Concrete is not just for streets, driveways, and sidewalks. If concrete can support the weight of a vehicle it’s structural integrity is without question, but because concrete is strong and durable it is increasing in popularity for items normally reserved for wood in interior commercial and residential flooring options. Not just flooring surfaces either, concrete can be poured as a kitchen countertop, or steps and stairs.
Concrete offers a luxurious look and feel but comes with a modest price tag. You can produce concrete as little as $2/square foot all the way up to $30/square foot, depending on thickness, finish, if permits are needed, etc. You can install concrete on many floors supported by joists you may need lightweight concrete or an engineer’s approval. Concrete opens up avenues of options for your next home renovation project so let’s examine some of the pros and cons.
We have already touched on the costs, which of course is appealing because you can manipulate the costs and the design of your concrete. If you want a basic finish you’ll save more money, but you can make your concrete surface one-of-a-kind. You can add dyes to wet concrete to produce colour as well as acid stains, concrete stains, concrete paint, coatings, etc. You can us a rubber stamp or stencil to imprint your concrete with a texture or design. You can make your concrete floor imitate the look of ceramic tile, wooden flooring, natural stone, leather, bricks, it really depends upon your aesthetic goals but there is a huge variety of textured floor coating options. Concrete floors are also super low-maintenance, granted textures can increase the labor needed to maintain their cleanliness, but if properly sealed they can look new with just bit of standard sweeping ad mopping. For added comfort you can add radiant heating embedded into your newly poured concrete floors to sllow for cost-effective boiler heat. Could you just imagine a heated concrete floors finished with a leather texture? Gorgeous.
Concrete can look like leather but it goes without saying it is quite a bit harder. Concrete floors can be too hard, which means for homes in which children and elderly live concrete floors can be a concern because of their hardness. They also pose a threat to anything dropped on them so hold onto your smartphone because it’ll break before the floor does, rugs can definitely help with this issue. That isn’t to say that concrete floors are impervious to damage, over time concrete floors can develop cracks, the more concrete is exposed to temperature fluctuation and moisture the increased probability of your floor developing cracks. Cracks can be concealed with ease so that’s a bonus. Mitigating any outside moisture will definitely help as well, especially in below-grade surfaces like the basement floor moisture can penetrate from below the concrete slab. Properly sealing the concrete will help lessen the damage the dampness can cause. Of all the finishes concrete paint is the one most impacted by moisture, so try something like a quartz polyaspartic or epoxy floor coating.
Our job is to install concrete flooring that looks, feels and functions great because after as many years in the business as we do, that is the easy part! But there is a great deal of mistakes that can be made by someone who isn’t comfortable with concrete. If you want a concrete floor but you don’t want to risk having to remove it and relay it, call the professionals at Superior FD Coatings at (306) 539-6428. We reduce the time and budget spent on this task and you won’t run the risk of mistakes.
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