Concrete floors are featured in many modern homes. They offer a sleek and contemporary aesthetic that will unify your home and complete your space. It is available in many finishes and colors so the perfect concrete look is available for everyone’s modern house design.
Concrete is recommended by modern builders and modern architects due to its many benefits. It is durable and strong and is naturally resistant to wear & tear. When properly sealed it is fire resistant, bacteria resistant, odor proof, waterproof and stainproof. It is extremely pet friendly since your pets can’t scratch the surface or damage it with pet messes.
Concrete in your modern home is also low-maintenance. A little sweeping and light mopping is all that is necessary to keep these floors looking as new as the day they were finished.
Concrete as flooring in your contemporary house also has the unique benefit of being eco-friendly. It depletes fewer resources and uses less energy to produce. Concrete in your contemporary home will absorb warm and cool air to help reduce your heating and cooling needs.
Another of the benefits of installing concrete in your modern home is the adaptability of its design. There are a multitude of finishing options to give your floor the exact look and feel that you want. A contemporary designer can help you choose a look that is perfect for your home. Color can be added in two main ways, either structurally before it is poured, or topically after it is poured.
Dialect Design’s Lydia Project - Burnished Concrete Floors
Adding pigment to concrete structurally has benefits. It requires no more finishing other than sealing by your contemporary builder after it has set. Color hardeners or chemical coloring agents create brighter and more saturated color throughout while natural pigments like metal oxides are more subtle.
Coloring can also be done after pouring by various methods. One such method is acid etching or or chemical acid staining. Hydrochloric acids and metallic salts are added to the surface and react chemically with the lime in the concrete. The metallic salts seep in to color the concrete as the acid etches the surface. This results in a variegated and marbled effect that can look like natural stone.
Similar to acid etching, water based stains penetrate the concrete surface and react with the lime allowing the concrete to take on a pigment. But, the color when using a water based stain is more predictable than color from acid staining. There is also a greater range of colors to choose from with your modern designer.
Concrete dyes are applied to the surface by your contemporary builder and penetrate to color the material. The color is less uniform for a water based dye while a solvent based dye will have a more uniform appearance.
In addition to all the various coloring techniques, concrete can be textured as well. It can be as smooth or as rough as required or desired in your contemporary house depending on the use. Brushing the surface during finishing will expose the aggregate and give it a rougher look and feel. This can be done to several degrees, depending on need and is particularly useful when non-slip flooring is needed such as in a bathroom or shower floor.
Simple light burnishing and sealing of the floors (pictured above) creates a beautiful natural finish with some minor color variation and texture. Several layers of sealant protect the floors for years of beautiful life in your modern home.
No matter which finishing technique you choose to finish the concrete floors in your modern house, it will last for years of low-maintenance, energy efficient beauty.