Concrete is a popular flooring that is proven for cost–effectiveness, strength and durability. It is commonly used
in residential settings and most often found in basements. The life expectancy of concrete far exceeds that of any other kind
of flooring. Very often a concrete sub–floor is covered with carpet, vinyl or other flooring materials.
As flooring on its own, some people feel concrete is dull and uninteresting. However, concrete floors can be made to look
attractive and decorative by treating it with stains and colorants. This lends the concrete floor a rich variety of hues and
textures. A concrete floor can also be stamped with patterns to obtain an appearance similar to marble or natural stone like
slate or granite. It can be treated for surface texture and color shifts to closely resemble the original. Such decorative
finishes are a blend of creativity and beauty with durability, economy and the practicality of concrete. These finishes can
be applied to new or existing slabs.
Some methods of decorative finishing are listed below:
Chemical staining makes use of special stains formulated to react with the lime in the concrete. Because of lime leaching,
surface texture and weathering, the end result is often unpredictable, but skilled artisans can create a wide rang of
attractive effects. The flooring should finally be treated with sealers and waxes to highlight the full effect.
Scoring can be done to create simple geometric patterns and designs and to separate colors.
Integrally colored concrete is when a colorant is added during the mixing process to give a consistent color and a uniform
tint throughout the slab. Colorants are available as both liquids and powders that can be added to bags of ready–mix.
Concrete stamping used to imprint various outlines to resemble stone, brick, wood planks, tiles, slate or a variety of
finishes. This is done at the freshly cast concrete stage.
The foregoing are just a few of the options open to beautify concrete as indoor flooring.
