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Quartz Driveways and Driveway Re-surfacing Solutions

Posted by Concrete Restoration Systems on July 12, 2019 with 0 Comment

Before and After

Finding alternatives to replacing deteriorated and spalling driveways has arrived! Most folks like the idea of resurfacing their driveway to replacing because they get a decorative driveway for less money than getting another plain old gray driveway. They also know that they won’t experience the same problem again that caused their driveway to fail in the first place.

You see, spalling occurs during the installation where the concrete finish is compromised during the concrete finishing process. This can be caused by several conditions but most commonly by freezing in cold temperature or getting over-worked in hot temperatures. This condition is common and affects about 1 in 3 driveways in almost every region of the United States.

If your driveway is compromised during installation, then about a year or so after installation you will begin to see small dime size flaking concrete on the surface of your driveway that will progressively spread throughout the entire concrete surface. If this happens, you are left with a decision to make. Until recently, the only option was to tear it out and put in a replacement. Today, we can offer a pretty awesome alternative of a Quartz driveway which is extremely appealing to even the most discerning homeowner!

These driveways have great UV, chemical and wear resistance and are perfect for the wear and tear our Colorado driveways must endure. They are available in many colors to compliment any décor and is less expensive than replacement which is huge! Decorative concrete for less money that another plain gray concrete driveway? It’s a no-brainer solution that will increase the value of your home and make your property really stand out!

We invite you to contact us for a free consultation at 303-435-3334 and allow us to show you all the possibilities available with our design consultants!

Article written by:

Daniel L.Yalacki CEO/President

Malibu Pools LLC and Concrete Restoration System LLC

Phone: 303-435-3334

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Plum Creek Pool Deck Resurfacing

Posted by Concrete Restoration Systems on April 16, 2019 with 0 Comment

Plum Creek Pool - After — Plum Creek Pool – After

A Long-term Solution to Restoring a Pool Deck

What were they thinking? I have been in the pool industry and decorative concrete business for over 40 years now and I can’t say I have seen this before. This apartment complex in Castle Rock had a pool deck that the previous contractor had splattered dark gray mortar all over this pool deck to cover the deterioration. Kinda like stucco finish but not in a complimentary color. Just splats of dark gray. They didn’t attempt to stain it or color the mortar to make it look even and not patched. The owners contacted us to see if we could help improve the appearance. I met with the Project Manager and we decided on a plan to dye the existing concrete in an Exterior Concrete Dye to even it out in the color Buff which would complement the Club House colors.

Then, seal with a high-end siloxane modified sealer for exterior use. The results speak for themselves. It is always best to consult with a contractor that is qualified to not only do the work but to have solutions that are based in due diligence. What that means, is consulting with a contractor that in our case has a degree and background in Architecture to see the whole project to the end with a final desired result.

Not just slapping mortar down to cover up another problem and consequently creating a new one. Simply, we provide free consultations and can save you from doing a project twice. Not to mention, making your improvement really compliment your property the first time. Call for your free consultation today and let’s get it right the first time!

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Commercial Concrete Restoration

Posted by Concrete Restoration Systems on April 1, 2019 with 0 Comment

We also offer commercial concrete restoration for showrooms, manufacturing facilities, special agricultural grow floors and all types of commercial renovation applications. In this article, we will be looking at a sun deck at a condominium complex in downtown Denver.

This project is a 5000 square foot sun deck that was previously painted with a latex application less that a year ago which we removed by shot blasting. This deck also had control joint pattern that were approximately four foot on center throughout the entire deck. The owners originally thought they might like to have a multi-colored deck randomly placed in four different colors in these four-foot squares.

Later they decided to have a much simpler color scheme of two colors by adding 15” bands in one color and then one other color for fields. They also decided to have the control joints completely filled with silica and epoxy. We filled the joints and then ground them flush with a walk behind diamond grinder prep machine. Then drop chalk lines and re-tool new joints with a crack chaser diamond wheel and right angle grinder to provide new crisp joints in-place of the deteriorated ones over the entire deck.

There was also excessive spalling on this deck that required filling with quarts and epoxy and then ground to make it flush again. Once the preparation was complete, we began installing the quartz system in the color selected by the client. Since a picture paints a thousand words, we will let the photographs speak for themselves. This is a very durable and great looking application. Thank you for you viewing our article! If you need a consultation, please feel free to contact us for all your concrete renovation needs.

Article by Daniel L. Yalacki CEO/President

Malibu Pools LLC and Concrete Restoration Systems LLC

Phone: 303-435-3334

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Pool and Spa Re-Surfacing and Renovation – Eagle

Posted by Concrete Restoration Systems on March 4, 2019 with 0 Comment

In Renovation Process of Pool

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Daniel Yalacki, the owner of Malibu Pools and Concrete Restoration Systems LLC, has been rebuilding and renovating pools for 45 years and began when he was as young as 15 years old. The pool and spa featured in this article presented some interesting challenges that called upon all 45 years of experience and then some in order to rebuild this pool and spa.

This pool and spa were painted several times over the last few years with first white epoxy paint and then blue epoxy paint as you can see in the photographs. The trouble here is that when the pool and spa began showing signs of deterioration, staining and roughness, the owners decided to paint the pool and spa to cover up this damage.

The plaster in this pool and spa were already showing signs of failure as the plaster surface was rough, stained and falling apart. To cover up this soft, deteriorated surface with paint would only temporarily hide the damage and perhaps even help sell a distressed property. The issue is that the failing plaster will eventually fall off, taking whatever is attached to it– such as the epoxy – down as well.

To make matters worse, they used metal slag to blast off the layers of paint instead of grinding the paint off. The metal slag hit the paint and ripped it off along with the soft plaster below, leaving the plaster surface chewed up and distorted. This made it a real challenge to level the surface and make it structurally sound while also being smooth. The pool and spa were located at a resort just outside of Vail, Colorado, so we took every tool and patching system we had with us to face the challenge we knew we had ahead of us.

The pool and spa surface was very rough and we cannot patch over spots of paint with mortar, because it will not bond well when submerged in water. So, all of the paint had to go. When the slag hit the surface of a combination of paint and the underlying soft and deteriorated plaster, it caused a lot of damage. We needed to find the best way to get rid of the paint and level the plaster under the paint that was seriously deteriorated and distorted.

We found that a combination of 7” and 4 1/2” diamond cutter cups on a right angle grinder provided an excellent way to remove the paint but also removed the loose and deteriorated plaster below. Once the pool and spa were completely ground down, we basically just re-plastered the pool and spa with a submersible mortar and then sanded the mortar smooth with 40 grit sanding pads on palm sanders.

This worked great and provided the perfect solid and smooth substrate for re-surfacing. We can now install two applications of 100% Solid High Build Epoxy over the prepared surface, with 30 mesh silica sand broadcasted into the step area to prevent slipping, between the first and second applications.

This pool and spa were indoors so even though epoxies can yellow in the sun, placing epoxy on indoor pools and spas is okay! However, on outdoor pools and spas, I would recommend applying a polyurethane application for UV protection.

Below I have provided photographs depicting this process in sequence. This is the way to properly renovate a pool or spa.

Pool Renovation and Resurfacing

Pool Renovation and Resurfacing - Before

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Article Provide by Daniel L. Yalacki

Malibu Pools and Concrete Restoration Systems LLC

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Pool Coping and Spa Renovation

Posted by Concrete Restoration Systems on March 4, 2019 with 0 Comment

In this article, we are going to look at pool coping stone restoration and renovation ideas from a job we did at the Best Western.

Best Western - Pool After

Best Western - Pool After 2

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We will also be looking at ways to repair heavily damaged plaster in pools and spas from chemical abuse. Let’s start with the pool chemical deterioration first. Looking at the photographs below, you can see something that resembles a rash on the plaster’s surface. This pool at the Best Western in Ft. Collins, Colorado was built eight years ago. The person caring for the pool threw chemicals directly into the pool. This caused the plaster to have chemical burn marks all over the pool surface.

About halfway down the pool and into the deep end of the pool, the chlorine tablets thrown directly on the plaster surface caused burned cratered areas all over the pool floor and in general, all of the plaster was soft with cancer-like pockets and veining that were brown and green in appearance.

The proper way to disburse chemicals into your pool is by way of chemical injection feeders, inline feeders or at least into the skimmers so that the chemicals can be dispersed through the filtering system before entering your pool.

To stabilize the pool plaster, we needed to grind off the soft plaster from the entire surface. To do this we used #16 grit silica carbide grinding discs and right angle grinders to remove the soft plaster from the pool as shown below. We then patched the deep, cratered areas with mortar and then sanded them with palm sanders and #40 grit sanding discs to smooth out and blend the entire surface.

We then applied two applications of 100% solid high build epoxy to finish the surface renovation process. It turned out beautiful and the owner couldn’t be happier.

This was an indoor pool, but if you were renovating an outdoor pool, I would recommend applying a polyurethane coat over the epoxy to protect it from the UV rays of the sun that can amber the epoxy application.

Pool Renovation

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Coping Stone Renovation:

This can be fun! When you are getting a newly renovated pool, you may be looking for some ideas to renovate your coping stones that are discolored or damaged. One of our ideas was to install a quartz decking application that we commonly install in driveways and added grout joints to divide the stones. This can be done in many different colors and really adds a lot to the final finish and look of your new pool restoration!

Pool Coping

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This article was provided by:

Daniel L. Yalacki:

ConcreteRestorationSystems.com

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The Most Beautiful Patio Ideas for Your Backyard

Posted by Concrete Restoration Systems on August 1, 2018 with 0 Comment

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Aperture: 2.4Camera: LGLS755Iso: 100Orientation: 1

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Kathy and Art in the Timbers Subdivision in Parker, Colorado, wanted a unique patio that was very colorful. Art and Kathy showed us some photographs they found on the internet of multi-colored patios in grays. But said they wanted something even more colorful than what they were able to find.

In discussing the project, we decided that a large random flagstone pattern would be ideal to suit the rustic nature of the Pinery Area. We also discussed perimeter and cross-section bands that could compliment a future Trex Sun Deck that, we were planning on installing for them. This Trex Deck will also be featured below.

We started this patio renovation by laying out the large flagstone pattern and cutting the patio up into large stones and providing stone finished bands and borders throughout the patio. We then masked off the stone with a fiberglass stenciling tape and applied Micro-topping, which is a polymer, sand and cement that we tinted in various colors. To give the project a real stone look, we textured the stones to look like flaking flagstone. We then used an antiquing stain to create graining and veining throughout the stone finish in different directions to achieve a real stone look.

To additionally create an individual stone look, we grouted the stones so that each stone would look like it was placed separately from all the others. The results were awesome and Art and Kathy couldn’t be happier about their new patio. See our reviews section to see their comments.

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We also installed a Trex Deck for Art and Linda. Selecting complimenting colors and design to go with their new patio. Art and Kathy will have summers of fun with friends and family on their new patios! They have asked us to now design them an outdoor kitchen for their new patios that we are very much looking forward to and will share with you when it is done!

Concrete Restoration Systems by Malibu Pools LLC

Article and Architectural Designer

Daniel Yalacki CEO/President

Call for your free consultation at 303-435-3334!

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Swimming Pool Deck Renovation

Posted by Concrete Restoration Systems on March 4, 2018 with 0 Comment

In our articles we typically highlight some of our more pleasant projects, but today we are going to discuss a tough project that has numerous issues. Looking at the before photograph of this pool deck, you can see where there is a deep crack along the left side of the pool. The reason for this crack is that they didn’t place a control joint around the pool to allow for movement. Normally, you would have a coping stone around the perimeter of the pool that separates the pool deck from the coping. Then, the joint between the coping and pool deck should be caulked to allow for expansion and movement. It was obvious that this pool hadn’t received this treatment, so when the deck began to move, it caused the deck to severely crack. Cracking is one of the major issues we needed to address when renovating this pool deck.

But the failures didn’t end here. There were no control joints placed in any of the pool deck, causing the entire deck to crack in random directions. This presents a problem with any type of concrete repair because the cracks tend to occur randomly. In theory, a control joint is placed in the concrete in the hopes that when the concrete moves, any cracking would occur in the control joint. With no control joints, the concrete will crack in random directions all over the concrete slab. The lesson here was that control joints are your friend. This concrete was also poorly finished and wasn’t attractive. The challenge was to make this pool deck beautiful and most importantly functional.

Dealing With The Existing Cracks: While this pool deck is fairly old and has settled about as much as it’s going to, the probability of these cracks showing through any resurfacing that you apply is very likely. The cracks are also random throughout the pool deck and we would need to incorporate that fact into our proposed solution.

To deal with the cracks, we chose to make them a part of the solution, taking a negative and turning it into a positive. There should have been coping stones installed separately from the pool deck and then a caulked control joint placed between the coping and the pool deck to allow for movement. Instead, there was a the cracked deck along the perimeter of the pool. Therefore, we used a crack chaser diamond wheel to clean up the existing crack. Then we used the same crack chaser and carved up the coping area into individual stones to look like large coping stones. We then caulked between the pool deck and the newly renovated coping stones.

Random Pool Deck Cracks: As mentioned earlier in this article, we have cracks running in different directions all over the deck and we know that if we don’t deal with these cracks, they will probably mirror back into the resurfacing application we install. The decision was made to open up the existing cracks with a crack chaser and make a random stone pattern all over the deck using these existing cracks as a starting point. It turned out great! After carving the deck up into a stone pattern, we injected epoxy into the cracked joints to make them stronger. Now if there is any movement, it will be in the stone joints and will not be visible.

Resurfacing The Deck: We chose to install a Quartz Aggregate System to finish this deck for its durability, ability to hide imperfections of the existing deck and for its slip-free surface. We ground down the entire pool deck with a walk behind concrete diamond prep machine. Then we applied the Quartz Epoxy System which we show above a sample of the Quartz System along with a color fan of the 3200 colors available to choose from for the final coat of tined polyurethane sealer. We then took the crack chaser again and opened up all of the joints of the stone pattern to make them crisp. We then took an exterior concrete dye and painted all the joints with an artist brush to have a contrasting grout joints around the stones for an awesome, durable and properly functioning pool deck.

This is where structural know-how and art come together to provide the ultimate in concrete restorations.

If you would like us to help you with your project, please click here to schedule a free consultation for creative concrete solutions.

This article was provided by:

Daniel Yalacki of Concrete Restoration Systems by Malibu Pools

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Featured in Colorado Homes and Lifestyle

Posted by Concrete Restoration Systems on March 4, 2018 with 0 Comment

Proudly Recognized by Colorado Homes and Lifestyle Magazine

Concrete Restoration Systems by Malibu Pools and Decorative Concrete as featured here in our April 2018 publication of Colorado Homes and Lifestyle Magazine in recognition of their 40 years of impeccable contributions within our Colorado Community.

Established in June of 1978, Daniel Yalacki the Owner, President/CEO of Malibu Pools and Decorative Concrete began this company at the age of 18. He was the middle child in a family of nine children. Having the desire to become an architect, he built pools in the summertime and went to school in the Fall after the season was over. He graduated top of his class in 1982.

In 1983, he developed a pool resurfacing system called Fibercoat 2000 that’s a fiberglass, reinforced, porcelain-like application that is still in pools some 35 years later. He was the second contractor in Colorado to provide stamped concrete. He was the first generation of decorative concrete, and by the mid-1980’s he brought talented stamp concrete installers from San Diego CA. This quickly transformed his company from primarily pools, spas, outdoor kitchens and fire pits, to providing the finest in decorative concrete applications in the state.

While his company still provides all of the services listed above, his greatest focus is on restoring concrete and driveways that have caught his attention. After being in the concrete industry for over 40 years, he has seen just about everything you can with concrete. Up until now, when concrete has spalling, which is the flaking off of the concrete surface as shown in the “before” picture on this driveway, tear out and a replacement was the only option.

One in three driveways have spalling in Colorado, however, Concrete Restorations Systems has the solutions! They can turn your ugly, deteriorated driveway into a beautiful work of art that your neighbors will be jealous of, and for good reason. This company also has had no complaints with the BBB and a five star review – the best in the industry!

If you would like us to help you with your project, please click here to schedule a free consultation for creative concrete solutions.

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Concrete Dye and Staining With Surfkoat Products

Posted by Concrete Restoration Systems on February 8, 2018 with 0 Comment

How to Create an Entryway that Pops!

Concrete dye and staining is an art all on its own. On this particular project, which was a stamped concrete entry and walkway, color and a non-slip surface were the clients two main concerns. We will discuss both concerns in this article, beginning with the color selection process which is always the main consideration.

This client had a very unique color on their doors and trim that they wanted to compliment with the color of their walkway and entryway. So they selected three colors to sample on the walkway, Saddle Brown, Caramel and Chocolate in a Surfkoat Exterior Dye. In the second photograph of the walkway, you can see these three colors in varying color density from lite to dark or full strength to reduced strength in color.

We selected Surfkoat Exterior Dye for this project because it is a solvent based concrete dye that is extremely versatile, highly durable and has extraordinary adhesion and UV resistance properties for consistent longevity in exterior use applications.

Its versatility is primarily found in its ratio flexibility, as you can add as much dye or as little dye as you like to adjust how dark or how lite you want the application to be. Of course, the less dye you have will make the color more translucent and lighter in color. This also permits the original color of the concrete you are applying the dye on to have a greater impact on the final color which can be also be very interesting.

Thus, we always want to experiment first with samples to find the perfect look for our clients’ project! It starts with determining the ideal product we want to use. In this case, we had existing stamped concrete which we want to enhance, not hide. So we chose to use the Surfkoat dye which has great translucent properties with extremely flexible ratio strength coloring. It is also a concrete dye which makes it pretty much permanent. This was also an exterior application so using a system that has great adhesion, UV resistance and high traffic resistance made Surfkoat Exterior Dye the perfect choice. This project turned out great! Quoting the Client’s text after she come home and saw the final project she wrote, “Looks amazing”.

They selected Chocolate as their color. It goes perfectly with the doors and trim as you can see from the photographs above! Chocolate, on this particular project, brought out the slight orange and red found in the color on the doors and trim. Another successful project! But like I always say, this is art and as such, taking the time to get the right color combination is essential to any projects success and to have a very happy client!

Now I will briefly discuss the proper application for acquiring a fairly slip-free surface. We have been using Surfkoat Deco Guard for years here at Concrete Restoration Systems LLC because it is the best sealer we have found in our 40 years in business in Denver Colorado. This product is a Siloxane Modified Methyl Methacrylate Acrylic Sealer. We have received consistent product durability and longevity from this application.

The Siloxane additive provides huge salt and moisture resistance and the methyl methacrylate is highly UV resistant and is fairly slip free as our customers commonly rave about. Truly the best sealer on the market today! And you won’t be disappointed in the price either! We highly recommend and invariably apply this application to all of our projects. When you want to please your clients use the best use SurfKoat!

Article was written by:

Daniel L. Yalacki

CEO/President of Concrete Restoration Systems

by Malibu Pools LLC

If you would like us to help you with your project, please click here to schedule a free consultation for creative concrete solutions. If you can Imagine it, we can Create it!

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Swimming Pool and Spa Restoration and Paver Installation

Posted by Concrete Restoration Systems on February 1, 2018 with 0 Comment

What you need to Know from the Best Pool Resurfacing Contractors in Colorado

Brick pavers are very popular these days. They are very versatile and beautiful. They also can’t crack like concrete because they move with the ground, which is great for Colorado. Most people are surprised to find out how durable these pavers are. A typical driveway has a PSI strength of about 3,500. But these stones are about 14,000 PSI and move with the ever-changing soil conditions we experience here in Colorado.

They are available in many sizes, shapes, and colors to complement any project you may have! Along with providing awesome and exclusive concrete restoration systems and paver application, here at Concrete Restoration Systems by Malibu Pools, we have been the industry leader in the building and renovation of swimming and spas since 1978. In fact, we are the second oldest swimming pool company in the Denver area. While we are a swimming pool company, we also offer all backyard amenities such as outdoor kitchens, fire pits, water features, and paver installation along with providing our full in-house architectural services. We can help you achieve that perfect backyard environment you’ve been dreaming of!

On this site, we spend a fair amount of time discussing the many alternative systems for concrete restoration. However, we have so much more to offer. In this article, we will explore the options and creative renovation techniques we use to restore swimming pools and spas. Okay, I know what your thinking, this is a really, really, really blue pool and spa. However, that is what the client wanted, and the client always gets what they want.

Okay, let’s start with the spa. This spa was tiled in one-inch tiles and the client hated the tiles and wanted a Royal Blue pool and spa. So, we removed the tiles and installed glass tiles around the perimeter of the pool and spa. To accent the steps and sitting ledges, we placed inlaid tiles. We then install a 100% solid epoxy to the pool and spa in a Royal Blue color. We then applied a polyurethane finish over the epoxy to protect against UV rays that are harsh on epoxies to achieve a beautiful long-lasting pool finish.

Using our experience in concrete restorations, we decided to remove the existing paint from the coping of the spa and using a right angle grinder and a crack chaser wheel to cut the coping up into individual stones as shown. We then applied our Quartz System over the stones in a charcoal color to match the coping around the pool. We then took real stone and created a spillover from the spa into the pool. To finish this, we took real stone again to finish the face of the spillover which is essentially a waterfall or water feature which we also do here at Concrete Restorations. To complete the project, we applied Dolphin Gray Stucco to coordinate with all of the others grays, to the outside perimeter of the spa. The client told me the other day that he and his wife have decided to paint their house in the same colors because they are so pleased with what we did with their pool area!

When it comes to backyard resort-style living, there is not much we can’t do! This is our 40th year serving the Denver Area with high quality and inspirational solutions to your home improvement needs! For your next project, we invite you to take advantage of our free consultation services and let’s create something GREAT!

This article was written by Daniel Yalacki CEO and President of:
Concrete Restoration Systems by Malibu Pools LLC

If you would like us to help you with your project, please click here to schedule a free consultation for creative concrete solutions. If you can Imagine it, we can Create it!

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