Concrete Flooring is a Viable, Cost-Effective Alternative

Today's flooring market is seeing an ever-increasing variety of options. Woods such as bamboo and cork are taking their place alongside more traditional materials, and tile is making a big comeback. One material you may not have considered is concrete. Concrete flooring is expanding from its traditional place in the garage or basement, and starting to appear throughout the house.

Advantages of Concrete Flooring
Concrete flooring offers many advantages over other materials:

• Durability. A substance that stands up to the pounding of cars and trucks can easily handle whatever abuse you can throw at it inside the home.
• Cost. Concrete flooring is less expensive than wood, carpet, tile and vinyl.
• Maintenance. For families with kids and pets, concrete is easy to keep clean and looking new. It also won't suffer from exposure to sand or snow.
• Adaptability. These days, there are plenty of decorative options for concrete flooring, and if you should sell the house, it's easier for the new owners to re-paint, customize or to overlay the floor with something else.

Decorating Concrete Flooring
If you're imagining a plain gray floor, concrete specialists these days have so many options they will blow your mind. Here are a few of the many ways to decorate concrete flooring:

• Painting is an easy way to make your concrete flooring match perfectly the colors of your décor. It can be used to create the look of marble, stone or slate, or even a tiled appearance that—without seams or grout lines—is easy to keep clean.
• Staining. Sturdier than paint, stain bonds with the concrete itself for a color that lasts the life of the floor. Popular colors are light tan, brown, black, and blue-green, though many variations are available.
• Engraving. Concrete engraving is a combination of staining along with etching grooves into the surface to create a look of tile, stone or brick at a fraction of the cost. These options give a warm, natural feel and complement any décor.
• Polishing. Another popular option in which the floor surfaces is ground with a heavy-duty polishing machine to achieve a high-gloss finish that looks like polished stone. This is often combined with staining for a unique, marble-like look. Best of all, it never needs waxing or coating.
• Overlaying. An overlay can be applied on top of your concrete floor, and again, a number of designs are available.
• Radiant Concrete Flooring. In hot-weather climates, concrete stays cool. In colder places, though, this method is used to keep concrete floors nice and warm. Pipes are installed beneath the floor and heated water is run through them. Radiant flooring is not only cozy, it's an efficient way to heat your home.

With all the options that are out there, it is no wonder that concrete flooring is becoming so popular among homeowners everywhere.