# Concrete Picture Frame



## ConcretePicture (Jul 29, 2010)

Has anyone ever heard of framing their work in concrete?

I started making concrete picture frames for my diploma and then for standard size prints.  I have made custom shapes and sizes since then and have lately been looking around for any feedback or new ideas.

Here is an example of what a 5x7 frame looks like:





Thanks for looking and for any comments.


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## rallysman (Jul 29, 2010)

How heavy is that?


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## c.cloudwalker (Jul 29, 2010)

I love this idea. :thumbup:

Very creative, and concrete can be a middle gray which is the best for showing images. Not only that but concrete can be poured in whatever shape you want making it an amazing material for creative framing.

I will be stealing your idea for myself but I will not reveal any concrete secrets to make it easy for someone else to do it... let them figure it out.

Best of luck with this. Very nice idea.

By the way, what kind of diploma are you talking about?


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## arios23 (Jul 29, 2010)

c.cloudwalker said:


> I love this idea. :thumbup:
> 
> I will be stealing your idea for myself but I will not reveal any concrete secrets to make it easy for someone else to do it... let them figure it out.



You are stolen someone´s else idea and you do not want to share yours. NICE.


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## c.cloudwalker (Jul 29, 2010)

arios23 said:


> c.cloudwalker said:
> 
> 
> > I love this idea. :thumbup:
> ...



So?

I can steal his idea for myself because I understand concrete. Does that mean I should tell everyone how to do the same?

Go learn about concrete.


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## Taylor510ce (Jul 29, 2010)

Precast concrete sucks, be a real man and work in ready-mix.  Just kidding. Nice frame idea. Heve you tried it with colored concrete? Have you seen the new concrete cloth product that will eventually be coming out? Its in sheets and can be molded in pretty much any shape that a cloth could be. Once you wet it, it hardens. I saw a structure where they just made domes out of it ( like a long green house ) and supported it until it dried and presto, self supporting concrete building.





c.cloudwalker said:


> arios23 said:
> 
> 
> > c.cloudwalker said:
> ...


 
Not much to understand unless you are mixing it yourself and want different compression strengths. Its pretty basic if its not very structural. build a mold, pour some mud, let cure, presto.


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## ConcretePicture (Jul 30, 2010)

All right guys, thanks for your questions and comments.  Let me try to answer some questions:

The 4x6 weighs about 1.5 lbs.
The 5x7 weighs about 5.5 lbs.
The 8x10 weighs about 7.75 lbs.

My diploma (BSCE) was 17x14 and the frame resembles a cross-section of a bridge box beam with projecting rebar and prestress strand.  It hangs on my office wall and weighs 55 lbs.

I use my own mix with compression strength of over 8000psi.  I am a structural engineer and work for a concrete bridge fabricator.  My last 4x8 cylinder test with my mix was 8479 psi.  I don't see any need to improve that.  Ready-mix can't touch that :razz:.  I also use fiber reinforcement and super P.  The stronger the mix, the less mass you need for strength.  That is how I keep the weights reasonable.

I have used colored cement, rock and sand.  I will be playing with additional pigments and stains soon.  I have not heard much about the cloth, but it sounds like a great development.

I don't mind others making their own.  My boss and I came up with the idea because I was too cheap to buy a $200+ wood frame for my diploma.  If muddy messes are not for you, I sell them online and do custom work at concretepicture.wordpress.com.


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## syphlix (Jul 30, 2010)

it's kinda cool... not really my thing though... but not everything is...

i gotta ask... is this a thinly veiled marketing attempt?


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## c.cloudwalker (Jul 30, 2010)

ConcretePicture said:


> My diploma (BSCE) was 17x14 and the frame resembles a cross-section of a bridge box beam with projecting rebar and prestress strand.  It hangs on my office wall and weighs 55 lbs.
> 
> I use my own mix with compression strength of over 8000psi.  I am a structural engineer and work for a concrete bridge fabricator.  My last 4x8 cylinder test with my mix was 8479 psi.  I don't see any need to improve that.  Ready-mix can't touch that :razz:.  I also use fiber reinforcement and super P.  The stronger the mix, the less mass you need for strength.  That is how I keep the weights reasonable.
> 
> ...



First, thank for not minding me using your idea. And I like the idea of the projecting rebars. You did give me an idea for a series of photos to go with the frames.

Second, thanks for telling us where you come from. Profession wise that is. I tried to talk to a friend of mine today who works for a concrete plant and I can't wait for his return call. I find this idea very exciting.

Have you thought of advertising your frames in one (I only know one but I imagine there's more) of the industry magazines? You should.


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## ConcretePicture (Aug 2, 2010)

I would be interested in hearing what your friend has to say.
I have not done much marketing, but have just tried to get more ideas.
This is what my diploma frame looks like:


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## pbelarge (Aug 2, 2010)

I also like this idea. The frame design can be well varied. The higher PSI is also clever, I do not know how an average individual can get that type of mix though. 
 What about using a thin wire mesh to help make them smaller with less weight?


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## ConcretePicture (Aug 5, 2010)

Pierre, the wire mesh is a good idea.  It would strengthen the frame.  I have done a bit of research into fiber reinforcement where I work and another possibility is steel wire fibers.  The 5x7 frame is only 3/4" thick.  I get a lot of comments about the picture of my family sitting on my desk framed in concrete.
Thanks for your thoughts.


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## NWK04 (Aug 5, 2010)

c.cloudwalker said:


> Go learn about concrete.


:lmao:


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## pbelarge (Aug 5, 2010)

ConcretePicture said:


> Pierre, the wire mesh is a good idea. It would strengthen the frame. I have done a bit of research into fiber reinforcement where I work and another possibility is steel wire fibers. The 5x7 frame is only 3/4" thick. I get a lot of comments about the picture of my family sitting on my desk framed in concrete.
> Thanks for our thoughts.


 

You are welcome.


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## benlonghair (Aug 5, 2010)

ConcretePicture said:


> Pierre, the wire mesh is a good idea.



I work with the plaster and drywall trades. I somehow end up with concrete trade catalogs (mostly because they also contain drywall and plaster tools) and I've seen a product that's just loose fiberglass fibers about 4" long. Supposedly you add it to concrete for walkways and such to strengthen it. That might work and not add the weight that steel would.


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## tertius (Aug 6, 2010)

Rapid set, glass fiber, #4 blast sand and sp700 (with a couple of other things) will work wonders. GFRC as long as you don't want exposed aggregate and you want a very even finish. 

Also a foam core will reduce your weight significantly.


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## ConcretePicture (Aug 12, 2010)

Thanks for your comments.  I do use fiber reinforcement for crack control and shrinkage issues.  The fibers that I use are only 1/2" long.  I have not tried foam core just because of the thin cross-section of any of my frames.  The concrete tables that I make could possibly use some voids/foam.  

Just wondering, where do some of you concrete enthusiasts work?

My intention in posting my question was not necessarily about the concrete itself, but of the concept of framing art in it.  Do they come across as too industrial?  Is there a niche in the art world for such a frame?

Thanks again.


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## Phranquey (Aug 12, 2010)

ConcretePicture said:


> Just wondering, where do some of you concrete enthusiasts work?


 
Concrete enthusiast....:scratch:   Not sure about that, but I have been working with it for 22 years.

My current employer... (most of the pics on the site are mine)

Ernst Concrete


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## Rita (Sep 1, 2010)

Hi, I have been a passive reader for a long time, but I just wanted to say that this is a very neat idea.  I want one.  I also perused through your site - very interesting.


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## ConcretePicture (Sep 24, 2010)

Rita, I am glad to hear that your frame arrived.  I hope you enjoy it and that it lasts forever.  Just curious, what do you plan on putting in it?  I recently sold 4 frames to a lady who framed Banksy prints.


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## AlGordon (Sep 24, 2010)

Interesting idea, would work well in very minimalist homes/bars etc.

You must have to be careful over which kind of walls to choose to hang them though! I've got a mixture of hollow partitions and 100 year old brick...I think the brick would win!


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## c.cloudwalker (Sep 24, 2010)

ConcretePicture said:


> Just wondering, where do some of you concrete enthusiasts work?
> 
> My intention in posting my question was not necessarily about the concrete itself, but of the concept of framing art in it.  Do they come across as too industrial?  Is there a niche in the art world for such a frame?




I'm an artist/photographer so my work doesn't have much to do with concrete but I've also done a lot of work myself on my houses and since I have a friend who manages a concrete plant, I went and visited it one day. Fascinating stuff.

I do believe there is a niche market for those but maybe not with artists. I would go after decorators and home owners myself. There are very modern houses out there where those frames could look good. Also could look good in industrial buildings converted to residential.

Now, I don't remember exactly what my friend said when I asked about this idea but it seems he thought you could use just about any mix since the frames are not going to be under a lot of stress. He suggested using fiber in the mix but he thought yours was a bit short. Again, I don't remember exactly but he used 2 different types of fibers both being about 2-3 inches.

One thing I know he suggested was the use of a rubber "gasket" type thing between the concrete and the artwork because concrete actually takes years to fully dry and you wouldn't want any humidity getting into your mat or artwork...

This made me wonder about the chemicals involved in concrete mixes and how they would interact with the artwork. That would be something to study before framing valuable art in such a manner.


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## Neil S. (Sep 24, 2010)

Big deal...

I made a picture frame out of aluminium foil once, and it was way better!

The heavy cooking variety mind you, not the cheap stuff.

Can't be cheap when dealing with picture frames.

Oh wait lol...


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## ConcretePicture (Oct 27, 2010)

I appreciate the advice c.cloudwalker.  I agree about the modern house look.  I have some of these concrete frames at work.  As for the moisture issue:  concrete never stops curing, but that doesn't mean that it will ooze onto the artwork.  It is a very good absorber of moisture and will not increase the humidity in a typical room/gallery. 
I recently wrote a short article about photo preservation and covered some of these topics in Ezine.  You can check it out here.
The stresses in the concrete frames are minimal except when it comes to grinding and shipping them.  That is why I go with a higher strength mix.
Thanks again for your comments.


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