Trueform Concrete Blog

Long Island Home Featured On Houzz.com

admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:37:10 +0000

Concrete Sink & Outdoor Countertop & Wall Panel

This project was recently featured on Houzz.com and was designed by Narofsky Architecture & ways2design.

See the whole project

Floating Concrete Sink:

Professional interior shots by: Phillip Ennis

This Long Island home sits perched above the water with a beautiful and relaxing view. The style and design of the home was a perfect match for all of the concrete work throughout the space. The floating concrete sink was designed by New York Design Firm ways2design. The sink was fabricated and installed by Trueform Concrete. Brackets were sent ahead of time to the be installed prior to the sink installation. This allowed the continuation of the work in the room during the time of the concrete fabrication. The sink color was Storm in the Classic Finish and the sink style was the Vallum Sink (ramp sink).

Outdoor Countertop and Wall Panel:

Outdoor Countertop & Wall Panel

Photo by: ways2design

The outdoor grill area was designed to create a fire resistant area around the grill and at the same time create a working surface when grilling. The grill was recessed in the nook area and the concrete wall panel rested on the countertop and continued to the ceiling. The space was templated before fabrication to ensure a tight fit.

About the Architect and Designer:

We are architects and interior designers, offering our services to residential clients for new homes, renovations, apartments, town houses, multifamily complexes and to commercial clients for corporate/professional offices and retail/hospitality establishments.

Founding principal Stuart Narofsky AIA, LEED AP, has received numerous awards, won high profile competitions and has been featured in numerous publications nationally. Stuart is a former chapter president of the American Institute of Architects, and has also devoted years to teaching architecture and furniture design at the New York Institute of Technology and Pratt Institute

Jennifer Rusch, president of ways2design, our affiliate for managing and overseeing interior installations, is an architect that has devoted her talents toward the emerging of architecture and interiors. She has over 15 years of experience in the hospitality and retail industry as well as extensive experience with custom home design.

Our studio is dedicated to fulfilling the needs of our clients while pursuing innovative, environmentally conscious design. The design process is equally important as the completed project. As members of the US Green Building Council, we practice an architecture in which innovation and environmental responsibility is a goal, and design is used as a tool towards that end.

www.ways2design.com | www.narofsky.com

Long Island Outdoor Kitchen – Concrete Outdoor Kitchen Countertops We recently completed a beautiful outdoor concrete kitchen. This custom...

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Triple Concrete Sink – Kitchen & Bath Showroom

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:36:31 +0000

Triple Concrete Sink

We recently completed a concrete countertop and integral concrete sink project for BKC of Westfield in Westfield, NJ. One of the challenges for this project was that because this display was for a real working kitchen to be used for events and cooking demonstrations, the Board of Health required there to be 3 separate sinks. Rather than doing undermount sinks, BKC decided that concrete would be a great solution to fit 3 sinks into the space and serve as an interesting design element for their newly renovated showroom.

The fabrication:

One of the luxuries of working with concrete is that this medium enables you to customize every aspect of the project. We fabricated 3 of the same sized sink molds to be applied to the concrete form. Because of the spacing between each sink was so close, the concrete form work for this project was very difficult. The standard form building and casting process had to be completely changed in order to accommodate this triple sink application. The countertop length was 96″ and was 3″ thick. The spacing between each sink was 1.5″ leaving very little room to work between the sinks. Due to the size of this project we chose to cast this with GFRC (Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete) for its ability to be thin and very strong.

Installation:

The concrete casting was only one part of this challenge. When it came time to for the installation we had to devise a precise plan and develop special installation tools to aid us in getting this piece into place. The concrete countertop was to be installed between three walls and needed some TLC along with special handling know-how. Although we have installed countless counters and sinks between 3 walls we had yet to deal with a piece of this size with 3 sinks attached to it. When handling pieces like this, having the weight of the sink on one side forces the piece flip to that side and becomes very difficult to maneuver and handle. After wheeling the countertop into the location, we set up a pre-fabricated roller-table in front of the cabinets bases. We than lifted the countertop and rested down on the sink bottoms which allowed us to roll the countertop most of the way into place. When it came time to transfer the countertop from the roller table into the cabinet base, 3 of us positioned ourselves inside 3 separate cabinet bases while two guys pushed the countertop toward the base cabinets. As it was pushed toward the base, we all lifted it up and transferred it to our hands and bench-pressed the countertop down into place. After the countertop

was set and glued into place, we templated for the concrete wall panels and floating shelf. These items were installed at a later date.

Concrete Color: Gansevoort Grey (named after the hotel in which this color was created for & is now called Smoke (has a nicer ring to it!))

Concrete Finish: Signature

Concrete Thickness: 3”

Concrete Sink Style: Custom 21” x 15.5” x 10”

Triple Concrete Sink

Come and see us this Saturday 4/28/2012 from 10 Am – 2 PM at BKC of Westfield’s Kitchen Design Event in their newly renovated showroom at 401 Cumberland Street in Westfield, NJ. Here you can discover what’s new in the world of flooring, countertops, appliances, tile, and cabinetry from stock to custom. You can also meet designers, suppliers such as us, as well as watch, learn and taste the foods of Chef Carol Heffernan of Party Flavors while discussing kitchen functionality. It should be a great event!

Long Island Outdoor Kitchen – Concrete Outdoor Kitchen Countertops We recently completed a beautiful outdoor concrete kitchen. This custom...

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ADA Sink – Concrete Sink – Trueform Concrete

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:04:16 +0000

Concrete ADA Sink unit

Trueform Concrete has created a concrete sink that answers the need for stylish ADA compliant sinks for designers, architects and homeowners. Most ADA sinks are unattractive and not simple to deal with. Keep in mind that this unit can be used in a setting where ADA compliance does not apply. This sink meets the ADA requirements in leg clearances, accessibility, and finished height but remain stylish and user-friendly. This sink unit is extremely light and simple to assemble. The concrete sink is a precast GFRC sink and the base is constructed of blackened plate steel.

A side note about GFRC: This means that the sink will be a fraction of the weight of a traditional concrete sink, and will have a very high flexural strength to it. GFRC is being used in many areas of residential and commercial projects. The reason is that GFRC can be cast in larger and lighter pieces. This allows the projects to become more complex and still be manageable for the end user as well as the manufacturer. Crating, shipping, unloading, and installing all becomes easier. For these reasons, most of the concrete industry is turning to GFRC products.

So… back to the sink. The sink sits right on top of the steel base and the base get screwed into the wall with three screws. If there was a need for the sink to float, Trueform can supply the home owner or contractor with the appropriate floating sink brackets and instruction sheets on how to mount them. The ADA sink comes in 8 standard color options and could also be custom matched to just about any color. Color matching is an amazing option that only concrete affords. The sink offers some vanity room as well. The sink is offset to the right side leaving you a place to put your personal items while you freshen up. So where does the water drain? We have finally eliminated the annoying and unsanitary water catch pan. From the top view, you will see the water drain into the 1” slat opening. Once it drops into the slat, the drain transforms the traditional “slot” drain into a standard 1 ¼” plumbing tail pipe right inside the concrete. Plumbing this sink is simple. Just screw the 1 ¼” pipe (provided by us) into the bottom of the sink and connect to the P-trap. It is that simple and mindless. As for the faucet, you can select how from 0 – 3 holes depending on what the faucet configuration is. The added rocks are just a nice decorative touch to create this peaceful exit of the water from the sink basin.

ADA compliant bathroom sink

ADA Compliant bathroom sink

Architectural Digest Show 2012 – Trueform Concrete Architectural Digest Show 2012 Our work was displayed at the...

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Dining Room Concrete Table – Trueform Concrete

admin — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 19:55:24 +0000

Trueform Concrete has created a beautiful 10′ x 4′ concrete dining table top and base. The concrete table was a solid 1.5″ thick with an eased edge profile. The color was Graphite from our Classic Color Palette. The table base was constructed of reclaimed lumber with a wire brushed texture. This was constructed as an 8 person dining table, but it would have no problem fitting 10 people comfortably. Overall, we really liked the way this project came out. It had a nice clean look that fit well with the client’s existing decor.

Concrete Table - Trueform Concrete

12 Foot Conference Room Table – Concrete Conference Room Table The “Big Idea” - Just when we thought that we...

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Architectural Digest Show 2012 – Trueform Concrete

admin — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:09:54 +0000

Architectural Digest Show 2012

Our work was displayed at the 2012 Architectural Digest Show at Pier 94 in New York City this past week. The show ran for 4 days – Thursday through Sunday. The turnout and response was incredible and the people who came to our booth had lots of great questions about concrete and its capabilities. We wanted to thank all of our colleagues, former and current clients, and friends who came out to see our work. We hope you had a good time at the show and saw some amazing work. We especially want to thank Millwork & More, Craft Fabricators and Artique Glass Studio for working their magic and making beautiful pieces for our displays.

We changed up our display this year and decided on a nice metropolitan color palette. The pieces all had a more contemporary flair to them. I have taken several shots of the booth and the individual pieces to give everyone who didn’t make it out an opportunity to see what they missed!

Trueform’s Booth Setup : This shows the whole booth from the right and left sides.

Architectural Digest Show 2012 Trueform Concrete Booth

The Concrete Table: We fabricated a 10′ x 42″ x 3.5″ Zen Concrete Table. The concrete table was cast in our classic finish in the color Pewter. The table base was constructed of 3.5″ Tube Steel that was finished with our Industrial Worn Patina. The table displayed a beautiful lighter taupe color detail that ran across the table top in a striped design.

Concrete Table Color Detail

Concrete Fireplace: This year’s concrete fireplace selection was a perfect fit to go along with the rest of the booth’s design. We have been doing this fireplace design for many years as it was first created by Designer Satomi Yoshida-Katz of YZDA Design for a residential project. The fireplace displays a compound miter pitch from 3” to 6” with a width of 10”. ( Color: Bone White)

Concrete Fireplace Surround

Concrete ADA Sink: This concrete sink was designed to be an ADA compliant sink with style. We have heard, and answered the call for a slick and well designed ADA compliant sink. We chose a larger styled ramp sink and offset it to one side to gain some usable counter space while keeping it compact for smaller spaces. The base is constructed of 1/8” plate steel finished with an industrial patina. The mirror frame is constructed from concrete and a specially designed mirror was provided from Artique Glass Studio. ( Color: White)

ADA Sink - Concrete ADA Compliant Sink

Concrete Console Table: This was a very traditional concrete console table measuring in at 42″ x 16″ x 30″ x 1.25″. The color was Cobblestone done in our Classic Finish.

Concrete Console Table

Concrete Wet Bar: Because we did not display a kitchen set up last year there seemed to be lots of confusion as to whether you could use concrete in the kitchen. This display absolutely put that question to rest. It was the iconic concrete countertop with an integral sink and drain board. (Color: Storm in the Classic Finish)

Concrete Countertop

Lavare 36″ Concrete Sink: This concrete sink always makes a great impression for people across the board. It defines a transitional look and has a timeless appeal that every passerby can appreciate. This cherry sink base displays a U-shaped soft close drawer and storage shelf. The unit is a total of 36” x 22” and has a 20” x 11” x 5” rectangle concrete sink. (Color: Taupe Classic Finish)

Concrete Sink

Infinity Sink: This concrete sink was a fun project that came from the idea of an infinity pool. This is the only concrete sink we have seen to date that drains at the same plain as the countertop rather than it pitching to a deeper area on the countertop. The countertop also drops levels to create a more comfortable working area in a bathroom. The base by Millwork & More is in a new veneer from the African Ayous tree, harvested from a regulated plantation and has water based dyes to create the beautiful and consistent patterning. The unit also has two nice sized soft close drawers. The silver leafed mirror was provided by Artique Glass Studio.
(Color: Sidewalk Classic Finish)

Infinity Sink

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Long Island Outdoor Kitchen – Concrete Outdoor Kitchen Countertops

admin — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:18:06 +0000

We recently completed a beautiful outdoor concrete kitchen. This custom contemporary home was situated on a bay front property in Bridgehampton, NY. The outdoor living area was designed with concrete in mind. The project had several challenges that made this project both difficult and exciting. The kitchen featured two waterfall legs, an integral concrete sink, cast-in stainless steel piers for an upper bar top, and rabbeted panels surrounding the two peninsulas. The architect chose the color Taupe in our Classic Concrete Finish. By casting the concrete countertops in GFRC we were able to reduce weight and keep a heavy 2″ edge profile. The concrete sink was cast directly into the countertops to create a seamless working surface. Prefabricated stainless steel piers were fabricated and cast into the concrete to create the support system for the upper bar top. Unfortunately this was not in place when we snapped some photos. The Rabbeted concrete wall panels were a really slick touch. We had a 3/8 x 3/8 rabbet that followed all the panel perimeters. Small details like that really turn a great project into an exceptional one.

Trueform Concrete - Concrete Countertop

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12 Foot Conference Room Table – Concrete Conference Room Table

admin — Fri, 27 May 2011 12:05:32 +0000

The “Big Idea” -

Just when we thought that we were already making large scale concrete tables and islands, the past monsters were dwarfed by this incredible 12′ x 5′ concrete conference room table. A marketing company located in Westchester county, NY, asked Trueform Concrete to create this 60 sqft table top for their main conference room. The existing table that they had made them feel crammed and unorganized with wires everywhere. It’s not every day clients come to us with projects of this scale so the challenges that this table posed pushed our team to tweak process and stretch our abilities.

Building the concrete mold -

One of our initial challenges was actually finding the correct surface to cast this project on. Keep in mind that concrete is cast on water resistant surfaces, and finding a surface in one piece that is 60 sqft is a challenge in itself. Once we secured our casting surface it became clear that we needed to create a cart that would support and allow us to cast this table top flat and level. We were able to manipulate an existing 10′ x 4′ casting cart to handle this project by adding some steel runners and supports. Precast concrete is typically cast upside-down in the mold and flipped over the following day to expose the finished surface. As we thought this project out, the third challenge surfaced about how to flip this large concrete table top safely for the piece and for the staff. We decided to place two casting sheets on top of each other and then separate them with wood strips every 10″ the whole length on the mold. The idea was to elevate our casting surface and allow us to place our nylon slings under the concrete table top before we started casting. Because of the high and early strengths of our concrete mixes, we can typically de-mold and flip pieces the morning after we pour. With a project of this scale it was better to have everything setup before hand and reduce the risk of stressing the table while flipping it over.

Casting the concrete table –

This project required about 800 lbs of raw casting material so all the separate mixes were prepared before we began. Because of the large size of this concrete table, we created a pulley system with a bungee cord support for our GFRC spray equipment. The pulley was constructed to handle the weight of the concrete in the GFRC gun. It also allowed us to spray this table with two men, one on each long side of the mold. The spraying portion of this project took about a solid 40 minutes of continuous spraying. Several layers of fiber mesh were placed into this table to create support and strength. The casting process continued for about another 2 hours leaving us with a monster to face the next day.

Flipping the table –

Before flipping the table over, it was ground and sanded smooth on all of the undersides because people’s knees, hands, and legs, would interact with the bottom of this table on a regular basis. Once the table was clean and smooth, we used a chain fall hoist and strapped it into the pre-placed slings. We were able to flip this table right over and back onto the cart it was cast on. The table sat on that cart for another two weeks and went though our standard process to receive the desired finish and look the client had requested.

Delivery and Installation –

The table was much too large to fit in our truck, so we got a 16’ trailer and mounted our A-frame on it. With all of the pieces loaded, strapped, and in place, we were off to our destination. The table was transferred to a sheetrock A-frame and rolled into the conference room to be set on its base. It was a 4 man operation getting this table top to set onto the steel base.

The project also included a countertops along built-in cabinets and a floating side table with a waterfall leg. The tables and the countertops all had our signature finish and a thickness of 2.5”.

Loading the A-frame - Trueform Concrete

: Concrete conference table – Trueform Concrete

Concrete conference table - Trueform Concrete

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Trueform Concrete is Featured in Karl’s Appliance New Paramus, NJ Showroom

admin — Fri, 13 May 2011 15:50:33 +0000

Karl’s Appliance recently opened a new location at 469 Route 17 South in Paramus, NJ. The showroom is an impressive 10,000 sq ft of high end kitchen and laundry appliances. Some of the brands that are on display include Sub Zero, Wolf, Viking, Lynx, Thermador, Gaggenau, DCS, Dacor, Franke and many more. This is Karl’s Appliance first store in Bergen County. From the early stages, Trueform Concrete worked with the wonderful staff at Karl’s to create some unique concrete pieces that would compliment this high end appliance showroom.

Franke Sink Display – Concrete Sinks

Franke wanted to show 6 of their top undermount stainless steel sinks in a modern display. We worked with Franke to create individual concrete display pieces that could easily be swapped out as newer sink models became available. To keep the display simple and clean, we chose two neutral colors in our Classic Finish and a simple Eased Edge Profile.

Franke Sink Display - Trueform Concrete

Viking Cook Tops and Stove Display – Concrete Countertops

The Viking Stove display gave us a great opportunity to show a more traditional style of concrete countertops. Concrete is a diverse enough building material that it can be cast and finished to achieve many different design styles. We chose the color Olive in our Signature Finish for the center island display. The countertop was 1.5″ thick with our Ogee Edge Profile. The curved island top was done 2″ thick with an Eased Edge Profile. The other stove and range displays were all done in the color Sand LBG with Eased and Classic Edge Profiles.

Concrete Countertop - Trueform Concrete

The Front Desk – Thick Concrete Countertop

We created a 5″ thick concrete countertop for Karl’s front desk. The color Sand TPG was chosen to compliment the laminate countertop base and tile floor. The countertop was 1″ thick on the office side and dropped down 5″ on the customer side. The thickness gave the front desk a bold and substantial presence.

Concrete Reception Desk - Trueform Concrete

Outdoor Kitchen – Concrete Countertop and Concrete Bar Top

Concrete is the perfect product to be placed in an outdoor setting. Outside of the home, concrete serves many functions: patios, pavers, walls, countertops, pool coping, tables, fire pits, and more. The Lynx outdoor kitchen display needed a natural and clean look. For the surrounding countertops we chose the color Taupe in our Signature Finish. For the elevated bar top we selected our2″ Slate Edge Profile which brought the element of a stone slab look into the design.

Outdoor Kitchen Countertops - Trueform Concrete

Long Island Home Featured On Houzz.com Concrete Sink & Outdoor Countertop & Wall Panel This project...

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Floating Concrete Sinks – Bathroom Sinks

admin — Wed, 04 May 2011 13:07:21 +0000

We recently cast two floating concrete sinks for a bathroom in south Jersey. Because of our extensive color library, we were able to use an older color sample from a past job and match it up to the client’s tile perfectly. Color matching is one of those unique specialties that concrete has and at any given time we are creating custom color samples for clients. At the client meeting in our showroom, we provided our client with two steel sink brackets as well as mounting instructions for the contractor. Once the brackets were in the wall, construction could continue right around the brackets. For the concrete sinks, the client chose model B3 20″ x 12″ x 5″ rectangle sink. When we came for installation, the brackets were protruding out of finished tile wall completely level and spaced properly, which made our job easy. We used adhesive caulk to adhere the concrete sinks to the wall and brackets. To finish it off we ran a clean bead of caulk around the perimeter of the sink to prevent water from dripping behind the sink. The final product was two beautiful floating concrete sinks.

Concrete Sink - Trueform Concrete

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Commercial Sinks – Concrete Sinks in a NYC Office Building

admin — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:14:13 +0000

Trueform Concrete recently completed concrete sinks for a NYC Office Building. Because they were for a commercial application we were to make sure that the countertops met ADA compliance. The concrete color chosen for this project was a custom dark brown. The concrete sink featured a six inch apron drop edge with an undermount porcelain sink. The vanity had an integral backsplash cast into the concrete. The concrete was supported by wall cleats on one side wall and the back wall, while the other side of the concrete was supported by the integral waterfall leg. The faucet and the soap dispenser were both automatic sensor activated. Functional and unique, concrete once again proves to be a great solution for commercial applications. Being able to cast everything as one solid unit decreases the amount of time it would take to install every part separately. Because it is cast as one sink unit it is also seam free, which clients love.

Concrete Sink - Trueform Concrete

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