Firth launches new coloured concrete range

February 27, 2012

Firth launches new coloured concrete range

Using a new oxide blending plant from Rockwood, USA, Firth Industries is bringing New Zealanders a new range of coloured concrete called Elements.

Firth has developed the range of eight popular earth tone colours with US-based colour partner, Rockwood – all the new colours are made from recycled metal oxide.

Firth Elements includes 01 Sea Breeze; 02 Sandstorm; 03 Heat wave; 04 Monsoon; 05 Indian summer; 06 Ice storm; 07 Cloud burst and 08 Thunder cloud.

Firth’s Architectural Manager, Bernice Cumming says, “It’s very exciting for the company to be launching its own range of high-end concrete colours.”

“It’s not that colour in concrete is new, but rather that Firth is simplifying the process of selecting and purchasing coloured concrete.”

“Customers can now simply select the colour by number or name and work through specific contractors to lay the pre-mixed coloured concrete, which makes for an easy process,” she says.

“The Elements colours are blended into a soluble bag which is then thrown into the concrete truck, allowing for the colour to be evenly blended throughout the concrete with no wastage or mess, as it doesn’t require additional handling,” says Bernice Cumming.

Coloured concrete can be combined with all the usual types of concrete finishes such as exposed aggregate and Firth’s range of pebble mixes enabling flexibility to create many different options for patios, paths, driveways and interior polished floors.

Firth has been contracted to supply coloured concrete for the new look to Speight’s signature alehouses around the country.

“Colour 07 Cloud burst was selected by the project’s interior designer, Leslie Elliot when Firth had only just confirmed the new Elements coloured concrete range,” says Bernice Cumming.

Leslie Elliot from Auckland based Evolve Design says, “The green/grey colour, Cloud burst, from Firth’s new Elements range fitted well with the colour way for the project which is based on the New Zealand landscape colours.”

“We are working alongside Dulux to create a special Speights paint colour range for the project as well, so it’s a perfect fit,” she says.

The coloured concrete has already been poured into the new Nelson Speights Ale house which is located in Tahunanui, near the World of Wearable Arts (WOW) Museum.

Brent Stewart (Stew), Firth’s Area Operations / Sales Manager (Upper South Island) says, “A raised floor was constructed over the existing concrete slab and we poured the decorative coloured concrete topping on top of this in situ with stained timber.”

“A total of 14 cubic metres of 07 Cloudburst was supplied for the job,” he says. “It’s the first time we’ve used the new colour system product and it was very easy, we just ordered in the batch and it all went swimmingly to plan and was very seamless”

Stew admits the job did have its challenges. “Pouring concrete within the timber inserts is slow fiddly work and in Nelson’s hot dry climate it was a challenge to keep the product consistent and stop it from drying out during the pouring process.”

Stew welcomes the Speights Alehouse to Nelson. “It’s a destination bar and it will definitely be a sharp looking place, there’s a lot of stone work and warm colours, combined with natural products like timber and concrete which all work together well.”

The next purpose built Speights alehouse is being constructed in Wanaka and will also feature a Cloudburst coloured concrete floor. This project is scheduled to be completed in mid-2012.

Elements coloured concrete can be used for residential or commercial applications.

ENDS

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