Category Archives: Decorative Concrete Opportunities

Women Owning Decorative Concrete Engraving Businesses

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An Emerging Trend


Over the last decade the number of majority owned women businesses has increased over 42%. There are now over 11 million businesses that are owned or controlled by women in the US.

Engrave-A-Crete has helped contribute to this trend.

Decorative concrete engraving work is easy, highly profitable, in demand and allows anyone to be artistic. In recent years the Engrave-A-Crete Discovery & Training Seminars have experienced an ever growing attendance of women aspiring to enter the Decorative Concrete Engraving Business.

These entrepreneurs enter the trade in many ways: as solo practitioners, as partners with husbands, as partners with sons and as partners with friends.

When asked why they chose Engrave-A-Crete their responses are consistent:

  • THE EASE – Women have found that Engrave-A-Crete machines make the work easy and allow nearly anyone to complete every aspect of projects. There is no heavy lifting, mixing of cement and the machines are easy to operate. Specially designed Engrave-A-Crete machines literally do the hard work for them.
  • POTENTIAL RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI) -Good business people “run the numbers”and these ladies have identified that the comparatively low cost of entry into the business can yield incredible returns over time.
  • THE MARKET POTENTIAL – In our new economy, Americans will own their homes for a longer period than in past decades. This fact will fuel the historic post recession upward trend for home improvement investment. Research also shows that the majority of purchase decisions for home improvements are made by women. Women as entrepreneurs see the opportunity focus on selected markets in selected geographies. They feel uniquely prepared to sell woman to woman.
  • THE ART – Decorative Concrete Engraving is ART. Whether a woman feels she is artistic or not, she can be successful with Engrave-A-Crete tools. Women see/have seen the opportunity to be “consultative floor designers”while fulfilling their personal desire for artistic expression.
  • NICHE POTENTIAL – Women in the trade we have interviewed clearly identify the opportunity for specialization. Some focus on FAUX finish designs. Others enjoy financial reward with logo reproductions.

Tenya IngallsNancy Lee

If you are a woman looking for a new career, WELCOME HOME is engraved in concrete for you at Engrave-A-Crete!

Engrave-A-Crete Business Packages

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Engrave-A-Crete Business Packages

Engrave-A-Crete doesn’t just manufacture the finest decorative concrete staining and engraving products and training, we also help you with your purchasing decisions by offering you several different business packages.

Following is a list of the business pacakages that we offer, and over the next few weeks, well go into a bit more detail on each of them seperately.

Using The Engrave-A-Crete Process & Tools For Retaining Walls & MORE

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Going Vertical

Decorative Concrete Engraving on Walls

Engrave-A-Crete tools and processes are ideal for applying relief, texture, color, designs and logos to retaining walls, buildings and more. You can gain the same effect vertically as your customers have enjoyed on their floors.

Over recent months we have fielded an increasing number of questions about the opportunity to apply decorative concrete engraving techniques into vertical surfaces. Below are the top tips and tricks for you to consider when staining and engraving a vertical surfaces.

VERTICAL RULES

#1 – Surface preparation is a priority on vertical surfaces and flooring surfaces. – Never skip a step in surface preparation. Although vertical surfaces will receive no wear from foot traffic, stains and sealers can still fail without proper cleaning and drying.

#2 -  Process sequence is the same. - When planning out a decorative concrete flooring or vertical project the sequence of steps varies depending on the final objective. Sometimes you stain first but often you engrave first depending on the end vision.

#3  – KaleidoCrete tools may be your easiest solution. – The Shark, Barracuda and Wasp will allow you to engrave beautiful designs and logos into vertical surfaces. Merely anchor a template to the wall with self tapping concrete screws and begin cutting. Templates are also available to create straight grout/mortar lines. These templates will allow you to easily create beautiful brick, slate and other patterns on vertical surfaces.

#4  – Minimize the dilution of stains and apply stains with rags or sponges. – When applying stains to vertical surfaces your number one enemy is liquid stain running down the concrete surface. Sponge and rag application will minimize the risk. When staining vertical surfaces introduce color gradually and add more with additional coats. Applying stains to large areas can be accomplished using a pump sprayer, or an HVLP sprayer. Spraying works best when the wall is porous. You can minimize the risk of running by immediately and continuously rolling newly applied stain.

#5  – Spray sealers with an airless sprayer in multiple light coats. Like stains, minimize the risk of the sealer running by applying multiple light coats.

#6  – Do not limit your design thinking to logos and graphics. – Beyond graphics and logos, opportunities exist for engraving: directional signage, brick patterns and more.

#7  – Sandblasting with Sandroid may be the perfect solution. – Using an Engrave-A-Crete template set you can get beautiful effects with the more subtle texture when using the Sandroid Recirculating Blasting system on outside walls and inside walls.

#8  – Glass, a vertical surface to Engrave. -Sandroid will create beautiful etched effects in glass. Multiple blasting media can be used to gain varied textures.

Watch for more information, videos, and special tools from Engrave-A-Crete in the months ahead to help you take your Decorative Concrete Business to the next dimension – VERTICAL!