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Technical Description of the KreteKraft Overlay System
Not Just a Pretty Face
The origins of KreteKraft began in 2001, when my husband and I decided to build a home at 10,000 feet in the Colorado mountains. At that altitude, the climate is severe, with very wide temperature swings, fierce UV exposure, and consistent winds during the fall season of over 100MPH.
So we decided to build a home that had an efficient footprint (so as to disturb a limited amount of forest and Aspen grove), was extremely well insulated, and that would easily withstand the strong winds. The shape that we decided upon is a 15 sided polygon (nearly round), and the primary structural building material, you guessed it, concrete. Add 8 inches of EPS foam for insulation, and voila, our criteria was easily met.
Accidental Experts
When we started that journey, we didn't know any more than anyone else about concrete, mostly nothing really. My husband started researching concrete, shotcrete, ferro cement, and mix designs. Why did some concrete crack a lot? What makes concrete 'better' and more long lasting? How is it that our concrete highways need frequent repairs, and the Roman structures lasted for thousands of years? What is the basis of reinforced concrete structurally? And a lot more questions...
We were very fortunate to find some very good resources that were willing to share their views and information, the science behind making 'good mud' as it's known in the trade. Based on this information we began to experiment, and finally settled on a mix design approach that could be adapted for everything from our base structure of footers, floors, and roof, to shotcrete walls much thinner and yet stronger than traditional poured concrete. This approach is based on the concept of a 'Micro-Engineered' mix design.
Concrete Mix Design
A micro-engineered mix design in simple terms is to start the aggregate combinations (usually the sand and rocks you see in your driveway concrete) at the microscopic level. This means that the finest aggregates are actually extremely fine powders, that interact with the portland cement and it's chemical properties in very interesting ways. The use of these powders (some of which are called Pozzolans) along with organic water reducers, and a gradient approach to adding increasingly larger aggregates leads to a product that is very strong. Harder than granite on the hardness scale, and yet also surprisingly flexible (tensile strength). This is why KreteKraft countertops don't crack like traditional concrete. (Many thanks to the researchers at University of Michigan and Hawaii!)
This is the background of the KreteKraft mix design which provides the needed structural qualities to allow a 1/4 inch thick overlay system to perform better than actual stone in a kitchen environment, with virtually no maintenance.
The Sealer
The next issue to be resolved was the sealer. After many tests and months of trial and error (in the shop, not in a client's home) we discovered the best current approach and product mix. A seal that is zero VOC, easily maintained, stain resistant, heat resistant, and field application friendly. Equally important is the feel of the finished product. It needs to feel like honed stone, not plastic.
Final Product
Now we have an extremely durable, and user friendly countertop system that can be applied over formica, tile, even granite, that is cost effective and that will outlast the home.
Ok, that's the material side of the equation, the next step was to develop the coloration process that allows the artisan influence. Having solved this part of the puzzle, KreteKraft was born.
The biggest reason that clients turn to KreteKraft isn't necessarily the science behind the creation of a countertop system that is more durable, it's the artistic result. So while the science behind the system is important so I can sleep at night, what makes this a fun and exciting business is the enthusiasm of my clients with the results.
Giving you what you want visually, at a fair price, within a system that will exceed your performance expectations, is very rewarding.
