Q&A With Kalven Cederberg

Q. How did you get into this field of work?

A. I have an animal science degree from K-State and have ranched and taught high school agriculture. But I’ve always enjoyed building and creating things. I put in some concrete countertops at a friend’s house at his request, and it brought out my creative side! So I decided to take formal training in artisan concrete. It was really interesting and I decided I wanted to do it as a career, so I quit teaching high school and started creating projects instead.

Q. What types of projects do you take on?

A. It started out with concrete countertops and tabletops with custom metal bases. It has grown into planters, sinks, fire pits, fireplace hearths, benches, mantels, wall panels, desks, kiosks, shower pans, shower walls, indoor and outdoor furniture, custom metal fabrication … The more comfortable I became with the process, the more projects I tried, things that you wouldn’t normally think of being made from concrete. You try to push yourself to try different things, just to see if you can do it. Recently we had a unique request for large concrete letters for Hutton Construction’s new headquarters.

Q. How has your craft evolved?

A. I’ve been doing it for 14 years, so you just try to get better and more confident with time. I’ve gone to training and workshops with artisans from all over the U.S. and from other countries. It challenges you to be a better craftsman being around talent like that. I have one full-time employee, Hagen Taylor, who works with me on a daily basis. He’s a certified welder, so we sometimes incorporate welded metal into our projects, such as creating a table base for a concrete tabletop, custom railings, entryway gates and sink bases.

Q. Tell us about your biggest project to date.

A. We installed “learning stairs” in the new Andover High School and it was a huge undertaking. We were approached by the architect who had an idea for stadium-style seating benches where students could gather. They wanted us to bring it to life — and it was in a short time frame of six weeks. There were three of us working full time on it, and we did around 60 benches by the time it was all said and done. We used around 15,000 pounds of concrete!

Q. How can people see your work?

A. We have a showroom, Mud Haus, near Old Town at Douglas and Washington. You can see a lot of unique pieces there that we’ve built — different styles, techniques, finishes and colors. Mud Haus is also a rentable event space that’s a great place to have a party or work meeting, surrounded by some really cool pieces of artisan concrete, as well as amazing works of art by two of my very talented friends: oil painter Ernest Vincent Wood III and sculptor Craig Campbell.

Q. Where did you get your name?

A. When I was starting my business, I was trying to come up with a unique name and I had two dogs lying on the floor of my living room and I said, “OK, 2DOGS it is.” It was a fitting name because I’ve always got at least two dogs hanging around the shop.