Nashville-Based Clemons Concrete Coatings Recovers from
Devastating Cumberland River Flooding in May 2010
World of Concrete Editors' Choice Award Winner is Back and Better than Ever
Liz McGeachy
Special Contributor
Photos Courtesy Clemons Concrete Coatings

Judges at the World of Concrete in February were so impressed with Clemons Concrete Coatings' stains and dyes, they awarded the Company an MIP Editors' Choice Award in the decorative concrete category.

No doubt the product demonstration given by Clemons Technical Director Tim Allen at the show convinced them that these products are quick and easy to use.

What the judges might not have known but would have found equally impressive is that only eight months earlier, employees at this Nashville, Tennessee business weren't working on product development, but were knee-deep in the brown flood waters of the Cumberland River. On May 1 and 2, 2010, 15-20 inches of rain fell in less than 36 hours in Middle Tennessee, filling the Clemons warehouse, offices, and research lab with three and a half feet of muddy water. Filing cabinets, computers, warehouse equipment, furniture, and product containers were swamped. After the water subsided, Allen and most of the other 12 Clemons employees donned rubber boots, gloves, and masks and set to work dealing with the mud and sludge left behind. Amazingly, they were able to start up business again after only four days.

"It was a nightmare," said Allen. "It rained and rained and rained and rained. I've never seen it rain like that for that long in my life. I couldn't see across my street for two days."

Clemons Concrete Coatings is located next to the Cumberland River, but the building is 45 feet above it, so they thought they were safe from flooding. But the water just kept coming.

"When we saw the damage, it was overwhelming," Allen said. "We didn't see how we could possibly clean it up. But we came in and attacked it like a little group of ants. We all just started diving in and moving what we could. Everyone helped the boss, the office manager, everybody. I couldn't believe it, but four days later we were back in business."

Owner Don Ware agrees that everyone was determined to deal quickly with the more than $100,000 worth of damage the flooding caused the company.

"We were able to get up and running strictly out of determination," he said. "We took a look at it and knew the faster we dealt with it, the faster we'd get back to supplying our customers. So we rolled up our sleeves and got to work."

Clyde Clemons started the business in 1953, and it provided everything for the concrete industry. Since then, the business has evolved to one focusing on the manufacture of concrete coatings sealers, stains, dyes, cleaners, etc. Don Ware bought it 15 years ago and has seen it grow from a regional to a national company able to deal with the hazardous chemicals connected to the development of these products.

"We're set up for it," Ware said. "We know all the state VOC regulations. Some people don't want to deal with that, but that's our thing. We have the expertise."

Fortunately, the hazardous materials in the Clemons warehouse at the time of the flood were sealed, so they did not contaminate the water.

"Everything is in tanks or barrels or drums and they're sealed tight," said Ware. "They might have ended up 100 feet away from where they started out and covered with mud, but that's all. We're close to the river and we have spent a lot of money to make sure our product does not go into that river, but this time the river came to us."

It's been a little over a year since the flood hit, and it's taken that long for all the cleaning and renovations to be made. During that time, the company has continued to thrive, partly due to the growing interest in decorative concrete. Allen said he believes several things have contributed to this growing interest: more homes being built on slabs, people turning their basements into living areas, and the wealth of research going into ready-mix concrete.

"Architects are using concrete more and more," Allen said. "You can build anything out of concrete now."

And concrete is no longer just standard gray, either. In the four years he's been at Clemons, Allen has seen a rising interest in color, which is where the innovative products honored at World of Concrete come in. People working with decorative concrete want a range of colors to appeal to their clients, and they also want products that are fast and easy to use.

One of these products is the Super Dye, a semi-transparent dye that comes in 17 concentrated colors and can be mixed with water or acetone. Allen said his customers have found it much easier and faster to use than acid stains. The drawback is that these dyes are not UV stable, meaning they will fade, so are not used for exterior applications.

"We realized the market was screaming for a product that had the speed and ease of application of the dye and that semi-transparent look, but that was UV stable," he said.

That's when he began development of the Super Color Stain. This micropigment-based product is not a dye, so it is UV stable and can be used for exteriors as well as interiors. It comes in 10 hues that can easily be blended for a multitude of colors. It's a concentrated liquid that is mixed with acetone, then sprayed on. It dries quickly, so a sealer can be added in just an hour or so. Allen said the type of coating on top will determine how long the color will last, and he also recommends waxing as a top protective layer, which can easily be reapplied.

Allen likes to talk to the customers who use his products so he can see how they work under real-world applications. He likes feedback good and bad because it helps him improve the products. When people started buying the Super Color, he waited to hear what they would say.

"It took off immediately," Allen said. "Then I noticed we were getting zero customer calls about it. I figured they either loved it or hated it. Since we've gotten so many repeat customers I have to say that they love it."

For more on Clemons Concrete Coatings, including a video of the flood devastation from May 2010, see www.ccc-usa.com .

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