Here's your chance.

Technology and experience have combined to allow a concrete finish, that can approximate the look of stonework to be available to homes and businesses, but at a fraction of the price of actual stone.

Tapecrete is a product developed at the University of Toronto in the 1970s and manufactured in Ontario by Aztek Composites Inc. It's a concrete-based compound that can adhere to an existing concrete base without the threat of future peeling or damage, and has proven itself tough enough to withstand Simcoe County's harsh climate.

It can be used with decorative purposes in mind, or in conjunction with other products to simply repair, protect and seal concrete floors.

"In basements, for example, the sealant will eliminate the ongoing dust from ever-drying concrete," explains local contractor Bill Loughead, acknowledging the advantage to allergy sufferers.

"It stops 85 per cent of moisture coming up through the concrete, while allowing the concrete to breath. That way the concrete won't overdry - it can start to crack and become brittle otherwise. And on poured concrete walls, it stops effluence."

For the past two years, Loughead and business partner Ron Wambach have owned and operated WL Custom Garages, which has, among other things, applied this versatile product for residential, commercial and industrial applications.

And because of the range of uses and looks available, each project is customized.

"My garage caught on fire and there was no one out there who would come in and do the garage the way I wanted it," said Loughead, an Innisfil resident who was working at the time as a production supervisor at a local factory.

"There was no one to coat floors for individual residences, and no one who'd supply me with enough information on products that would not peel off concrete floors."

In frustration, he continued to talk to suppliers and research available products until he found out about Tapecrete. It was a discovery that would change his garage floor and his life.

When he finally finished overhauling his own garage, he decided to use his new-found knowledge and experience to do the same for other home-owners and businesses.

He partnered with Bolsover resident Wambach to create WL Custom Garages. The company offers a complete make-over of garages, including the addition of 200-square-foot storage units it developed to fit in the empty space above the garage door.

But Loughead reports the primary interest of his clients at the moment is in the broad uses of Tapecrete.

With this increasing focus, his team members have become experts.

Prior to decorating existing concrete areas, Loughead says repairs are sometimes necessary first.

"Structural integrity can easily be re-established in damaged, spalled and deteriorated concrete structures using Tapecrete mortar, concrete or shotcrete," according to the Aztek website (www.astekcomposites.com).

An environmentally friendly and non-toxic product, Tapecrete is used to waterproof, protect, repair and decorate concrete and masonry, adds Loughead, who says sometimes additional products are combined with Tapecrete to expand its uses.

It has been used on water-retaining structures (like pools and aquariums), parking garages, factory floors, to extend the life of metal and roll roofs, and to inhibit corrosion in reinforcing steel.

Whether it's needed for an interior or exterior surface, Aztek promises its product to be resistant to freeze and thaw, ultraviolet light, salt and a broad range of chemicals and general wear.

It is also breathable, waterproof, self-bonding, non-flammable and able to bond to damp surfaces.

For more information, call 705-718-5127.