Concrete Floors

I know—concrete floors don’t exactly call to mind feelings of home. That’s not so true anymore. Homes all over the United States are adopting this trend. It’s become the new material of preference for designers and homeowners across the country. From condos and city lofts to residential neighborhoods, concrete slab foundations are becoming more popular. Even average homes in suburbia are donning their best Chippendale furniture atop the likes of concrete floors.

Why Concrete?

Well, price aside—No, scratch that. The price!! Concrete floors can be considerably cheap. They are easy to maintain. They are durable. You will never have to replace concrete floors like you would with carpet and vinyl flooring.
Of course the cost of a finished concrete floor can vary greatly depending upon the colors and designs you choose and how either is applied, but in the long run concrete will cost you less in because it is not subject to damage from tears, stains, wear, or flooding.

Concrete floors are great alternatives to carpet if you have allergies. Why? Because carpets hold dust, dust mites, mold and other allergens. In addition, many times carpets and vinyl flooring is installed with adhesives and glues that emit irritating fumes. But if you have concrete floors, the dirt or allergens that become trapped in carpets fibers and the irritating fumes from the vinyl is essential a non-issue for you.

Also, cleaning concrete floors is very easy. You don’t need any harsh chemicals to clean them. Basically, sweeping and washing concrete floors with a wet mop can maintain them for a long time.

And last but not least, a great reason to install concrete floors is that concrete floors are easy to change. Let’s say you want to sell your home, the new owner can install carpet or wood on top of the concrete slab with no problem!

The Economical Side of Concrete

A concrete floor can actually aid in the energy performance of your home. This is because your foundation touches the earth directly and as a result, your concrete floors remain at a constant temperature. This temperature constancy helps to heat and cool your home efficiently. You may think that concrete floors will feel way cooler in the winter. This isn’t the case, but you can use area rugs in well-placed areas to eradicate the cool spots on your floors.

You can also install radiant floor heating. Radiant floor heating is energy efficient and can be easily installed into slab floors. And if you add a decorative finish (more about this in the next section) to the concrete, you can have a décor-friendly concrete floor that permits a maximum amount of heat transfer without any thermal barriers such as floor coverings like carpet and vinyl to impede this.

The Versatility

If gray concrete isn’t your taste don’t worry, concrete is actually one of the most versatile floor materials obtainable. Nowadays finished concrete floors can take on the appearance of tile, stone or even brick. Certain finishes can be made to look like marble or granite down to mimicking their shine and luster. And this can all be done for a fraction of the cost of having the real thing!

Furthermore, concrete floors can be etched in an array of geometric designs and possess any color or color fusion you can dream up. From acid-stained and painted to overlays and microtoppings, or even a unique floor that you design yourself, concrete floors offer a variety of design choices unlike any other material.

Why Not Concrete?

Well, if you are not a huge fan of very hard floor surfaces such as granite, marble and tile and prefer softer alternatives like carpet and vinyl—decorative concrete may not be for you. Concrete tends to feel too cold underfoot. With concrete you will need to prevent sound deflection. Also, odds are objects dropped on a concrete floor will break. And there are concerns that young children could fall on a concrete floor and get seriously hurt.

So, Should You Install Concrete Floors?

In my opinion, the positives outweigh the negatives here. The hardness of concrete floors is no harder than tiles, marble and other flooring material that is installed directly atop your home’s foundation. Plus, if you place area rugs down in high-traffic areas such as walkways, play areas, and rooms where you stand a lot, you will give your hard surface ample cushion against objects breaking or children getting hurt, warmth underfoot, and prevention of sound deflection.

You should add in the additional cost of buying area rugs into your budget when you decide to purchase concrete floors. And whatever you choose to do just remember this: despite the fact that your upfront costs could possible be more for concrete floors than any other flooring choices, your concrete floor will last you a heck of a lot longer because you will never have to get your concrete floor replaced.