add a thin coat of sealer and it will be time to bring this to the newlyweds.

Form stripping

Stripping these forms was tricky. Too much force or excessive hammering could cause chipping or worse.
Notice how the color has lightened in just a couple of days.

The pour

Funny that several hours of planning and preparation come down to an hour of pour time.


Not to be taken lightly, properly proportioning, transporting, consolidating, and finishing are crucial to a successful project.


A bit on the dark side when fresh, the concrete will lighten as curing occurs.


Since the surface poured against the base and sides will be so smooth and dense, a hard trowell finish must be achieved on the top to make everything look uniform. This can take time because the concrete is hardening slowly having been poured against a non absorbative surface (unlike sand or gravel).


After a couple days of cure time, form stripping, polishing, decorative staining, and sealing can occur.

Call in the reinforcement

I reinforced the bench with 16 gauge wire and a continuous strand of #2 pencil rod.











After a thorough cleaning (a tall order after cutting all of the reinforecement over the formwork), a thin coat of oil was all that was needed before pouring.

Forming the sides

After a few design changes, this is what I came up with for the bench sides.



The knock outs for the back and sides took particular consideration so they will slide together without excessive slack yet tight enough to keep the bench from rocking from side to side.



Next, I will build the mirror image of the bench side, then it's on to reinforcement.

The easy part

Setting forms for this bench was interesting because I kept thinking of the newlyweds and how this would fit them. This
type of work is much more personal than other concrete disciplines.

Skyler and Lauren's wedding gift

Emily and I had the idea to make our neighbor's wedding gift out of concrete. So, in a well caffeinated stupor we came up with this design for a bench.

Interesting features include: protruding planter areas on the bench and decorative stained monogrammed initials.

At a thickness of 1 1/2" designing the reinforcement will be crucial.

The concrete color will be Nutmeg.

I have not yet decided on a length but will likely keep it short because as a wedding gift I want to keep these two close to one another. 

Let me know if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions.

Before we get started

I have chosen the first project that I will Blog. Before I introduce it, I would like to thank my very best friend Emily http://crzegrl.net/ for presenting the opportunity for me to venture into this area of concrete. Not only has she been instrumental in some of my designs, she has also introduced me to the world of blogging so I can share the experience with you fine people.

Without her gentle push and amazing patience I may have been pouring Latte's at the coffee house where this project was conceived instead of concrete.

Thank you baby.

All right Here we go

My name is Dennis Bennett. I have been in the concrete business since 1987. I started in residential doing pool decks, basement floors, sidewalks and resurfacing concrete pools. After a couple of seasons, I ventured into commercial concrete. I wish I had a picture of myself showing up to work that first day with my brand new boots, hard hat, bucket, and pretty much everything still had a price tag hanging from it. I signed on as a finisher but everyone new I was anything but. It didn't take me long to find my way and soon I was finishing with the best and shortly thereafter force fed a foreman's position.

The next five years I spent gaining the experience, confidence and arrogance I would need to do the most amazing, and foolish thing imaginable. I became self-employed! This, my first real leap of faith, would be followed by buying a home, skydiving, becoming an ice hockey goaltender, fathering a son and B.A.S.E. Jumping? This all coming from a kid on his way to study culinary arts after high school (I still love to cook by the way).

Anyways, the fifteen years that followed were spent dabbling in every facet of the concrete business I felt interesting, and hopefully profitable. These areas included: residential, commercial, stamped concrete, stained concrete, anything decorative, concrete counter tops, concrete raising, and concrete restoration. You think skydiving is scary? Try carrying a tray of stain over a freshly laid slab being careful not to spill a single drop, laying a three hundred pound piece of counter top in someones kitchen or stamping someone's dream patio when the morning temps are in the high seventies and the concrete is setting faster than expected. I would rather jump off a bridge any day!

So you may be asking yourself "Why a concrete Blog?." Well, you see as challenging as it has been trying to learn all of these different aspects of the concrete business, educating my customers has been the most frustrating. While I do hope this Blog will be an interesting place for anyone to come see what sort of tangled concrete mess I have currently put myself into, I also desperately need my customers to become more aware of what " the concrete guy" is dealing with while trying to get the job done. During even a simple project, the temperature changes from day to day and hour to hour, humidity, wind, sun, falling leaves, frost, rain, snow, or different batches of material, just to name a few. And sometimes all of these in one day in Michigan! In concrete, it is important to keep an open mind. I have long said "concrete is not for everyone." Once you have chosen a contractor and you are absolutely sure they will make every effort to full fill there obligation and your dreams, hang on because your just along for the ride!

That being said, I am going to pack a parachute for my next wing suit flight over this beautiful state then play a game of ping pong with my son while you let your imagination sore over the many possibilities concrete has to offer and we will get started on our next project soon.

Your friend and concrete guy,
Dennis