Looking for Lithocrete Samples, Specifications, or Licensed Installers? Please visit Oceansafe, our newest patented system for managing stormwater runoff.
LITHOCRETE
Lithocrete® is the original patented concrete system that has redefined fine plazas and other hardscape creations nationwide. Lithocrete’s® unique colors and textures combine to create the perfect finish for large building plazas, museums, public buildings and municipal projects. It is a natural granite and/or stone finish permanently imbedded into the surface of
structural concrete with Shaw & Sons’ own unique finishing process. Due to its small crushed size, Lithocrete® has become
a favorite for hospital entries where patients, handicapped people and visitors require a non-abrasive surface that remains
non-slip even when wet from inclement weather.
Lithocrete® easily works over grade or on structure, and can configure to variable grades and conditions. With System 1 Lithocrete®, there are also two additional patents that enable the use of reactive materials including natural shells and heat-fractured, recycled glass, which has sustainable attributes. Lithocrete® is currently the product of choice in Los Angeles’ world-renowned Century City mixed-use district. Five major projects in Century Park East have selected Lithocrete® for both new construction and hardscape renovations.
Although resilient and hardy, Lithocrete® consists of a delicate balance of materials that require for optimum performance use of special products such as Lithocrete Etch Retarder® that promotes flawless results of the finished product. Litho-Etch Retarder® is an exclusive formula limited to use by Lithocrete® licensees and is the result of years of chemical analysis based on Shaw & Sons’ research and development. Lithocrete® Conditioner enables a uniform finished product while Litho-Seal Sealer is a one-time application that dramatically increases surface tension and protects Lithocrete® year-after-year
while greatly reducing maintenance.
DELAMINATION
Delamination of the paving surface, common with other types of architectural concrete products, does not occur with Lithocrete®. Lithocrete® is an integrated structural concrete and is not merely a “topping.” Common problems of exterior toppings frequently result from irrigation and/or ground water that typically seeks horizontal joints between topping and structural slabs, which in a short time can cause delamination. This will not happen with Lithocrete®. Lithocrete® is similar to warehouse trap-rock slab construction made for high-traffic surfaces. The main difference is that Lithocrete® exposes the surface materials and utilizes other procedures that allow Lithocrete to maintain its structural integrity much longer than other architectural finishes. Esthetically, Lithocrete’s® granite and marble products have unique fine granite or marble finishes, and unlike slab-set granite, they do not have to be flame-finished or sand-blasted to retain a non-slip surface. By using crushed materials, Lithocrete® retains its natural beauty and ability to reflect small amounts of light.
Almost any type of hard, durable aggregate can be used in the
preparation of Lithocrete® paving. Aggregates that have been
used successfully include: crushed rock (e.g. granite, obsidian,
quartz, serpentine, and marble), opaque or translucent
glass (predominantly recycled glass), gems and minerals
(e.g. turquoise, agate, obsidian, quartz, pyrite, jasper, and
serpentine), sea shells, beach pebbles, silica carbide, mica,
“Pixie Dust,” terra cotta, slate, tile, and brass insets.
In the past, keeping small ASR (alkali silica reaction) or
“reactive” aggregates embedded in the surface of concrete
paving was difficult, if not impossible. Lithocrete’s® patented
paving process permanently bonds “reactive” as well as
non-reactive aggregates with lithium quartz. Litho-Seal,
Lithocrete’s® patented sealer, significantly reduces the reactive
condition that may exist between cement and aggregate. To
ensure minimal maintenance, a one-time application of Litho-
Seal should be used on Lithocrete® surfaces.
PATENTS
Three US patents protect Lithocrete®: #4,748,788; #6,016,635; #6,033,146; and U.S. Trademark #1,879,329. Lithocrete® has a patent pending for power troweling which is used on any size surface-seeded aggregates encompassing a wide variety of materials. Lithocrete® also has a patent pending for pneumatically applying surface-seeded materials that will eliminate the common unevenness of applying silica carbide, mica, granites, sands, and other small surface-applied materials. In addition to the aforementioned patents, Lithocrete® has patents pending for every individual system that is introduced throughout this book, including System 8 - Monolithic Pour Joint System; System 9 - Monolithic Wall Joint; System 10 - Presto Wall Finish; System 11 - Non-Slip Ground Profile; System 12 - Structural Deck Pour System; System 13 - Monolithic Template Pour System; System 14 - Aquifer Replenishment System; and System 15 - Slot Drain System. Lithocrete® aggressively protects its patented products to ensure their proprietary status and market value.
Lithocrete and Shaw & Sons recently developed OceanSafe, a Stormwater Management System designed to eliminate Urban Runoff. With the disadvantages of porous paving in mind, Shaw & Sons developed Oceansafe, a unique, stormwater management system. OceanSafe is protected by US Patent 7,351,004 and five other pending US patents and trademarks.
OceanSafe was designed for both new and existing parking areas and plazas, as well as curb & gutter construction and renovation projects. The system is easily adaptable to curb and gutter renovations by incorporating the drain box detail shown below resulting in minimal construction costs for owners and cities. The system is ideally suited for large paving areas that can incorporate multiple parts of the OceanSafe System including pending patents not pictured below.
One of the main goals behind OceanSafe’s design was to provide architects and owners the ability to select any type of surface paving. OceanSafe is ideal for both reinforced concrete and asphalt applications. Our OceanSafe parking lot was built under reinforced architectural concrete. However, the system can easily be installed under asphalt paving as pictured below. This application would be typical for large parking areas and roadways.
By giving architects the choice of asphalt or reinforced architectural concrete instead of porous paving, owners are left with lower installation and minimal maintenance costs when compared to porous paving. In addition, the system is installed directly below the paving surface, which requires the purchase of less land when compared to the typical land purchased for other common retention basin systems.