Walk through Dylan Lauger’s Sturgeon Bay home and one is immediately struck by the modern lines. Whether it’s the furniture, the kitchen layout or even the bathroom, the lines are bold and something right out of a geometry text book.
Look close and you might notice something else. Nearly all of it is fashioned out of concrete. “What!” you say. Yup, concrete. The living room tables, the kitchen island and countertops as well as the bathroom vanity. Not funky enough for you? How about the concrete lamp in the living room or the concrete bathtub? Bet you haven’t seen too many of those around.
There is an explanation for all of this. The Lauger name is synonymous with concrete in Door County. The Lauger Concrete flatbed truck can be seen at worksites throughout the area. Lauger is actually following in his father’s footsteps, but somewhere along the way he wandered off the path. It’s not like he got lost. He still pours “gray concrete,” as he calls it, to help pay the bills. Those driveways, walkways and garage floors we normally associate with concrete. But Lauger prefers the other more artistic trail, one that has allowed him to take concrete to an entirely different realm. It’s a level that, at times, even Lauger admits borders on the extreme.
Take the bath tub. “I’ve only done one of those,” he said with a chuckle as he gazes into his downstairs bathroom. He admits concrete, with its amazing ability to retain temperature, isn’t the best material for a bath. “It takes forever to heat up, but when it does it doesn’t cool off.”
He admits it can be a bit much for conservative Door County, but as one acclimates to the surroundings it’s easy to see that Lauger has a talent for fashioning and staining concrete. Page through his album of job photos and you’ll find bold, colorful patios; creative fountains; one-of-a-kind furniture; and striking kitchens and bathrooms.
It’s a long ways from 1998 when Lauger struck out on his own in the world of concrete. It was a gray world for most of the early years and it remains gray for most who peddle concrete.
“But I lost the ambition to do foundation walls,” said Lauger, who isn’t really sure how he developed this new artistic passion for a substance that is considered drab and boring. “I’d pour concrete in the morning and then I’d think about it at night.” Interesting.
He wasn’t really spurred by examples of decorative concrete in industry magazines, “although I’m sure they were out there,” he said. More driven by his own curiosity and creative juices, Lauger first used colored concrete in what was primarily landscaping work. Lauger explained colored concrete is where the pigment is added during the mixing process. He even toyed with stamped concrete which, as the name implies, produced designs stamped into the concrete. You may have noted that “cement” has not been used in this story thus far since Lauger stressed that cement is just a powder used in the creation of concrete.
It wasn’t until Lauger was introduced to staining that he really got excited about the creative possibilities of concrete as a legitimate “palette” for his style of functional art.
Staining is just what it sounds like. Lauger has literally experimented with different acidic compounds that interact with gray concrete to create the colors and tones he wants.
His original kitchen island was a creation that featured a mosaic of bold, streaking colors.
“Five people thought it was cool and 30 wondered what I spilled on it,” said Lauger. But Lauger was hooked. “Suddenly, I wanted to do this very bad. If I had a million dollars I would just go out and lay concrete and stain it just to show off what I can do.”
Unfortunately, therein lays the financial burden of a starving concrete artist.
“I’m the only guy doing this kind of stuff in Door County and I only know of a couple notable guys in Green Bay and the Fox Valley who are also into it,” said Lauger. But Door County is slowly warming to a concept that Lauger said isn’t as cost prohibitive as one might think. Still, it is labor intensive since concrete must have time to dry and finish-up work is needed.
“But you can do some pretty cool stuff with concrete floors,” added Lauger, quick to point out that increased demand for radiant floor heating with its cement sub-flooring provides some creative opportunities. A number of businesses in and around Sturgeon Bay feature Lauger’s distinctive floor designs.
“Door County has a tendency to be a bit slow to accept new trends,” said Lauger. That’s especially the case when it comes to one’s home. “I had one lady who was concerned that her concrete floor might quickly go out of style. I told her not to worry that it’s got to come into style first before it goes out.”
After all it’s art. “I keep a sketch book and jot down ideas as I get them,” he said.
You don’t have to talk with Lauger long to realize that ideas come in and out of his head in rapid succession. He seems to have a new idea for just about all the furniture in his home and that kitchen island was just replaced. His patio work may be the most creative of all as he pushes the limits of his creative talents. Ask his sister, whose backyard contains a stunning waterscape, complete with bridge.
Lauger will be the first to tell you that he isn’t your conventional concrete guy. “Non-traditional” is how he describes himself. “But I did have friends in grade school like everyone else.”
Lauger’s transformation from concrete sub-contractor to artist is as stunning as the work itself -- gray to color and driveways to galleries. As his home reflects, he lives his passion for concrete and it’s something he hopes Door County can learn to appreciate as well.
