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Cement Floors Are Cozy, Too

Despite its growing use for interior purposes, concrete still carries a reputation for being rough, cold, and unfinished. If you have had any opportunity at all to research some of the beautiful creations out of concrete, you probably quickly realized that cement can be quite attractive. There is no argument concrete can be striking, but how do you overcome the cold and uncomfortable reputation? The following information demonstrates how cement floors can be cozy, too.

Cement floors can be finished in a variety of different ways. They can be dyed before installation, etched with stencils, and laid in various designs. Say for example, you pull-up your old carpet and want to finish the floors underneath, is this possible? The answer is yes; you can grind, polish, and then finish the older concrete into as many beautiful designs as with fresh concrete. If you want a design etched or stenciled in, special tools allow you to cut the concrete to fit your fancy. Concrete can also be painted or covered with an overlay.

Cement is hard and can be cold, although this is a great feature in the summer months. Did you know that cement can also absorb heat from sunny windows? Several northern-facing windows in the winter will warm the cement and it will retain this heat for most of the day. You can optimize this process by laying dark tiles where the sun hits, maximizing on thermal mass. This will cause the floor to absorb more heat and retain it longer. You must be careful to cover or shade these tiles in the summer as they will become very hot. Another way to manage the temperature differences is to install a radiating under-floor heating system.

The tips listed above are examples of a method called passive heating. The whole concept centers around maximizing your home’s thermal mass. This involves arranging windows to capture sunlight, using dense building materials such as concrete and stone, and properly insulating.

If you are at the exciting point of replacing your flooring, give concrete some further consideration. Request free estimates from professional flooring contractors to help you make your decision.

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