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The last application on this project was the vertically stamped walls. This application sparked the interest of the other trades people working on site more than the previous applications. They could not believe that we were able to render a 2.5-inch-thick mortar to the wall and then mold it into what appeared to be natural stone.

To create the larger stones we cut foam and attached it to the walls using glue, screws and washers. Once primed, we applied the mix to the wall by grabbing handfuls of mud and globbing it on. Roughly three hours after the mix was applied we began carving texture into the stones. I find this a very enjoyable aspect of the vertical stamping process. After some creative coloring techniques with water-based stains, our project was complete.

This was a fun project to be a part of and more importantly, we exceeded the customer's expectations once again. If you're ever in the Atlanta area, stop by the Olde Blind Dog pub, check out some nice decorative concrete and enjoy a pint or two.

Bob Harris is the founder and president of the Decorative Concrete Institute, Temple, Ga., which provides hands-on training in architectural concrete. He has personally placed or supervised the placement of more than 3 million square feet of decorative concrete and is the author of a best-selling series of decorative concrete books and DVDs. For more information, call (877) DCI-8080 or visit decorativeconcreteinstitute.com.