What are the advantages of polished concrete floors in the home?
Long intended for finished foundations and commercial spaces, polished concrete floors are making well-deserved inroads into residential homes. Recent advances in the ability to seal and stain concrete have increased its aesthetic appeal, allowing it to compete with other stone flooring such as marble, granite, and slate, at a fraction of the cost. Polished concrete floors offer a host of benefits to home builders and renovators. Below are several of the advantages of building your new home with polished concrete floors or exposing the concrete floor of your existing home.
Polished floors are sustainable
Those most interested in building environmentally sustainable homes have been early adopters of polished concrete floors, and with good reason. Sealed concrete has an extremely low environmental impact. If your home, like most, is built on an existing concrete slab, simply sanding and sealing the concrete eliminates the need for additional environmentally costly flooring materials. Additionally, the compounds used to sand and finish a concrete floor are extremely low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which pollute the environment and lower indoor air quality, which can have adverse health effects. Compounds used to seal concrete floors do not have a lasting odor.
Treated Concrete Offers Great Value
In addition to making polished concrete incredibly sustainable, concrete has long been the least expensive flooring option available. The fact is that concrete comes pre-installed in most homes, because most homes are built on concrete slabs. Later additions of wood, vinyl, carpet or tile are simply laid on top of it. For this reason, concrete is second only to bare earth in terms of initial investment. Additionally, the reflective surface of polished concrete can help reduce the cost of interior lighting. It stays cool in the summer, which also reduces home cooling costs.
Polished concrete is easy to maintain.
Most traditional floors have rigorous cleaning requirements. Carpets must be vacuumed. Floor boards need to be waxed. Marble floors may require special cleaners and are prone to scuffing, which requires special attention.
In contrast, a polished concrete floor, which is highly resistant to scuffs and stains, can be easily cleaned when needed. This can end up saving you hours in labor and cleanup costs.
Flooring concrete is extremely durable.
Treated concrete floors are some of the most durable in the world. According to houzz.com, a properly treated concrete floor can be expected to last more than 100 years. This has long been known to commercial interests, who often use this flooring option in showrooms, retail stores, and other high-traffic areas. Concrete allows the floor to “breathe”, as such it is not susceptible to moisture and rot problems like tile or vinyl floors, which can trap moisture between them and the slab below, resulting in costly replacements.
Sealed concrete offers health benefits
Since the 1960s, house dust and dust mites have been known to exacerbate (if not cause) allergies and are particularly troublesome for people with existing respiratory problems. Carpet, with its long fibers, as well as tile and flooring, with its grout lines and grooves, are known to harbor bacteria, germs, and mold. Polished concrete is seamless, leaving no room for dust mites to collect and expose bacteria that can get trapped between the tiles and floorboards. Polished concrete floors can be the first step in creating an allergy-free environment.
Concrete is very versatile.
Homeowners have a plethora of options when it comes to treatments and stains. For homeowners who want to avoid the “wet” look often associated with polished concrete, there are silicone-based penetrating sealers. For homeowners who were considering reclaimed wood planks, concrete can be stamped to mimic them. It can be made to look like slate tiles.
Concrete can be stained to achieve a marble effect or just about any color imaginable. It can be ground prior to treatment to the desired level of aggregate exposure. Aggregates are the materials mixed with cement to create concrete, when exposed they create a textured appearance. In short, a polished concrete floor can be made to look truly unique.
Concrete comes pre-installed in virtually every home. Properly sealed and polished, it is one of the most environmentally sustainable flooring options available, and one of the most versatile. In addition, it is one of the most durable and perhaps least expensive materials. In short, sealed concrete flooring offers a number of advantages over other flooring. It’s no wonder smart home builders and renovators are increasingly recognizing the advantages of concrete floors.