Multiple finishes on the one unit offer the architect great freedom of design expression. Some of the more successful and practical combinations in recent times include:

  • Polished (glossy) and honed (matt) - this results in a subtle play of light causing tonal changes to the basic facade colour.
  • Polished and sandblasted - provides a more dramatic contrast between the polished aggregate and the sandblasted matrix of the concrete.
  • Polished, sandblasted and off-form - has been used to express sections otherwise difficult to finish by leaving off-form (window rebates for example) and demarcations (separation strips and grooves) between the polished and sandblasted areas.
  • Sandblasted and off-form - often used as a contrast to window and opening surrounds which are left smooth off-form.
  • Sandblasted and applied paint - this permits the introduction of contrasting colours into a facade.

Other possibilities, with or without multiple finishes, include:

  • The use of different cement/sand/aggregate mixes (ie, colours) in different sections of the mould
  • Using different concrete colours (cement/sand/aggregate mixes or pigments) in different elements and varying the colour of units at different levels of a building.