Architecture concrete price
Fashion for architectural concrete – a guide for a frugal investor
Architectural concrete likes it – it is and will surely be a fashionable material in the next decade. More and more people are looking for and want to buy architectural concrete. That is why many companies decide to produce architectural concrete.
Many manufacturers of ready-mixed concrete also see the future in decorative concrete. What’s more, it wants to use its experience to invest in the development of modern architectural concrete production.
The planned renovation or construction will probably take up a meticulously planned budget. Therefore, it is obvious that the investor is looking for savings and looks at a lower price with a friendly eye.
Comparing the prices of architectural concrete on the market, the Investor wonders where the difference comes from. And the price of architectural concrete, for a product similar in the picture, can be surprisingly different.
Therefore, we analyse what affects the price of architectural concrete in the form of decorative concrete slabs. It is this form of architectural concrete that is most often sought after on the market.
On many advertising portals and commercial platforms we can easily find various types of concrete slabs, most often at low prices.
Where does the low price of architectural concrete come from?
In general, such production takes place from ready-made fixes prepared to be mixed with water and poured into a mould, as well as subjecting the excavated material to concrete compaction on a vibrating table.
After all, every bricklayer knows the recipe for a concrete mix, and many recipes can be found simply on the Internet. There are many guides “how to make architectural concrete” or “how to make concrete slabs”.
You can buy ready-made moulds, get the right tools and components for your nearest building site, and a sales representative will provide you with the right artificial fibres, as well as chemicals and… We can become a manufacturer of architectural concrete.
Low costs have an impact on the low price of concrete produced in this way?
Nothing could be further from the truth. Knowing the architectural concrete market since its inception, i.e. over a decade, we do not know the success of any small manufacturer. They give up production after a few years at the most.
Producers of large, industrial concrete plants do not have to deal with the problems of such a small, diagonal manufacturer, but they have access to components, a laboratory and an organized workforce in order to produce concrete on such a large scale. Unfortunately, there are few commercial concrete plants that can boast of any success here. Their architectural concrete, due to its very low price, is more likely to be sold in large tenders, where the slabs produced in such conditions have a decorative role in underground passages, tunnels, parking lots, stations and stations.
Mass producers of ready-mixed concrete, despite the great experience, sometimes gathered over decades, face the previously unknown problem of achieving not only strength parameters, but also aesthetic and ecological standards. Large-scale architectural concrete, whose price is calculated only for large investments, will not satisfy the aesthetic sensitivity of most demanding private investors.
Architectural concrete slabs, which are produced in mega concrete plants, where even hundreds of tons of concrete excavated are processed daily, will not find appropriate treatment and proper maturing conditions.
In a plant where concrete elements are mass-produced, where appearance is of tertiary importance, it turns out that the production of high quality decorative slabs is almost unattainable.
Linear production of architectural concrete
Concrete slabs of 0.5 m2 and above, due to their nature in the initial phase of ripening, cannot be produced automatically and human labour is of fundamental importance.
It turns out that the concrete excavated for decorative concrete can hardly be prepared on production lines for other standard prefabricated concrete products.
Anyone who visits an industrial concrete plant will see how dusty and dusty it is, and yet the production of architectural concrete slabs requires exceptional cleanliness, without dust and dust. In addition, it is necessary to build a high working culture of practically every employee working in the production of architectural concrete slabs. How to make it a natural reflex for an employee to clean tools, maintain flawless cleanliness, observe all procedures and wear clean white gloves to carry concrete slabs every time and replace them with regular work gloves for other activities. 
Where only the price of architectural concrete counts, is it possible to comply with the entire list of production procedures? It is possible, but it requires a lot of effort, efficient administration and an extensive quality control system.
Best value for money
This is why the best decorative concrete is produced in professional manufactories built exclusively for the production of this type of concrete. The architectural concrete manufactory should be large enough to obtain a satisfactory price for the customer while ensuring constant, uninterrupted production, under strict control of the laboratory and quality control specialists.
Where real, natural decorative concrete is produced, the price of production costs is very important, but it cannot overshadow the objectives set by the demanding market of conscious investors and architects. Therefore, it is not possible to save on raw materials, moulds, optimal maturing conditions, not in an ordinary warehouse, but in an air-conditioned maturing room with deckchairs ensuring adequate ventilation of the slab in a controlled atmosphere.
The price of architectural concrete should be adequate to the amount of work and raw materials.
Not everyone knows, but the best concrete slabs for walls, floors, fireplaces, elevations, fences and small architecture are made of white cement and selected aggregates from certified mines and clean water supply water. In order to ensure the highest quality of Luxum PREMIUM decorative concrete, it is made exclusively from Swiss Holcim cement, appropriately selected aggregates, where some of them are rinsed up to three times, to obtain the appropriate degree of purity and drinking water directly from municipal waterworks. In the process of production of decorative concrete slabs Luxum does not use industrial water, sludge water, discharges from biological treatment plants, etc. The process of production of decorative concrete slabs Luxum does not use industrial water, sludge water, discharges from biological treatment plants, etc.
It is worth mentioning the parameters of Luxum architectural concrete, which meet the strictest criteria and standards. Currently, only decorative concrete Luxum meets such high strength standards, without the use of harmful artificial fibres.
Luxum concrete slabs are PZH certified and CE certified.
Differences in price of decorative concrete
Therefore, we return to the price of architectural concrete slabs and try to answer the question of where the differences in price come from.
We are checking the competition and for three quarters of 2018, 18 products of architectural concrete manufacturers were purchased in the form of decorative slabs. 7 manufacturers are well-known manufactories, while 11 manufacturers offered their concrete slabs through platforms and trade portals. In 6 cases, despite the manufacturer’s assurances, we did not receive the invoice. None of the clandestine manufacturers provided reliable documentation required by law despite such a request.
Only 5 manufacturers out of 18 had a valid certificate for the records and only 1 PZH certificate. Also, only one used white cement in the production, not the cheapest metallurgical cement. And also only this one producer did not use artificial fibres and the parameters were in accordance with the declared ones.
Why is it that so little white cement is used, which gives great strength?
The reason for this is its price. In the production of Luxum premium class concrete slabs, Swiss white cement Holcim is used. Its price on the wholesale market has already exceeded 1600 PLN/t, while the most commonly used metallurgical cement by ordinary producers is at a price of about 350 PLN/t, provided that it is purchased in the best cement plants.
98% of aggregates in decorative concrete Luxum comes from the best Polish suppliers. The remaining 2% is imported from Italy. These are noble aggregates, not found in Poland, which have a significant impact on the quality and appearance of decorative concrete.
The price of architectural concrete also depends on the quantity and quality of tests and certification. At Luxum, however, we believe that quality that guarantees safety is a priority. Your health and that of your loved ones is priceless. You can have Luxum concrete slabs in your home without any worries.
The market prices of architectural concrete slabs also depend on the size of the formats. The larger the concrete slab, the better the performance of the concrete slab and the more complicated it is in production, storage, transport and assembly.
The most common sizes of architectural concrete slabs are formats:
150×60 cm, 120×60 cm, 100×50 cm. There are more formats in Luxum production, but it is these three sizes that are most often ordered. The average market price for 1m2 of concrete slabs in these sizes is between 90 and 420 PLN. The average price of Luxum concrete slabs is PLN 235.
Top quality at the best price
So how do you get the highest quality of Luxum decorative concrete at such a good price?
Through wholesale purchases of cement and aggregates. In addition, a large part of the production of moulds in-house and investments in energy-saving automation and modern technical facilities.
Check the prices of architectural concrete from Luxum
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Promotion and distribution rules also have a huge impact on the price. For Luxum decorative concrete, there is a steady and dynamically growing demand. Along with the growing fashion for modern and minimalistic solutions in architecture. Luxum does not promote its products commercially, and the most common source of orders is the recommendation of the brand by family, friends and good architects.
Still, Luxum concrete slabs can be purchased only* in the manufacturer’s showroom in Krakow or via the Internet, preferably via the order form, which eliminates expensive intermediaries, who often add even more than 50% of the value.
Intermediation is not necessary, because the company provides samples free of charge and, if necessary, a visit of a mobile advisor at the investment site.
That is why the price of Luxum architectural concrete is so attractive and attractive in terms of price and quality.
If we add to this the warranty protection, technical consulting, comprehensiveness of the offer and reliable service, it is currently the best offer on the market.
* Exceptionally, Luxum decorative concrete slabs are available in the partner showrooms, where they complement the range. They are arranged in order to ensure high quality of the final product. E.g. on Jotul and other fireplaces.
** Many Internet portals offer products that are confusingly similar to Luxum concrete slabs. What is more, it is often combined with photographs owned by the brand. Most often they are counterfeit products, copied and can be dangerous.
