I know some of you have seen the decorative concrete flooring that are being used in basements. We will have a full walkout basement on a lake and we are thinking of going with this type of flooring. I was looking for some ideas, suggestions, etc. in regards to cost, tips, etc. Thanks!

You can have porcelain for $5-7 a square if you buy inexpensive tile and the slab needs little to no prep, and you don't choose large format, and you find a cheap tiler. All of the conditions would have to be perfect to make it happen at that price. On the other hand, if you have a slab that needs to be ground down or built up to be flat, and you want a large format tile, and you use a licensed and insured tile mechanic who knows what he is doing, you could be in the $10-15 a square. I'd suggest the expensive labor and a standard to upgraded 12x12 porcelain tile and meet in the middle on prices. All flooring types require a flat slab. The contractor that tells you that, and tells you how he's going to accomplish that first, is the contractor that you need to hire. Regardless of material choice. The labor is the lion's share of the job, not the material. Which is why using a more expensive material only jacks the cost a little bit over using a cheaper material. That extra $500 for a tile you love over one you like is a drop in the bucket in overall costs. Concrete is deceptive in that people think they can do it for a low cost. But, to get those high end results, requires a high end price. And the right prep, and the right products, cost more in the end than other materials. It's not just about the acid staining, or integral color, or the grinding. It's about the choice of top coat over that. A clear commercial grade epoxy is $2 a square foot just for materials. That is for a standard concrete mix. One with densifiers and additives to the concrete is a lot more as a microtopping over a standard slab.

To my eye, it is the white already on the fireplace wall, that makes it stick out like a sore thumb. I would be toning it down with another color of wash, that goes with your room, and your furnishings. Please not a solid color, it takes all the interest away from the fireplace. A wash looks so much better. Your room looks very beige, so I might match one of the beige, and give it a wash with that color, so it blends in. Then add some colored accessories to the rest of the room.

Thank you both for your comments. The main purpose of the door is to block noise, especially in the evenings when our youngest (and light sleeper) is in bed and we're trying to watch TV. Mrs S - thank you for the images and ideas. I have been wondering about bifold glass doors, but wasn't really sure how they would look. There is no wall for them to fold up against and they would be open most of the time. Does anyone have bifold doors that don't have a perpendicular wall next to them? Have they worked ok for you? Thanks!