Public: Architecture: Feature
Jewelled Concrete   (+1)  [vote for, against]
Polished concrete, seeded with sapphires and diamonds

The unfinished floor area of the lobby in a new commercial building stretches out before you, waiting for you to turn it into something beautiful.

Mark out the path from the entrance doors to the customer service desk. Lay the whole floor outside the path boundaries in silver coloured concrete, up to floor surface level. Lay concrete within the path boundaries to one inch below surface level. Wait 28 days before polishing the whole area, outside the path, to a high gloss shine.

Lay the top inch of the path in white concrete. While it is still wet, seed with blue sapphires and polished industrial diamonds. Tamp them into the mix and leave it to start going off, then expose and clean the jewelled aggregate with gentle water pressure. Polish and seal.

Mould a jewelled concrete counter-top for the customer service desk - unexpected added value for the grateful client - and submit your bill.

How much? If they needed to ask, they couldn't afford it.
-- tsuka, Apr 23 2004

Costume Jeweled Concrete http://www.wausauti.../y/family/31/id/103
[Laughs Last, Oct 17 2004]

I don't know about this, but as a kid, I thought marble veined with gold was about the most high-class decorative stone imaginable.
-- dpsyplc, Apr 23 2004


little dog paws set in the top always amuse me!
-- po, Apr 24 2004


I hope you mean paw prints only.
-- FarmerJohn, Apr 24 2004


Good one. If you wanted to *really* go over the top you could use only precious stones as aggregate for the entire concrete mix.
-- stupop, Apr 24 2004


oops, of course FJ.
-- po, Apr 24 2004


Of course this would be impossible to do, because it would be impossible to polish.
-- ldischler, Apr 24 2004


Why impossible?
-- tsuka, Apr 24 2004


A ruby terrazzo might be interesting.
-- half, Apr 24 2004


Why jewels? Turn your back for a second and the local underclass will be out there with chisels.

Plenty of existing flooring and pavement types have glitter, if that's what you're after.
-- DrCurry, Apr 24 2004


I have seen something similar to this, with bits of colored glass. Which would be cheaper. I can't remember where.
-- bungston, Apr 24 2004



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