Help! Flooring dilemma

5 years ago

Hi,

Is there a concrete flooring finish that can be done after the brickwork and carpentry is done as appose to being done as soon as the slab is poured?

Very indecisive about the flooring! Would like to ditch the tiles to avoid grout and have a more seamless look but husband not convinced and very concerned ( with some pro advice) about the floor being damaged by tradies very early on in the build and the room for error or a botched up finish.

Featured Answer

SJ McCarthy

5 years ago

If finished concrete is the goal, it is suggested to have this ready at the design phase. The slab specialists can then float the concrete they pour to a much HIGHER level (costs more but worth it when moving to the next stage of finishing) than just pumping it in a spreading it around. A higher-level aggregate can be added at this early stage so that it is ready to get finished at a later date.

Once the envelope has been added and the interior has been finished or nearly finished, the concrete floor specialists come in and do the next phase of "finishing". They will grind/blast as is needed (this is where the high-end POURING comes in because it REDUCES the EXPENSIVE preparation costs). They would then come in and PREPARE the HIGH END aggregate (that you paid for up front to have added during the pour) that is already in existence.

If you did not have the slab poured to this LEVEL of prep (this is why it is best to specify "finished concrete flooring" at the design phase and not the "finishing" phase), then the high-end aggregate must be ADDED afterwards. This is no big deal...it is done on a daily basis, but it does add time and money (more money than if it had been added at the "pouring the slab" phase).

The high end aggregate is then stained/epoxied once the preparation has been done. Like all floors, it is best to leave the floors until last (or almost last). Workers move at speed and they rarely have time (or make the effort) to keep track of who steps where or for what reason.

Like all floors, let the workers finish most of what needs to be done. Feel free to speak with a concrete floor specialist (epoxy guys will do just fine) to ask them when they would ideally move into a build to apply their floor finish.

And don't be surprised by the cost of a finished concrete floor. They are not considered "cheap". In fact they are labeled as "lifestyle flooring" rather than economical flooring.

A finished concrete floor ranges in price from $5 - $25 per square foot. The ones that do NOT etch AND do NOT stain and do NOT require +++ maintenance = $10/sf and up. Anything lower than $10/sf is going to be a lower level finish with etching and staining and maintenance issues.

Tile is MUCH easier to care for than a low or mid-level concrete floor.

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Comments (7)

randa_e
Original Author
5 years ago
Wow! So much detail! Thanku very much SJ for taking the time to reply and write that all out, much appreciated!

Would this be the same for all concrete floor finishing?

I would like to achieve something similar to the picture below as apposed to an exposed aggregate finish, but i am not sure how it is achieved and at what stage of the build it is done.

I'm not sure about epoxy as it seems very glossy. I don't know if there are different grades of shine but i do not want a very glossy floor.
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robin0919
5 years ago
randa.....that looks great! Isn't concrete hard on the feet and legs? I don't know allot about it. Is it like walking on tile?? I have no idea.
randa_e
Original Author
5 years ago
Hi robin. Yes I really like it! Honestly, i don't believe its much different than tile. I have a tiled floor at the moment in our rental and its a hard floor and I hate the grout! We will be doing wooden floorboards upstairs and although I don't mind the idea of continuing the timber downstairs, my husband can't deal with that much timber in the house lol
SJ McCarthy
5 years ago
The inspiration picture is either a coloured concrete aggregate (the colour is IN the cement mix that is added as the microtopping to your current slab) or it is a stained concrete.

Epoxy does not need to be shiny. There are lower glossed products out there. The floor in your inspiration photo would DEFINITELY need to be sealed/finished properly. Raw/unsealed concrete stains and etches WORSE than marble. Coffee, tea, cola, red wine, vinegar, water, cooling oils, foot/skin oils, etc will ALL change the concrete appearance. It is considered a living finish. And it will be VERY ALIVE if it is not properly sealed or coated.

An epoxy finish is the toughest of the tough. There is almost no maintenance. There will be no concern re: staining nor etching. That's why epoxy is used over porous concrete.

If you go with a lower level coating, such as urethane, it will change over time and require plenty of maintenance. Urethane coatings look "good" for about 6 months and then they start to show scuffs and scratches and areas of wear. To deal with this, you would have to use a polish (remember Grandma's floor polishing machine? See if she still has it because you are going to need it!). You will add a polish every 6 months of so. And eventually you will need to STRIP the polish and have the urethane REAPPLIED (possibly inside 6 years).

If you choose to wax or polish without the urethane the (totally possible) you have the same issues. The wax looks good for about 3 months, it needs additional wax/polish added every few months and it STILL STAINS AND ETCHES. Whew. All that work and you still have a floor that stains! Darn.

Do yourself a favour and speak with a professional concrete floor specialist. They will have multiple techniques to get a "finish" on your floor. Ask them about the MAINTENANCE concerns with EACH finish they offer. Ask them about the staining/etching possibilities with the colour+stain combo you are interested in.

I would bet an off-white concrete floor is going to be a bit of a hassle to deal with/live with/maintain.
chicagoans
5 years ago
rockybird has concrete floors in her awesome MCM home. Here's a link to one thread with some pictures (scroll down a bit). You might want to message her and see if she has any advice or feedback based on her experience.
randa_e
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanku for all your help! Will consider all which has been mentioned.

Help! Flooring dilemma

SJ McCarthy

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randa_e
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