Artifact Concrete Sink from BDWG Concrete Studio Inc. is Greenspiration Home American Made “Pick-of-the-Week!”
Our LAST 2011 Pick!! And One of Our FAVORITES!
(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) December 21, 2011 - We absolutely loved the one-of-a-kind appeal of the Artifact Sink from BDWG Concrete Studio Inc. Then, we interviewed owner and founder, Andy McDaniel, and found we loved the company even more. The art and the well-rounded initiative of this company, located in Boone, NC, makes us happy to announce it as the last Greenspiration Home American Made Pick-of-the-Week of 2011.
Not Your Average Concrete
We learned something (several things actually) from McDaniel. Most importantly, we learned there is a difference between plain old concrete and glass fiber reinforced cement know as GFRC. BDWG Concrete Studios uses the latter to make most of its pieces. GFRC allows them to use less cement than a typical wet cast concrete while making their product (which includes everything from sinks to fireplace surrounds) stronger. The material is extremely durable and can be molded into any shape and finished in a myriad of colors—even a giant rhubarb leaf.
The company’s immediate service areas are western North Carolina, upper South Carolina, southwest Virginia, and eastern Tennessee. But McDaniel says they can ship anywhere and are happy to travel to complete a project of reasonable size—commercial or residential. That’s good news for designers and specifiers who are quick to embrace the art form once they see its versatility.
“Once these folks find out what concrete can do they are eager to spec it on a project,” said McDaniel.
A Made-in-the-USA Company that GETS IT!
The materials BDWG Concrete Studio uses to make its products are all in a tight little radius. McDaniel uses locally produced cement from Roanoke, VA, local aggregate/sand from the Watauga River in Spruce Pine, N.C., and site harvested rainwater. In fact, one of the things we loved most about this company was how passionately and intelligently the owner spoke about the “Made in the USA” movement.
“The construction industry is pivotal for the “Made in the USA” movement, but it will take many years for all this to play out,” McDaniel said. “There is a growing segment of folks that “get it”; these are the people we appeal to. They know there is no comparison between a mass produced, imported, slave-mined product and one of our pieces. It has become my life’s work to show this to people.”
Okay – that last part gave us chills. Making products locally is one thing, but using your life’s work to also educate people for the common good gets us where we live and breathe. Greenspiration Home applauds the craftsmanship and the heart of BDWG Concrete Studios and we are delighted to have them our 2011 American Made “Pick-of-the-Week” finale.
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Greenspiration Home LLC is an online resource dedicated to helping homeowners build, renovate, and decorate green. The Greenspiration Home American Made “Pick-of-the-Week” campaign is part of the publication’s initiative to educate consumers about domestically made home décor options.
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