# Holmes on homes whats the product called?



## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

I'm just watching a H on H and there's a Mexican guy who's doing a revamp of some steps on the front of a house and my wife likes the look of it. Looks like a fake slate finish that they scrape into some type of compound. I have no idea what part of the site to even ask on but any of you guys know the trade who would do this normally and what it's called?


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## ApgarNJ (Apr 16, 2006)

watching the same episode. i think it's funny how they stepped the sidewalk into the driveway so the heavy car will take it's toll on those pavers which will eventually sink and loosen up over time, with ice/water, freezing. not a good idea.

that vertical metal they put on the bump out looks horrible. 
and also. most homeowners i meet for smaller jobs, they dont want to deal with permits and i am honest with them whether they need one or not. 
many jobs if you are replacing existing items, you do not need one. he makes it seem like any contractor who says you don't need one, that the contractor is a fraud. this guy is a blow hard.

i am not sure what the product is he used on those stairs. i think it was pretty cool he could scrape into it like that. looked like stamped concrete but i know it's not that.


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## ApgarNJ (Apr 16, 2006)

watching the next episode, that is WAY too much black tile on the whole first floor of a house?
i bet they didnt want to pay someone to do it the right way. it's not always the contractors fault. they get what they paid for. maybe they should have gone with the guy who was going to install the tile right.


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## XanadooLTD (Oct 6, 2007)

Ain't that the truth. They don't ever tell you the whole story. When those people say "hey didnt pull any permits." I bet no one is telling them that permits cost money. Homeowner probably said i have 2500 bucks to do this, can you do it? If it should have been 3 grand permits get cut and so do corners, etc.


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

i think they call that concrete overlay


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## ApgarNJ (Apr 16, 2006)

why would these people have picked black tile for the whole first floor? morons! i bet the guy who was going to install Ditra underlayment was the quote they couldn't afford. and thought that guy was trying to rip them off.

even the kitchen had to be removed! wow.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

Tom got it. It is just an overlay product.


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## Five Star (Jan 15, 2009)

Home depot ready mix! The secret is making it soupy


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## ApgarNJ (Apr 16, 2006)

at least he didn't try and overlay the old steps. i didn't get to see the finished tile job on the following episode. the inlays looked cool in that hallway/foyer area. those people got a whole new kitchen etc. he must have an open budget. and hgtv has to be paying the bill.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

thanks guys. Looked pretty nice but wouldnt want to try it my self.


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## SLSTech (Sep 13, 2008)

BCC - the install is not that hard, getting it to look just right - well that is where the art comes in
Sorry I missed the name, and for the life of me I can't remember the one used in a class I took once back in AZ. It was at a Concrete Supply Store, which might be a good place to start looking locally (including for a certified installer - anyone can buy it, but the certified installers were watched while they installed it by company reps)


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## 1984svo (Oct 8, 2007)

In Philly, one of the people at the radio station got a kitchen makeover from one of those shows and they said they still had to pay for some of the work.


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## Jeremy E (Jul 19, 2006)

I think the product, or at least something awfully similar, is marketed as "California Stucco."

Looked good on t.v., but so does vinyl siding... (apologies to the vinyl guys. :whistling: it's not your workmanship, it's just my taste)


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## ApgarNJ (Apr 16, 2006)

I thought california stucco was for walls and it was already colored when you apply it, just like Surewall is. different textures either. 

I am not sure the brand that guy was using but it didn't look like stucco to me. I'd be afraid of it holding up for the long term.


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## Ashcon (Apr 28, 2009)

If I'm not mistaken the product is called jewl stone, one on my local stucco suppliers used to carry it or something like it. There was an episode that they used it in a sun room, on the walls and made it look like stone. Hope it helps!


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## D. Jones Const (Dec 31, 2009)

ya its called jewl stone it is a cementitious coating designed for use over existing concrete and masonry, both interior and exterior. Jewel Stone is a blend of select silica aggregates and mineral additives that produces a stone-hard cast of thin section concrete. Jewel Stone can be textured, coloured, and patterned to replicate a wide variety of finishes such as stone, brick, tile, slate, and more. Jewel Stone can be applied in coats ranging from 1/16 to ½ in. (1.6 to 13 mm). When mixed with Pure Cement Binder, one 50 lb (22.7 kg) bag of Jewel Stone dry mix covers approximately 45 sq ft (4.2 sq m) at 3/16 inch


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## ApgarNJ (Apr 16, 2006)

that guy appeared to be putting it on much thicker which i'm sure is ok.
i find it weird that his show doesn't show brand names of what they use more often.
maybe if the HD doesn't sell it then they can't show the brand name of the product.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

Just do the real thing:


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## valparaiso (Mar 9, 2010)

*decorative concrete overlay*



ApgarNJ said:


> watching the same episode. i think it's funny how they stepped the sidewalk into the driveway so the heavy car will take it's toll on those pavers which will eventually sink and loosen up over time, with ice/water, freezing. not a good idea.
> 
> that vertical metal they put on the bump out looks horrible.
> and also. most homeowners i meet for smaller jobs, they dont want to deal with permits and i am honest with them whether they need one or not.
> ...


the product is generically known as a decorative concrete overlay. polymer modified (generally latex) grout. high percentage of white cement, specific graded sand, chemical admixture. mix: peanut butter to fluid consistency. can be stamped, used with templates or 'cut' as shown on holmes on homes. multiple manufacturers. google decorative concrete overlay systems. like any coating, prep, prep, prep. one wouldn't wax a dirty car. one shouldn't expect a proper bond on a poor substrate. you have to cure the overlay. that doesn't mean let it 'dry'. concrete or grout doesn't dry it cures (specific moisture and temperature envelope). if you don't know what you are doing, you will have problems. one can make some decent money with it. in chicagoland one can get $6.5-8 sq. ft.


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## sandbager (Dec 19, 2009)

Yes i watched it also I think holmes wasted a little concrete in his first pour he could have formed it up first but instead he just poured the hole from the mini digging full of crete.Not my money.


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## fast fred (Sep 26, 2008)

watched that episode too, kind of blew me away.

no rebar and he defended his actions. I can't get over it, a small mat of rebar would have done wonders.

three trucks of cement which was unreal, the house is going to fall over before the steps do. there must have been 2 yards of mud in that footer, we barely do that for a huge point load to a pad.

I guess holmes got all excited using his mini excavator and couldn't stop digging.


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