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day trip: concrete collaborative

Day Trip: Concrete Collaborative / via Oh Joy!

Day Trip: Concrete Collaborative / via Oh Joy!

A couple weeks ago, I took a little road trip down to San Marcos to visit the Concrete Collaborative showroom and factory! They make gorgeous, sustainable, and super unique concrete products, like my current favorite TERRAZZO. We’re working with them for our house, so I also got to see some of the actual slabs that will be in our home while there. It was so cool to see how terrazzo gets made!

Day Trip: Concrete Collaborative / via Oh Joy!

Day Trip: Concrete Collaborative / via Oh Joy!

Day Trip: Concrete Collaborative / via Oh Joy!

Day Trip: Concrete Collaborative / via Oh Joy!

Co-founders, Hailey and Kate, gave us the ground tour of their San Marcos office and factory. Their office space is a dream come true for me, with walls and walls filled with terrazzo samples. There were so many amazing concrete details throughout the space, and I loved seeing all the different options that are available.

Day Trip: Concrete Collaborative / via Oh Joy!

Day Trip: Concrete Collaborative / via Oh Joy!

Next, we hopped on over to see some of the slabs that were just about to make the trek to our house! It was so exciting to see them in REAL LIFE since these are the exact slabs that’ll be in our home. Prior to this, we had been communicating over email so it was amazing to see the full size versions of these tiny samples I’d previously seen.

2019_04_26_Concrete-Love-34-grid

Then, we got to see where the magic happens and got a terrazzo lesson at the factory. Here, they’re pouring a concrete mixture into a mold to create a slab of terrazzo!

First, they move the mixture around with their hands, and then move the entire slab to a vibrating table. This helps all the tiny air bubbles escape and the marble chips settle. After the slab has settled, then it sits until it hardens. Once it’s hardened, they take it to the trimmer where they cut down the slabs into the size needed. Once it’s been cut, then it gets polished and turns into THIS beauty…

Day Trip: Concrete Collaborative / via Oh Joy!

Ta-dah! It was fascinating to see the process, and now I have even more appreciation for terrazzo. Concrete Collaborative has been in business for over 15 years, so they’ve perfected the process to make it more feasible to use for residential projects (formerly, you mostly see this material only in commercial buildings). I hope you liked this little peek! Stay tuned to see how these pieces play a part in my house interiors!

{Photos by Lily Glass}

3 comments

  1. This makes me so happy! I’ve had it stuck in my head that I need a terrazzo dining table for my new apartment, and I haven’t found anything like what’s in my head online. I’ll have to check Concrete Collaborative out!

  2. Hi Esha!
    Yes, take a look! I find the prices to be comparable to a slab of granite you might get from a stone yard but less than marble (and much more durable)!
    Joy

  3. Hi
    When you say Terrazo’s prices are competitive and comparable to marble, exactly what price per square foot is that ?
    Many thanks,
    Carlos?

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