Concrete Floor Finishes: Pros And Cons

Concrete is rugged and robust — no wonder it's used for streets and driveways! As a flooring substance, it has all the durability and endurance of a highway. You can't damage or dent a solid concrete floor finish.

It also can make a style assertion. Added colours and engraving techniques can turn grey, dull concrete into your home's star charm. Cost ranges from cheaply ($2 per square foot) to moderately pricey ($30 per square foot, depending on finishes).

Concrete is heavy. The weight won't be of interest if you're planting new concrete floors on a flat surface. If you're contemplating installing concrete over a subfloor supported by girders, you'll need an architectural engineer to decide if your floor can stand the pressure. Lightweight ferroconcrete may be a solution.

Pros Of Concrete Floors

Low-Maintenance: The same characteristics that make concrete floors so durable also make them easy to care for. Appropriately sealed concrete floor finishes shrug off dirt, grit, stains, spills, and complex influences. A little sweep and damp mopping are all that's needed to keep them looking like new.

Beautiful Design Options: Modernised systems for concrete floor finishes have moved concrete floors from basic to extravagant. Adding dyes as the wet cement is being mixed provides concrete in a massive range of earthy colours. Surface treatments such as acid residue, concrete stains and paint made for concrete floors can turn everyday concrete into beautiful, one-of-a-kind finishes. Also, concrete can be stamped with rubber stencils to give it texture. When coupled with suitable dyes or colouring agents, finished concrete can mimic ceramic tile, natural stone, brick, even dirt!

Heated Floors: For new construction or ferroconcrete poured over an existing slab, you have the option to add radiant floor heat — electrical wires or hot water tubes installed in the pavement to create warm, comfy floors.

Eco-Friendly: Concrete does not deplete natural resources, requires less energy than other floor types, and is created (poured) regionally. Concrete is suitable for indoor air quality because it inhibits mould, mildew, and odours, contains no possibly harmful chemicals and finishes with zero-VOC sealers. Concrete's fusion of warm and cool air lessens the need for heating and cooling, cement can be recycled, and the surface chops down on the need to expel waste, such as scraps of flooring and underlayment.

Cons Of Concrete Floors

Hardness: There's no denying that concrete is hard underfoot, a quality that some find uncomfortable. It's also relentless — a shed glass unquestionably won't endure — and it may be a concern if there are tiny kids or elderly folks in the house. Area rugs can help mitigate problems.

Moisture: In below-grade basements, water migrating up from underneath the slab may make concrete unacceptably damp and damage any surface treatments, such as paint. Proper sealing of the concrete helps mitigate any outside problem areas like leaky sewers and poor dirt drainage.

Cracking: Like it or not, even expertly placed concrete may develop cracks over time. That's because the vast expanse has to endure changes in warmth, moisture and settling. Coloured concrete paste and patching materials help disguise cracks.

These pros and cons will allow you to make a better decision while selecting concrete floor finishes for your household.