Crispin Victor and Jermaine McFarlane of Decorative Stones, LLC, are giving plain concrete surfaces the look of masoned stone and brick work. But their method isn’t one laboriously requiring piece by piece, cutting and laying. Their work is done by stamping or tapping stone and brick shapes in heated soft concrete.
“It is just like putting a puzzle together on driveways and patios,” McFarlane says. The pair does good imitations of stone work using products from a stateside company that has been in business since 1971.
The young men from the Frederiksted area have been buddies for more than 20 years.
While Victor lived in Florida a friend turned him on to the business of decorative concrete. He became trained as an installer of concrete coating systems, learning all the possibilities to turn plain concrete into works of art.
Victor said the Florida economy was changing and his father was ailing so he decided to move back to St. Croix. Shortly after returning home, he looked around and figured this was a great place to dress up concrete. And there wasn’t any one else on St. Croix doing this type of work.
McFarlane joined up with Victor two years ago and they formed the business – Decorative Stones. McFarlane was also trained hands-on at Stardek headquarters in Tampa, Fla., in all business aspects of decorative coverings, from marketing to customer service.
The partners, along with Eddy Harriett, decoratively cover driveways, sidewalks, pool decks, countertops, walls and more. They put down cement, stamp, stain, hand paint and spray paint the areas. They have more than 20 patterns and colors to choose from. They have antique stains or different color marble-like stains. They can finish off the look of new construction or make old look like new again.
“I really enjoy doing customized work where we can be creative with our designs,” McFarlane says. Their work can be seen at Sunny Isle and a number of local business.
“The best part of the job is seeing the smiles on the customers faces when they see the finished design,” McFarlane says. “Those smiles really keep us motivated.”
The guys recently opened an office in the St. Croix Foundation new/small business incubator on Sunday Market Square in Christiansted. They say the office there works perfect for them because they have all the amenities of a fully staffed and equipped office through their rental agreement.
They hope to open a warehouse for supplies, hire more people, eventually have training workshops and take the business to St. Thomas and St. John.
Those interested can call 226-1569, 332-5166 or the office at 719-777 extension 1, for more information and estimates.
