Gone are the days when tiles were the best option for floors. Today, concrete flooring is making its way both as durable and stylish. If you are considering using concrete flooring, here are a few things you should know:
6 Things To Consider With Concrete Flooring
With anything that you plan to do with your facility in Fresno, Central or Northern California, it is important that you know the advantages and disadvantages of installing them. Although we will not question your decisions on what you ask us to do for your residential, commercial, or industrial projects, we believe that it’s our responsibility to encourage our clients to make an informed decision.
Concrete is cold and hard
It goes without saying that to be a durable type of flooring, it should be hard and solid. However, this can also be a disadvantage for concrete because a lot of people are concerned about it being too hard that it becomes dangerous for slips and accidents. Unlike epoxy or urethane floors, concrete can become very slippery even when a slip-resistant finish was initially installed the concrete can become worn to a smooth finish rapidly in high use areas especially when wash downs occur regularly.
Concrete can easily absorb moisture
Contrary to popular belief, concrete can still absorb moisture and this is actually one of its characteristics that people are bothered with. Moisture prevention is important to any flooring because water can damage what is underneath your floors. More water underneath it makes the foundation less sturdy and in time, the actual floor will get damaged too.
But this bad news is not totally impossible to solve. We now introduce you to a kind of coating on floors called urethane cement. Urethane cement is a type of coating that is a mixture of water, urethane, cement, and aggregate. When these substances are mixed, it becomes a sealant that will protect your concrete flooring from absorbing moisture. Moreover, it acts as another layer of protection from wear and tear and things that can cause scratches and dents on the floor.
It isn’t environment-friendly
This factor matters more now to a good number of people because of the increasing awareness of our planet’s state. Although concrete does not use a lot of waste or produce waste, the way they are created affects the environment. The processes involved in creating concrete causes it to need a lot of energy which in turn emits more carbon dioxide into the air.
Even though we are faced with three heavy disadvantages, there are still a lot of redeeming qualities in concrete flooring!
Concrete floors are durable
If it’s about durability, there is no question that concrete floors are long lasting. It is able to withstand harsh factors like pressure, weight, and scratches. Even if you continuously scratch the surface, you won’t be able to make concrete flooring less durable (it will just look ugly because the scratches are visible).
There are many ways to design it
This advantage is not only for the artistic. Because concrete floors by themselves are dull and rough, several dyes, polishing, and sealants were created so that your floor will look shiny and colorful. One of the modern styles we have today is glossy cement flooring shaped as tiles to create that industrial look. This is often done in studios and office spaces.
It can be paired with coatings
If you’re wondering what coatings are, they are the substances that are put on your concrete floor so moisture is locked out. Mentioned earlier was urethane cement that acts as a sealant to prevent moisture and to reduce the visibility of scratches and dirt. There is also such a thing as an epoxy coating that we are famous for and this is best partnered with concrete flooring because it fills the unevenness on your floor. Epoxy coatings serve as fillers for gaps and spaces in your concrete that your contractor might have missed.
There are many redeeming qualities of concrete flooring and if you want to know more, you can always contact us and we’ll be happy to give you lots of information about it. Also, if you already have concrete flooring installed in your home and are looking for ways to lock out moisture, then you’ve come to the right place. Epoxy coatings and other types of coatings are our expertise!