Freeland Reserve
Concrete Etching and Stencilling, Kingsland

By Design Concrete & Paving

LOCATION

Kingsland, Auckland

SERVICE

Concrete Etching and Stencilling

The Challenge

The brief was to turn plain concrete at the reserve into a designed surface without adding a coating that the council would need to inspect and maintain over time. That meant the pattern had to be formed in the concrete itself, which placed the emphasis on accurate set-out and controlled blasting depth rather than paint selection or coating application.

Our Approach

BlastOff translated the architect’s drawings into cut masks before sandblasting the pattern into the concrete to a uniform depth across the reserve. Working to a consistent depth kept the contrast even across the full design, so the pattern reads clearly and is visible from a distance. The masking protected the surrounding concrete, keeping the treated pattern contained to the areas the drawings specified.

The Outcome

Freeland Reserve received a permanent concrete finish with the architect’s pattern sandblasted directly into the surface. Because the detailing is part of the concrete rather than a separate coating, it requires no additional maintenance beyond the concrete itself, giving the reserve a durable piece of designed public realm surfacing.

Turning Plain Reserve Concrete Into Permanent Public Art at Freeland Reserve

The brief at Freeland Reserve in Kingsland, Auckland was straightforward in principle but harder to deliver well in practice: turn a plain expanse of concrete into a designed public realm surface without introducing a coating that the council would then need to inspect and maintain indefinitely. For By Design Concrete & Paving, that meant the architect’s pattern had to be formed within the concrete itself rather than painted on top of it, shifting the emphasis onto accurate set-out and controlled blasting depth rather than product selection.

BlastOff delivered the work using concrete stencilling, translating the architect’s drawings into cut masks before sandblasting the pattern into the concrete to a uniform depth across the reserve. Keeping that depth consistent kept the contrast even across the full design, so the finished pattern reads clearly and is visible from a distance rather than fading into the surrounding paving, while the masking kept the treated pattern contained to exactly the areas the drawings specified.

Because the detailing is now part of the concrete rather than a separate applied coating, Freeland Reserve requires no additional maintenance regime beyond the concrete itself.

For councils, landscape teams and reserve managers weighing up similar public art or wayfinding treatments, the practical takeaway is that stencilling avoids the long-term maintenance liability of painted graphics in exposed outdoor settings. A sound scoping conversation should cover the scale and detail of the design, the existing concrete’s condition, and how blast depth will be held consistent across large or irregular areas so the finished result matches the drawings without visible variation. Because the finish becomes permanent once the concrete is blasted, it is worth confirming the design and set-out with all stakeholders before masking begins rather than adjusting expectations partway through the work.