Michael Davidson wrote:
>or the most excellent Mike Edison
right here on our list serv; how bout it Mike.<

Wow, how can I NOT respond to that sort of challenge!

It's true that we have seen our fair share of custom/aesthetic concrete
repair projects. Currently we have 67 "standard" concrete formulations in
our custom repair mortar line (got curious myself and counted), with new
ones added as needed. Our overall repair mortar line for various types of
masonry is now something like 900 formulas and colors.

 We generally work from submitted samples, but for those with little time
and less stringent requirements, our dealers around the country have cured
sample chips of the 30 or so most commonly used formulations. For custom
matching, send samples and correspondance to Edison Coatings at 25 Grant
Street, Waterbury, CT 06704.

What's the sparkly stuff? Quite possibly mica, which would appear silver to
grey under low power magnification. It could also be calcareous stone, as
we have found little bits of marble in calcareous sand can be very shiny
after the cement cover weathers away slightly, as we have noticed in our
marble patches after five years or so of natural northeastern weather
exposure. Under the microscope it is clear that these particles are white,
not silver, and it's just the smooth surface that is reflecting sunlight. I
suppose oyster shells could do the same thing-- let's face it, the
composition isn't that different!

Mike E.