Good News Concrete helps transform turtle enclosure

IDAHO FALLS, ID, UNITED STATES, April 26, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- Local decorative concrete coatings business, Good News Concrete, recently completed a project for the turtle enclosure at the Idaho Falls Zoo. The project included a Rustic Concrete Wood system design over the boardwalk and Metallic Epoxy coating on the enclosure's "pond" concrete floor.

The Good News Concrete crew, owned by Richard "Rick" Lopez, was hired to give the enclosure's flooring a visual feel of an actual turtle environment. Prior to the project, the zoo installed large boulders around the room, which were incorporated into the design, that Lopez came up with for the project's proposal. The zoo also had a mural being painted and wanted the flooring colors to match.

"We had to have many conversations about what their wants were, and what we could do to help them complete those wants," stated Lopez. "I put together a few drawings done with pen and watercolors to help them envision our plans."

After working for a janitorial company, Lopez decided to throw his hat in the decorative concrete ring. He attended two training classes in 2022, hosted by The Concrete Protector. From the training, he took the education of the products and techniques to start his own business. With the support of The Concrete Protector, Lopez's business has been able to complete successful projects, like the turtle enclosure.

"This was our first metallic and concrete overlay job," Lopez added. "I put together a proposal, then hand drew out the design, which I believe helped to close the job, and the customer mentioned that as well as being a good push for their decision."

According to Lopez, the project had several challenges from the beginning. The biggest challenge was the expansion joints, they had 1" felt in those gaps.

"We used The Concrete Protector's - Protector Flex joint fill to remedy those issues, but it was a chore to fix," he noted.

Another issue was the mixing of two different decorative concrete flooring systems... metallic epoxy and Rustic Concrete Wood. Merging the borders from the epoxy "pond" to the concrete overlay boardwalk required a process, planning and timely execution of the crew.

"Of course, we had a few spots that required fixing or cleaning of the lines from the epoxy bleed-through. We used a grinder edge tool to keyhole the lines and keep the two media separated for a clean look," Lopez added. "I think we learned so much from this experience. We learned how to stain with an air gun and get the look we were trying to achieve, which made the process of coloring the "wood" much quicker and more realistic, saving us time and labor costs. I also learned that it was critical to include my whole team, including all the support from The Concrete Protector."

"Rick was awesome to work with, a real kindred spirit for the artistic design element that can give this type of flooring a personalized, one-of-a-kind flair," said Dustin Kabara of The Concrete Protector. "Working with him and the zoo's representatives was a lot of fun, even overcoming the obstacles that were presented during the installation. I'm looking forward to seeing more work from Good News Concrete in the future."

Good News Concrete is proud to have been chosen to complete this project and is excited to have been a part of the Idaho Falls Zoo's turtle enclosure. The company looks forward to continuing to provide its services to the zoo and other customers in the future.

Contact Good News Concrete for your free project quote at 208-821-4417 or visit them online at www.goodnewsconcrete.com.

Dustin Kabara
The Concrete Protector
email us here

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