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Frequently Asked Questions About High Performance Concrete

First and foremost, our ability to customize and personalize your project far out shines the options with a typical granite installation.

Here are few examples of the techniques we can implement to take your piece to the next level…

~Inlayed Items: Our projects allow us to place a variety of materials into the surface of the concrete. Semi precious stones, metals, and glass are easily placed into the molds before the pour and polished later. Items, such as a lucky coin perhaps, can add a personal touch not offered by granite and other solid surfaces.

~Customized Edge Details: Edge detail is another great feature with High Performance Concrete. We can create a number of different edge details including bullnose, ogee, and broken edges, among others.

~Integrated features such as sinks, drain boards, heat trivets and cutting boards are truly the ‘icing’ on the High Performance Concrete ‘cake.’ Our ability to mold a shape into the surface without seams is something unique to the molding process. Our line of per-cast sinks is practically endless, offering large farm style sinks and vanity bowls of all shapes and sizes. Custom sizing is also available. Also offered is inlaid metal used as heat trivets around stoves, as well as removable cutting boards.

~We offer a virtually unlimited line of colors. The company that supplies us with our pigments can reproduce any color in the Benjamin Moore ‘Color Preview’ line, offering you literally thousands of colors combinations. While charcoal and earth tones are some of our most popular shades, we can easily pour bright vibrant colors as well. In addition to the pigment choices for the actual concrete, we offer a full spectrum of special glass and aggregates that can enhance the depth and beauty of any piece.

~Overall, High Performance Concrete is a much more environmentally friendly product than Corian or granite. Locally available materials is the obvious bonus, but there is much more to it than that. Please see our environmental impact statement for more information.

Typically our basic package installation price is equal to that of a similar installation in granite slab within the region. Of course, additional details such as inlays, edge details, color choice, and the amount of polishing involved will dictate the final price. In our experience, once a client decides to add on some personalized feature or a pre cast sink we can actually be less expensive than a comparable granite installation.

High performance Concrete has about the same stain resistance as Marble or Soapstone. Although the addition of specialized admixtures into our mix design create an incredibly dense surface, it still requires additional steps to optimize stain resistance.
McGregor Designs is excited to offer our clients reactive sealing technology, a cutting edge sealing process designed especially for concrete countertops. Once the sealer and concrete have cured, it becomes an incredibly durable and stain resistant product that can last a lifetime.

While our High Performance Concrete cures to an incredibly hard, dense surface, we still recommend the use of cutting boards to reduce surface scratching, as well as damage to your knives. Protective hot pads or inlaid heat trivets should also be used under hot pots and pans.

Our mix designs combined with the reactive sealing system provides a product that is acceptable for outside applications. It should be noted, however, that severe conditions in the Northwest will put anything left outdoors to the ultimate test. Additionally, bright colors may be susceptible to color fade over many years of UV rays.