Thanksgiving Wisdom for Stronger Concrete and Stronger Craft

“Proper curing, not longer curing, is what gives a GFRC Concrete Mix its deeper, richer color, whether you’re casting concrete countertops, concrete sinks, or DIY concrete furniture, cure it right and your results level up fast.” - Brandon Gore

 

This week’s Thanksgiving episode offers a calm place to settle in and reconnect with the work you love. You step into the story as the maker who wants richer color, cleaner surfaces, and more control over every pour. The challenge is simple. You want your pieces to look the way you imagine them, but small mistakes and unclear methods can get in the way.

In this conversation, you get clear, straightforward guidance you can use right away. You will hear how proper curing brings out deeper tones, which silicone caulks protect your forms, how the right additives unlock stronger color, and what casting techniques help keep air pockets from stealing the beauty of your finish.

You will also hear how choosing the right materials supports your talent. Kodiak Pro products are built to help you work with confidence, keep your process steady, and bring more ease to the long hours of making.

If you are traveling for the holiday or settling in at home, this episode gives you a warm companion. Take a breath, enjoy the ride, and let these simple insights help you create work that feels honest and alive.

#ConcretePodcast #ConcreteArtisans #MakersMindset #ConcreteCountertops #CreativeCraftsmanship #concretedesign #ConcreteCraft #ArtisanSkills #GrowthMindsetTools #gfrc

TRANSCRIPT SUMMARY:

Introduction (0:15)

Brandon: Hello. Jon Schuler.

Jon: Hello, Brandon Gore.

Brandon: Well, I can tell you about my week. My truck got broken into. I never carry cash, but I have a tenant in one of my commercial buildings. He paid me cash this month, $2,600. I put it in the center armrest and, of course, that got stolen. They left the Credence, so that’s good, but I’m guessing the detectives aren’t working shifts to find the Credence.

Anyway, let’s skip over the bad news and get to the good news.

Good News to Kick Things Off (0:46)

Brandon: The good news, my friend, is the Yeti Makers Holiday Haul for Kodiak Pro is underway. If you don’t know what the Makers Holiday Haul is, it’s a reward program we’re doing for November and December. Your cumulative spend over these two months puts you into a reward tier.

It goes from the low end, a Yeti can cooler or ceramic coffee mug, all the way up to a Yeti Tundra 35 cooler. Orders are coming in every day. Dude, I hope you and I have to buy 50 custom Yeti coolers. That’s what I’m rooting for.

So guys and gals, keep placing your orders. Get those in before the end of the year, earn a bunch of rad custom Yeti gear. And here’s the practical side. As small business owners, we’re always thinking about taxes. The more you can spend on materials in this year, the more you can offset taxable income. So place those orders before year-end and lower that taxable income.

That’s the good news.

Workshops Coming Up (2:05)

Brandon: The other good news, Jon, is we have a Ramm-Crete workshop coming up January 24th and 25th in Goddard, Kansas. We already have several registrations, so it’s 100% a go. If you’re interested in Ramm-Crete, go to concretesdesignschool.com. Scroll down on the home page and you can read about it. It’s a 1.5-day class.

And we also have a Concrete Fundamentals Workshop. If you’re interested in getting into concrete sinks, concrete countertops, or concrete furniture, but want the basics first, that class is February 21st and 22nd in Goddard, Kansas, also a day and a half. Same site, concretedesignschool.com.

So yeah, I come bearing good news.

Workshop Recap and Community Questions (5:18)

Jon: I’ve got a few topics from the forums that are worth covering. First one came from the Concrete Confidential Facebook group. If you’re not on there, get on there.

Darker Color by Leaving Pieces in the Mold? (5:39)

Raymond Terpak asked about getting deeper, darker color when leaving pieces in the mold longer. Does leaving a piece 24 hours versus three or four days change whites or deepen color?

Brandon: This goes way back. Fu-Tung Cheng’s early concrete countertop book recommended leaving pieces in the mold for a week or more. I’ve heard of folks leaving outdoor concrete countertops in forms for 30 days. The thinking was “longer in the mold equals richer color.”

That advice is outdated. The truth is, it’s not about curing longer. It’s about curing properly.

Proper curing yields deeper, richer color, whether you’re making a deep charcoal concrete countertop or a bright white concrete sink. Leaving a piece in the form past the point of cure doesn’t add benefit, it adds risk.

Proper Curing for Rich, Consistent Color (7:38)

Brandon: Here’s the quick version of proper curing, and we have a full breakdown in the Kodiak Pro FAQ:

  1. Pour Maker Mix or your GFRC mix.

  2. Let it gel and firm up. Depending on shop temp, that might be 1 to 3 hours.

  3. Put polyester felt directly on the back of the concrete.

  4. Cover with a thick plastic sheet (around 5 mil).

  5. Add a packing blanket.

  6. Add a Sunbeam-type heating blanket on low, not high.

  7. Top it with a couple more packing blankets.

What this does is let the concrete hold moisture while it exotherms, so the crystalline growth happens fully. If your shop is cold and the piece is uncovered, it heats up and cools off too fast. You lose strength, density, and color richness.

What About White Concrete? (9:28)

Brandon: Same rule applies to white. If you pour Maker Mix and leave it open air, it’ll look brighter but weaker and less dense. If you proper-cure it, it’ll look more like a silvery, richer white because density increases.

Jon: Yep. The answer is yes, proper curing creates richer color. But once it’s cured and back to ambient temperature, leaving it longer in the mold gives you diminishing returns or even damage.

We’ve seen pieces left too long shrink while forms expand, leading to hairline cracks. Proper cure, then demold on time.

Extra Tip: Optical White Pigment Trick (16:15)

Jon: For super bright whites, a small shift toward blue helps. If your pigment load is 100 grams total, do something like 99 grams titanium (Alabaster) and 1 gram cobalt blue. That tiny cool shift reads as a starker white to the human eye.

Brandon: Exactly. We sell Alabaster on the Kodiak Pro site, it’s a finely milled titanium white pigment for better dispersion. Add a whisper of blue and your white concrete countertops or sinks pop without looking tinted.

Surface Quality in GFRC and Sealing Practices (14:31)

Should You Seal the Back of Maker Mix Tiles? (14:51)

Shannon Miller asked if he should seal the backs of 3/8-inch Maker Mix tiles sealed with ICT Protect.

Brandon: Yes, always. A couple light coats is enough. The thinset has moisture, and if the tile sits in that moisture too long, it can curl. Sealing the back protects against that.

I learned the hard way not to use fast-set thinset on large-format tile in warm weather. It sets too quickly and turns the install into a sprint. If the budget allows, some people even use epoxy to set tile, expensive but moisture-safe.

Bottom line, seal the backside before install.

Fiber Loading and Flowability (18:45)

What Is Enrich, and How Do You Use It? (18:45)

Justin McCrae asked: what the heck is Enrich, and why use it?

Jon: Enrich is an innovative technology that replaces water in initial applications to enhance color naturally without a plastic “wet look.” It’s not for a glossy, fake finish, it’s for richer tone.

It’s still in a limited feedback phase. It’s not on the website yet. If you want to try it, you ask for it, and in return I want your feedback so we can dial it in for everyone.

What About Boost? (22:29)

Jon: Boost is different. Boost goes into the mix during batching. Lots of makers, like Joe Bates, don’t cast anything without it now because of the performance benefits.

And no, this isn’t a hype train. If we were trying to hype it, we’d at least put it on the website. Right now, you’ve got to know the secret handshake to even get it.

Brandon: Exactly. We’re not here to sell you pain. We’re here to hand you a better path when you want it.

DIY Concrete and Profitability (45:07)

Reinforcement Without the Steel Cage (46:12)

Jon: I got a call from a guy making concrete bathtubs. He’s tired of welding a wire cage skeleton for reinforcement. He’s using low dosages of old fibers, so he still relies on steel.

Brandon: If you want to weld cages forever because you like punishment, that’s your choice. But you don’t have to.

Modern fiber technology and mixes like SCC GFRC using Maker Mix can be your primary reinforcement. No cage, no ladder wire, no ghost lines, no turbulence around steel, and way less labor.

You get higher density, cleaner surfaces, fewer callbacks, and more profit per hour.

Keep It Simple for Repeatable Results (51:02)

Brandon: I stick to the SCC GFRC mix design we give away free on Kodiak Pro. I buy glass fibers from Joe Bates. I batch precisely, same way every time. That’s how you get consistent concrete countertops and sinks without overthinking it.

You can make the process complex if you want, but simple is the only path that scales.

And the same idea applies to design decisions. If a 13-foot countertop can be cast in three sections aligned to cabinet breaks, your install gets easier, your risk drops, and the client still gets a clean look. Simple lets you win more often.

Casting Method for Cleaner 3D Pieces (54:02)

Reducing Air on Tub and Sink Exteriors (55:16)

Jon: We were talking about tubs and vessel sinks. Interiors come out clean, exteriors can trap air near the bottom and sides. Casting method matters.

If you dump mix onto the “bottom” of the mold and let it flow down, you create turbulence and trap air.

Instead, start filling at the lowest point and work upward. Use a hose if you can. Fill the walls first, then let the mix rise. Rock the form gently to help air release. Think slow and steady, not slow-motion.

Brandon: Exactly. “Slow” means 3 to 5 minutes to fill a sink or tub, not 30 seconds, and definitely not 45 minutes. You want airflow time, not premature gelling.

Also remember, air rises straight up. If your outer form curves inward overhead, air can get trapped on that surface. So:

  • tilt the form to make the outside wall more vertical,

  • rock or tap lightly during fill,

  • and accept that physics still exists.

Embracing the Right Kind of “Concrete Authenticity” (1:02:12)

Brandon: If the functional surface is flawless, the inside of the tub, or the top of a countertop, and the exterior has a handful of air pockets because of mold geometry, don’t lose your mind.

That’s not sloppy work. That’s concrete being concrete, like a knot in wood. Clients often like it when it’s subtle and honest.

But “artifact of the process” is not an excuse for garbage materials or lazy technique. We’re talking about tiny, unavoidable character marks on otherwise high-performance work.

Do your best at every step, from formwork to mixing to curing, then let the material have a little truth to it.

Work-Life Balance for Makers (1:08:17)

Brandon: We’re about a week out from Thanksgiving, so let’s call this our Thanksgiving episode. What are you thankful for, Jon?

Jon: My son’s turning 18 tomorrow. I’m thankful my family’s healthy, thankful business is good, thankful for everything.

Brandon: Same here. I’m thankful for a happy, healthy family. And I’m thankful that Kodiak Pro exists so makers can spend less time recasting, patching pinholes, or fighting sealers, and more time with the people they love.

That’s the whole point. Better materials, fewer headaches, more life outside the shop.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.