Using Decorative Concrete for Home Improvements

What if we told you that you didn’t have to settle for drab, gray concrete floors in your basement? And what if you didn’t have to cover up your concrete floors in your home with carpet or wood? What if you could stylize your concrete to create flooring that’s aesthetically pleasing and durable?

Let us introduce decorative concrete. This type of concrete is trending right now— and for a good reason. It has the power to bring boring floors an industrial chic flair.

What’s decorative concrete?

This spiced-up version of concrete refers to the incorporation of creative substances that use concrete as a construction medium to boost aesthetics. When homeowners use this form of concrete, they access a wide range of design elements that add an eye-catching appeal to what would otherwise be a boring, utilitarian-looking concrete floor.

What are the benefits of decorative concrete?

Enhancing your concrete has many advantages aside from the fact that it’s beautiful. It offers endless design possibilities, is affordable, durable, requires minimal maintenance, and is eco-friendly.

Unlimited creative potential

The flexibility in design options is a huge perk that other types of floor finishes don’t offer. Due to modern advances in concrete mixing techniques and settings, homeowners can achieve a finish that’s 100% customizable. This means that the pattern, color, and texture of the concrete can be designed to fit your home’s unique style, creating a cohesive living space as a result.

Won’t break the bank

Jumping on the trend of employing this fancy concrete in your home is cheaper than one might think. In fact, the decorative concrete supply is widely available in home improvement retailers for half the cost of other floor materials such as hardwood, vinyl, or carpet.

You’ll also save money since this type of floor finish uses your existing concrete subfloor. This means you won’t need to spend money on an additional floor covering since your concrete slabs are your floor covering.

Incredibly strong

Concrete is extremely resilient and has unparalleled longevity. It can easily withstand heavy weight and pressure, so you’ll never have to fret over damaging it with heavy furniture legs. Likewise, it’s pretty difficult to scratch a concrete floor. Thus, your French Bulldog can run around all she wants without leaving a scratch like she could on other floor finishes.

Easy upkeep

Homeowners love how easy decorative concrete is to maintain. There’s just not much you need to do to keep it in tip-top shape. Concrete floors are moisture-proof, meaning they won’t absorb stains or warp if they get wet. So, the only work you’ll need to do is occasional sweeping or mopping to eliminate any debris or spills.

Very green

This kind of concrete is one of the most environmentally-friendly types of flooring currently available on the market. Concrete floors have a tremendously long lifespan— unlike carpeting and wood floors, which are typically used for short amounts of time and then thrown into a landfill.

Likewise, this technique doesn’t require placing other types of flooring over concrete slabs. Instead, it involves designing the concrete without the installation of additional materials.

What are the drawbacks of decorative concrete?

Two disadvantages that can arise from this type of floor finish are the cold nature of concrete and its risk of developing cracks.

It can get pretty chilly

Decorative concrete blocks don’t retain heat well. So, when November rolls around, the surface can be pretty cold on your feet if you live in a place that experiences cooler winters. However, this disadvantage is easily mitigated by throwing down a rug wherever you need to.

It’s prone to cracks

If concrete slabs aren’t laid properly or the ground below the concrete floor shifts, there’s an increased risk of cracking. Some homeowners, however, prefer these natural, small cracks because it gives the home more of a rustic look. But, if you don’t want any cracks, repairing them is easy to do.

Types of decorative concrete

The five main types of this aesthetically-pleasing concrete flooring are colored, stained, stamped, polished, and overlay. Each of these refers to the specific kind of design technique that’s used to boost the look of the concrete slabs.

Colored

Using color to create your concrete decorations involves adding coloring materials throughout the wet concrete mix or applying color to the concrete’s surface just before it hardens completely.

The substance used for this design technique is a type of dye that’s usually composed of pigmented inks that are mixed with a solvent such as acetone or alcohol. These two solvents help the colored dye penetrate the pores of the concrete slab.

Stained

Staining is a popular method of concrete decorating as it can instantly transform plain, gray concrete into a variety of unique colors. The purpose of this technique is to deposit color deep into the concrete floor. Thus, it offers a more permanent coloring solution than the “Colored” technique mentioned above.

Most homeowners opt to use staining for enhancing the look of walkways, driveways, and patios.

Stamped

Stamped decorative concrete adds design and texture to a floor by pressing big stamping mats or molds into wet concrete slabs to leave an imprint.

A unique benefit of this method is that it can be used to mimic the look of other types of flooring such as wood, cobblestone, or bricks for a fraction of the price!

Polished

The technique uses innovative technology in polishing equipment that enables homeowners to achieve a high-gloss finish to their concrete floors. This gives your lackluster concrete slabs a shine boost that resembles a finely-polished stone.

Polishing your concrete floor is a very popular option for anyone who desires that high-quality shine, while also staying true to a minimalistic style.

Overlay

Overlay concrete involves adding polymer resin to a concrete mix. So, a concrete floor overlay is used as an additional layer poured on top of existing concrete floors. Once dried, any of the other four concrete design techniques we’ve covered can be applied.

To give an example of how this technique would be implemented, let’s say you want to upgrade to a concrete overlay pool deck. A very thin layer of a concrete cement-based product would be applied over the existing concrete subfloor. Once it dries completely, you’d be able to color, stain, stamp, or polish your pool deck to create the design you desire.

Concrete overlay pros and cons

Concrete floor overlay is a great choice for homeowners who want to decorate their concrete but don’t want to destroy their old concrete floor and replace it with a new one. When you don’t remove your subfloor, you avoid risks of interfering with door frames or your HVAC.

Conversely, because concrete step overlay isn’t applied or carved directly into the existing concrete like the four other techniques, it has a higher chance of wearing away or developing breaks in the sealant bond.

Spruce up your home with decorative concrete

Now that you know the ins and outs of using this beautifully stylized yet simple type of concrete, what’s stopping you from designing the interior flooring, patio, or walkway you’ve always envisioned? Or, enlist professionals, like Tracer Companies, to do the work for you.

Plus, this type of concrete isn’t something that’s only able to be installed in a new house. Many houses come with a subfloor made entirely of concrete, but you don’t see it because it’s usually covered up with carpet, wood, or tile. Check to see if you have existing concrete you can color, stain, stamp, polish, or overlay!