It's less permanent than a tattoo, but we still careful to pick something that translates well to concrete and is timeless. The floor we recently finished for Dave and Vicki Shurman in a home by Reven Builders is typical,
This one was based on a coat rack. They had owned this coat rack for years and just always seemed to feel better after looking at it. I think a swirling sun is about as primal as you can get, and the engraving process is not wholly unlike the petroglyphs of the Native American tribes of the Southwest. Vicki gave Todd (awesome guy on our team since 2006) this photo as something they liked and would like a medallion of:
This picture was passed onto me on the second day of the project (winter 2010 I think), and I knew that it would be best to translate this on a finished floor after the sealer had really cured out. So, we finished the floor and let the other monkeys ply their trades, planning to put it down when we came back for the final polish.
Now in July, the house is about done and it was time to do the final polish and install this medallion. Putting a Ermator S26 vacuum on the tools, and having an great team cleaning up on my heals made working in a finished home a breeze. I dug the hand made look of the coat rack, and wanted that to translate to the floor with little deviation in the swirl, but better rays. Rather than sandblasting or using a needle scaler, this one was cut free-hand with a 4" grinder so the texture of the engraving accentuates the design.
The best part, though was Vicki saying "That is exactly what I hoped for". I thought to myself "You saying that is exactly what I hoped for!"
I am really thankful to be able to feed my family making stuff I think is cool for people I like. Thank you David and Vicki Shurman, Larry and Randy Reven (I don't know Mrs. Reven, but she must be a saint).
