For Wendy Barker, concrete serves more than a functional purpose. Decorative concrete is an art with every floor having a story and a life of its own. The end result is a beautiful product with the personality of the floor shining through.
“I absolutely love everything about concrete,” Barker says. “It doesn’t seem like work even when I’m scrubbing floors.”
It was that love of concrete that compelled Barker to focus on decorative concrete full time. While she originally started a paint company, Barker made the switch to a full-time decorative concrete company, Concrete Redefined, serving residential and commercial clients, in February 2008.
With headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, Barker and her team have undertaken interior and exterior projects as far away as Tennessee and are willing to travel anywhere for a job. Concrete Redefined offers a full line of products, including acid staining, topical dye coloration, microtopping, overlay etching, engraving of interior floors, interior painting, and training for colormaker floors.
The durability and longevity of decorative concrete is often a concern for homeowners and even commercial clients. Barker asserts that as long as the finishing coat of the concrete is properly maintained, the concrete will last. She recommends applying a light coat of wax to the concrete, which is easy and takes very little time and effort, every three to four months.
“A very thin layer of wax is enough to protect the sealer,” she says. “I have a mop on wax that I highly recommend.”
Barker, who has thus far secured the majority of her clients from word of mouth, has one project that sticks out in her mind as the most memorable. It was her first really large job: Helping to transform 1600 square feet of a church sanctuary into a teen center by staining the floors.
The project started with Barker’s worker backing out on her at the last minute. Instead of stressing about completing the huge project herself, Barker got creative: She offered the church a discount if the teens would help her clean the floor.
“There were probably 15 or 16 kids, and we started on a Monday,” Barker says. “We found there was sealer on the floor and there was glue everywhere. These kids and I worked all week, and we got those floors to a point where I could stain them.”
The project turned out to be such a rousing success that Barker was paid more than she expected and the teens were thrilled to have a part in the creation of their teen center.
The teen center project is, in many ways, a reflection of Barker’s philosophy.
“I offer what I can and deliver more. I pay attention to what people want, what they really want out of their floor and I communicate with them every step of the way,” she says. “I always try to go the extra mile.”
Barker also believes there is no job that is too small or too big, and there isn’t a floor that is beyond hope.
Barker has big plans for Concrete Redefined. In addition to holding do-it-yourself workshops at her shop twice a month, she also plans to start her own line of outdoor tables.
To learn more about Concrete Redefined, to sign up for a do-it-yourself workshop, or to schedule a time to visit their showroom, please visit http://www.concreteredefined.com, email wendy@concreteredefined.com, or call 502-541-3968.