Polished concrete floors in your house

[nlorntson]

We're contemplating doing some remodeling and looking at floor options. Does anyone have and words of wisdom regarding concrete floors (versus wood floors, tile, carpet,) in the living space of your home? I see they can come in all colors patterns, designs, etc.

How about cost, maintenance. durability.

If you have one do you like it?

Are there things to avoid when getting one installed?

[TDCTDI]

Concrete floors are generally not “installed” to an existing structure, it’s just enhancing an existing slab floor. Are you on a slab now? If not then you shouldn’t add that sort of weight to the structure. If you do have a slab, do not put wood or faux-wood over the top of it due to moisture issues, concrete stays cold & moisture will build up due to condensation and natural breathing of the concrete which will result in mold & warpage no matter what vapor barriers are used (usually the same sheet of plastic you would use to keep the floor clean when you paint)

Carpet is usually laid down right on the slab & just traps all the crap that gets tracked in & out of the house, just pull up an old carpet & you’ll see how much crap filters through.

I thought about polished concrete but decided against it due to the mess & possible health issues (60s house with asbestos linoleum (had to keep linoleum wet as we removed it, & painted the vapor barrier right over the top of remaining backer & adhesive.).),and used large tile & a painted on vapor barrier. Easy to clean, we use area carpets that are easily removed for cleaning or change in decor.

If you’re not on a slab, I don’t suggest tile due to the flexibility/expansion rate differences of the wood/tile, sure it’s done all the time, but most of the time the tile lifts or cracks.

Do not use faux-wood/engineered flooring ( Its Just dense particle board with something attractive printed on top.), lots of nasty chemicals & that shit buckles & warps as it soaks up water like a sponge if a kid or a pet “spills”something on it (neither of which are known to clean it up.).
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[ROCKOROD71]

my buddy re-did his basement about a year ago and used ceramic(?) tile, maybe it was concrete tile, that has a wood grain look to it for the floor. tiles were like 6"x 12" roughly. They look real nice and have held up well for the past year.
I would have to agree with the suggestions above regarding mixing and matching materials, using concrete tile where there was none or not on slab or foundation, etc...
Carpet is old news, I can't believe anyone still uses it.
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[cousineddy]

I polished the old concrete slab in my house, removed the old ugly tile, rented a polishing machine, acid stained the concrete, sealed it, and have been living on it for 5 years, it’s good! Depending on which sealer you choose the floors are extremely durable and easy to clean.I did my wife’s store the same way and she has a lot morefoot traffic than our house does with no visible wear on the floors.
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[calvinater]

The only thing i can say is that the concrete is unforgiving on your heels and back Find some indoor shoes with cushioned soles
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[my59]

If you are on slab, you can have it polished. It takes a floor grinder with stones on it and it ain't quick. With the floor polished, you want to seal it so things like red wine don't stain. You can tint the sealer as well to change the color of the floor.
If it's a new slab, a steel trowel finish is what you want, with sealer.
Other than that, rethink your game plan. Adding a slab over wood joist is a bad idea, unless engineerd.
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[cdennisg]

As someone who has built many homes of many different kinds, the one flooring material I would not want to walk on every day is concrete. Slab-on-grade homes are done because it is usually the cheapest option, not the best.

I like wood flooring systems, with either REAL wood or REAL Linoleum covering or carpet in limited areas. If the OP wants to add an area of concrete that will be used as a sunroom or such that can use the mass as a heating and cooling tool passively, that would make sense.
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[VW_Jimbo]

Had a slow time back several years ago and hit up a subcontractor, who did decroative concrete work, to let me work for him til my workload increased again. I spent two months with them. Concrete becomes really slick when it is finished. We used an epoxy sealer that was super slick. We would mix in silica sand to give some traction. Highly reccommend some sort of traction producing substance. Polished floors would be dangerous and COLD. But they can lay radiant water systems in the concrete. Pex tubing goes down first, followed by a few inches of high strenght self leveling concrete.
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[cbeck]

X2 on the heated floor.
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[cdennisg]

[obus]

[ach60]

The whole 1st floor of my house is tile, stairs and second floor excluding bathrooms are carpet.
Tile is cold and hard, so I wear shoes downstairs, leave them at foot of the stairs, to keep the carpet as clean as possible.
Cleaning the tile is no problem, but what ever you drop on a tile floor breaks.
My Sister re-did her whole house in Hardwood floors, excluding bathrooms, looks real nice, hard but not cold like my tile.
Concrete is cold, & hard, and I don't think I'd like living on it.
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Good Luck
Al

[oprn]

We have a heated concrete basement floor. It is hard on the feet but I love the warmth! That in fact is what heats the basement and it is warmer and drier than the rest of the house. Some day I plan to lay ceramic tile over it as anything else would insulate and not allow the heat through as well.

Polishing would be an option too...

[Helfen]

[Helfen]

[oprn]

I put ceramic tile in the back entrance on the wood base as a test. Never again! Wood moves too much and I am constantly replacing cracked tiles and missing grouting!

[VW_Jimbo]

[Helfen]

[cdennisg]

[nsracing]

I love polished concrete floors - durable and simple.

I will do that to my large garage when time comes.