Granicrete Minnesota + Australia: Reunited

Lee and Scott are two of our students from our Summer 2017 Floors & Counters classes. They’re also from Australia. This couple traveled over 8,000 miles to attend! Talk about a long trip.

Recently, they made the trip again to reunite with friends Pat and Bill, as well as Tom and Jean Eaton. Pat and Bill used to live Australia. After they moved to Minnesota, they took our Granicrete Floors & Counters Classes. When Pat and Bill shared what they’d learned with Lee and Scott, they knew they had to take the classes too. While attending class, the couples learned how to install Granicrete products, work with our colors and isopropyl alcohols, and how to use our epoxies and light-weight concrete.

Today, Pat uses Granicrete in commercial and residential projects. She’s done work in their coffee shop, The Bean, as well as their Air B&B homes. She even took the class with her sister Nora; they hope to start their own business together. Nora uses Granicrete on furniture that she sells, such as table tops
and resurfaced end tables.

Lee and Scott took their knowledge back to Australia and are starting their own epoxy company called Pro Surfaces-Australia. We’re so excited for their new adventure! Someday, we’d love to visit Lee and Scott – like with many of our students, we’ve become close friends with them over the years.

If you’d like to join our Granicrete Minnesota classes, you can view more information here. We offer Floors & Counters classes ($500 per class) and Designer I & II classes ($800). In these classes, you’ll learn about concrete and epoxies, and how to use them in many applications like interior
& exterior surfaces, art, furniture, and commercial & residential applications. We also teach some classes, such as our Showers Class, by request.

For more information or to book your spot for our next class, call us at 507-373-3547.

The Four Rs of Going Green

Summer is here and it’s a great time to keep your green habits going strong! Here are our Four Rs of Going Green:

1. Recycle: Trash, clothing, even furniture! You probably already recycle your paper, plastic etc. But do you ever think to recycle your business or work clothing? Instead of throwing them away, because you are tired of them or they are outdated, old or worn try donating them to Workforce Centers or Women’s Shelters. Every state has them. These non-profits give to those in need – at no charge – your gently used clothing to people starting a career and have nothing to wear. Believe me, you’ll feel great knowing that you have helped someone look good and feel confident in their new job! And they didn’t have to pay a penny!

2. Re-purpose: A big trend right now! HGTV & DIY T.V. shows, new re-purpose stores, and DIY’ers are thinking Green and creating new ways of using old products or things you may already have around your house. You might use great-grandpa’s old tools as towel or coat hooks. Grandma’s doilies look vintage and stunning framed on the wall. Pintrest is a fantastic way to find ideas to re-purpose.

3. Re-surface: Have you ever thought of painting your cabinets? Your furniture? Resurfacing your existing counters, interior & exterior floors, shower walls, patios, or garage floors? Perhaps you don’t like the color, pattern or design. There is no need to tear out what you have if it is still in good shape. There are products out there that are “green” and won’t fill the landfill with your old, outdated products! Newer paints have low VOC’s and wonderful colors. Re-surfacing products like Granicrete, which is made of a very thin, durable layers of concrete that has the look of stone, tile, wood is a wonderful use of your existing surfaces.

4. Refresh: Don’t get new accessories, furniture, lamps or pictures; Just move them into a different room or arrange them in a new way! Try mixing up your accessory or picture arrangements that you traditionally had together. It’s amazing how just re-arranging will make the room look fresher and you’ll feel renewed in your new living space!