Decorative Concrete Flooring
Well known for strength and durability, concrete can be beautiful, too. So much so that decorative concrete is now recognized as an excellent means of combining creativity with function. Traditionally, interior concrete has been covered with other flooring options, such as carpet or vinyl. With decorative concrete, you can remove far less durable coverings and let concrete shine – literally.
The Pros of Decorative Concrete in Your Basement
Increasingly popular - painting, staining, dying, or polishing your basement floor can add a rich, deep and beautiful finish, and it allows for more artistic freedom. You can add personal designs like stenciling and borders, or use multiple colors to achieve a polished marble, faux tile, mosaic, or rough stone appearance. Decorative concrete is ideal for rooms where the hard, cool concrete isn’t an issue, such as a basement. Most important, if you develop a moisture problem or your basement gets flooded your decorative concrete can endure the water exposure and the cleanup is easy and painless.
The Cons of Decorative Concrete in Your Basement
The initial outlay may exceed the cost of a mid-priced floor covering such as carpeting, vinyl, or wood laminate however the life expectancy of a concrete floor will far outlast that of most floor coverings. There is a lot of prep work and clean-up work involved depending on which method you use. You need to know what type of concrete you have – as stains react differently to each type and, in some cases stains will not be suitable. You will need to apply a few coats of sealer – you must choose the right sealer for the job at hand. There are 100’s of sealers but no one sealer is perfect for all projects. Using the wrong sealer or applying it improperly can ruin your floor. If the look you want to achieve is artistic, marble, stone, mosaic or faux tile then hire a professional contractor to ensure your desired look or you could end up with a mess on your hands. See our list of professional, prescreened licensed contractors below.
Decorative Concrete Flooring / Vinyl Flooring / Linoleum / Engineered Wood Flooring / Carpet Flooring / Laminate Flooring / Ceramic Tile / Stone Flooring