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What are the advantages of polished concrete floors at home?

Polished concrete floors, long consigned to finished basements and commercial spaces, are making well-deserved inroads in residential homes. Recent advancements in the ability to seal and stain concrete have increased its aesthetic appeal, allowing it to compete with other stone floors such as marble, granite and slate, at a fraction of the cost. Polished concrete floors offer a host of benefits for home builders and renovators. Below are several of the pros for 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 among the 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 flooring materials that are costly to the environment. 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 have no 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, concrete comes pre-installed in most houses, because most houses are built on concrete slabs. Subsequent wood, vinyl, carpet, or tile additions are simply laid over it. For this reason, concrete is second only to bare earth in terms of initial outlay. 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. The floorboards need to be waxed. Marble floors may require special cleaners and are prone to scratching, requiring special attention.

In contrast, a polished concrete floor, which is highly resistant to scratches and stains, can simply be scrubbed when necessary. This can end up saving you hours in labor and cleaning costs.

Floor 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 issues as is the case with tile or vinyl floors, which can trap moisture between them and the tile underneath, resulting in replacements. expensive.

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. Carpets, with their long fibers, as well as tiles and floorboards, with their grout lines and grooves, are known to harbor bacteria, germs, and mold. Polished concrete leaves no room for dust mites to accumulate and expose bacteria that can get trapped between tiles and floorboards. Polished concrete floors can be the first step in creating an allergy-free environment.

Concrete is very versatile

Homeowners have a wealth 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 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 a marble effect or almost any color imaginable. It can be ground prior to treatment to the desired level of added 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 is pre-installed in almost every home. Well 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 materials and perhaps the least expensive. In summary, sealed concrete floors offer a number of advantages over other floors. It is no wonder that the benefits of concrete floors are increasingly recognized by expert home builders and renovators.

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