July 2012 Table of Contents

Words: Dan KamysTable of Contents

FEATURES

Mortars, Mixtures and Staining There is a science to staining, as explained by Russell Gray, president of Nawkaw.

Workforce Development The meaning of workforce development, and what it takes to keep our trade strong

New Technologies Solutions Through Software: Cost-cutting and overhead control via process automating processes is explained.

New Technologies Mortar Net is committed to the use of technology for conveying instructional information to customers.

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COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS From the Editor President’s Message Government Affairs New Products Business Building Full Contact PM Classified Advertising News New Members MCAA Upcoming Education

Design Choices That Endure: Specification and Installation Go Hand-in-Hand
May 2026

Design decisions don’t live on paper; they live on the wall, the ceiling, the floor, and throughout every space. Today’s projects are driven by highly curated design intent, from layered color palettes to mixed-material façades. But once those decisions

Marvelous Masonry: Tianjin Zhongshuge Library
May 2026

It is not unusual today for masonry to be treated as a surface decision rather than a structural one. Too often, brick enters a project late in the process, trimmed back by budgets or reduced to a veneer once the “real” building work is finished. The Tian

Fechino Files: Concrete Pavers around a Pool
May 2026

Many folks over the years have placed concrete pavers around their pool as a nice form of decorative pool deck. Early in the 2000’s, I took a class held by the Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute, then known as the ICPI. At the time I attended the class

Chairman's Message: Staying the Course
May 2026

Spring is one of my favorite times of year. There’s energy in the air. Jobs are picking up. Crews are hitting their rhythm. Schedules are filling up. You can feel momentum building again. And every year around this time, I find myself thinking about con