thanks, the builder just said an epoxy sealer will be better but expensive?

Imperfections? Has the contractor smoothed the concrete w/power tool? It looks a lot like a buffer but literally shaves off any uneven spots atop the concrete and leaves a slick smooth surface to which you could add a sealer. If he hasn't done that, discuss your options.

For a finish, consider choosing a matte finish and a darker gray color. A shiny finish will more obviously show imperfections.

For a modern look, I would do polished concrete. Everything you ever wanted to know about concrete is here:

https://www.concretenetwork.com/search.html?q=polished+concrete+floor#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=polished%20concrete%20floor&gsc.page=1https://www.concretenetwork.com/search.html?q=polished+concrete+floor#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=polished%20concrete%20floor&gsc.page=1

In our river house, we have black and cola colored concrete with an epoxy finish. The stain colors were sprayed on with a bug sprayer. It's held up very well for 15 years and is easy to take care of.

I would choose a large format tile in a concrete look over concrete floors.

I have concrete floors w/radiant heat in the kitchen/dining room, not stained, just a sealer applied. I also have dark acid stained floors in the living room with radiant heat, a passive solar house- in the winter sun light comes in 23'. The acid stain has held up 15 yrs, but now showing some effects of the UV rays, color is definitely lighter where the sun left it's mark. The unstained kitchen has held consistent color (same sun exposure) and just now requires resealing. My wish is we had not acid stained the LR. Best guess is it will hold color another 3+years before an intervention..... & no clue how/what that will entail. My kitchen, however, is good to go, the gray patina improves with age, (& a lot of imperfections ) ,still looks good from kids, dogs, NY winters & a ton of traffic. Paint is not a good choice for longevity. Acid staining is the only way to go (it penetrates the surface) but it is a mess to deal with- prep work to protect walls/trim, wash down (with lots of water), foot booties, safety glasses, gloves, face masks & the result is a 'live with what you got' situation. Good luck.

@jn3344 - that was me!! LOL - i was aghast at the install cost of the tile because we have to grind the microtop off to the raw concrete to install tile or stone and did not know that at the time.. I am no longer aghast.. disappointed but accepting what has to be done.. the grinding will cost about $2500 if we do it.. or we can just float a floor over it.. (engineered hardwood) I have come to find out that the original out of biz contractor used a subpar product and did not seal it correctly which is why it is peeling and chipping.. @riverrat1 is that an overlay or microtop or directly on the concrete? ours is overlay and after 11 years looks tired..

Jennifer Morrison - ask him for color samples / photos of other applications.. we epoxied our garage and love it but it does wear a bit.. i have an overlay microtop in my house on the first floor... it looked good for 11 years and now needs to be redone; anything shiny will show more than a matte finish but either way dust mop often... can the builder polish the concrete instead of any coating?

@fifamom, I'm not sure what it is, LOL! When the concrete was poured, for the foundation, the prep work was done knowing we would have concrete floors. Once cured they covered the floors with layers of paper and continued construction. When it came time to stain the floors they used acid stain, then some days later put the epoxy on.

@riverrat1 - acid stain.. I am thinking they stained the color directly on the concrete then maybe a clear epoxy on top.. with mine they used an acrylic micro skim top coat (also called overlay by them) then they colored it (bug sprayer as well) and then clear coated it.. but something went wrong.. we did not know as this was our first experience with it.. and now that we want to redo we have to grind to raw concrete to install tile or stone.. or float an engineered hardwood on top.. your floor looks great by the way..

thank you all, loved waking to all of this great help. i just emailed the builder and hope to hear more from his "concrete guy" today. but the builder also mentioned that epoxy sealer is the way to go over water sealer but expensive?? and he is worried about the epoxy over radiant b/c he has not done that before. has anyone just sealed w epoxy over radiant? thanks!

email response from builder "My concrete supplier said heavy traffic/dogs stay away from tinted sealers. They will wear and cannot blend in with recoat.

Also said chem sealers are all gloss if you want matte we would need water based that he assures is durable.

He recommends: chemmasters polyseal wb

" any thoughts? thank you!

check on the off gassing with what they recommend, & check yourself- don't take their word for it.