If there’s a building material that would be most essential in millions of American homes, it would have to concrete. Steel is key in building skyscrapers, but when you build homes, concrete is most useful. And there may not be a better flooring material than concrete. Its merits are simply overwhelming. Concrete is long-lasting, extremely durable, and super low-maintenance as a material.
But if you think it will remain but a dry gray material that lacks life, think again. There are a lot of ways you can dress up concrete and make it look good. By enhancing your concrete flooring’s appearance, you also up the quality of your interior. Even better, you also give your concrete floor a life extension. The good news is you can DIY some of these jobs for the whole family, steering clear of contractors in the process. Here are three of them.
Paint Your Concrete Floors
Whoever thinks paint is only for walls and ceilings has not heard of epoxy treatments. Handymen know what an epoxy treatment can do to a concrete floor. It can make it look good and last long.
A damaged concrete flooring is oft-times sealed and repaired using epoxy treatments. It’s a standard procedure. As strong as the material is, epoxy can level the concrete surface by sealing crevices and cracks. But that’s just the functional part there.
Know that epoxy comes in various colors. A little imagination, and you should be able to come up with wonderful floor designs using epoxy. Don’t be surprised, though. Painting by epoxy can produce stunning results akin to your ordinary run-of-the-mill paint.
The apparent advantage is two-fold. Concrete flooring treated with epoxy paint is not only much more durable and less prone to damage, but it’s also beautiful to the senses. In a sense, you hit two birds with one stone. If you want to up your garage interior, getting the concrete flooring there, a timely epoxy treatment is wise.
Keep Them Polished and Stained
When you stain and polish the concrete floor, you achieve a visually-appealing interior. It’s definitely a great upgrade compared to leaving the concrete floor in its raw color and state.
To achieve such a finish, you need to grind your concrete floor. You can use a diamond grinding wheel for this purpose. With greater durability, a diamond abrasive can effectively grind hard materials such as concrete, ceramics, and even glass.
Once you’ve achieved a smooth floor (something pleasing to your eye), proceed to have the floor sealed. This gives the concrete floor extra protection.
The thing is, you may need to rent a concrete grinder to get the job done via DIY. It can certainly be a good team effort by the whole family. Take note, however, that grinding concrete is no easy task. It may not be a job best left for children too. You may not be able to deliver the fine finish needed to get the floor to be effectively sealed. In this regard, getting the help of a qualified professional could be wise.
Dye Your Concrete Floors
The advantage of dye is you have a wider variety of colors to choose from. You can experiment with a solid brown coloring agent in your kitchen flooring, for instance. Make sure you’re getting the water-based type. When you’re done, you would have given your concrete flooring a smooth finish, with a wonderful color all across your kitchen room’s entire floor.
But you may find dye colors a bit too strong. That can be easily remedied if you’re looking to soften the colors. A neutral-colored rug should be just what you need to lessen the strong colors of a dye. A good rug can provide a timely soft accent to counter the strong colors of a dye.
The good news is you’re not only making your interiors look better. You are also allowing everyone to do their part in building a more beautiful abode. And a truly happy family.
