Well i guess its now the “Green” thing to do and pretty trendy but we have had a cement floor in our house for years. Years ago we had a hot water heater blow out and our floors where ruined and we had to rip them all out, so in our kitchen and living room we have cement floor, the living room is covered with a carpet, but had no pad under it and the kitchen has been painted a few times over the years but it wears off and needs to be redone ever other years (and its been 3 so its getting way past due). Anyway, i need some ideas of what to do with this floor, the carpet in the living room needs to go, its old and gross and well its UGLY its scraps from a rug making company here in town, it is beyond ugly and if i have time i will get a pic of it up so you all can have a laugh at it LOL
The kitchen and living room are really one big room, so i think i want to do one thing to the whole floor as well as the hall way, any ideas on what to do with a cement floor to “finish” it, i want do do something that is going to last, the problem is right now it is painted red, and i have no idea if it was latex of oil based paint, i an thinking latex as it does not last long before it start to wear. I want to do something that will last, look good and have a little shine to it when its done so it has that nice Clean look
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I also am trying to make better an area that is an eye sore. Our cement porch is in pitted shape ( put down in the 50’s). It has three cracks from the house to the porch edge that really don’t bother me much. It is the rough nature of the area that makes it look so bad, along with the many years of paint that is still sticking close to the house and is gone where we walk. This porch is about 5′ by 45 ‘ and runs the front of the home.
I just got back from a car museum in Chattanooga, Tenn. that had the concrete show room floor refinished with a diamond cutting wheel, was stained a pale pink and was buffed to a gloss, I swear it looked just like marble! The rocks in the concrete were beautiful!
I am going to try to find someone who can do this to our porch. I would imagine it is very messy and dusty when it is being done and I have no idea of the cost. Could someone just tell me the terminology to use when I am trying to look up this procedure? I hate to sound stupid when I don’t even know what I’m asking for.
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We have cement floors through out our home. We stained them and then sealed with epoxy and then polyurethane top coating. They are holding up very well. We use water to clean them if sweeping doesn’t quite do it. Before sealing we did route a design into the floor for some variety. Every visitor is surprised and pleased with our floor. They are holding up well even with a pretty good sized dog running around on them.
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When we moved into our bungalow last year we had flea-ridden carpets all over except ceramic tiles in the kitchen and bathroom – you could do that and never think about it again and it’s easy clean – bit cold to bare feet, though. Well, we quickly flea-treated then dumped the carpets via Freecycle and after decorating each room, installed click-lock, oil-finished, laminate wood flooring throughout. This particular version is about 8mm/5-sixteenth HDF (High Density Fibre/fiber-board) topped with 4mm/3-sixteenth Chinese oak and I think it was made in that place. It’s brilliant, oil finished, warm to the bare feet and, while not the cheapest laminate, more attractive and durable than the cheaper stuff. (BTW – I was surprised when I did my research but I now reckon, if you do your sums on floor covering in similar price ranges and including every purchased item, pretty well all methods come out at a very similar price). Because the oak is oil finished, scratches can be treated with tung oil and, although they are still there, they disappear visually. Tung oil is, I think, derived from the root of the Chinese tung tree, is slightly aromatic but not dangerously so. Can be purchased at Home Depot and similar places in small quantities. Apply according to instructions which is basically to moisten a cloth with the oil, rub it into the scratch and immediate area, leave for twenty minutes and wipe off the residue (if you don’t it goes sticky as it dries – use industrial alcohol (methylated spirits or white spirits here in UK) to wipe it off and start again – ventilate the area if you have to use spirits). You can build up coats by re-applying every 24 hours, wiping off and allowing it to dry between applications. Two or three applications on bare, planed or turned wood, brings out the grain magnificently, is food-safe although not actually water-proof and I use it on all my wood turnings for a lustrous, rich finish.
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Stained concrete floors are very popular and easy. Consult a good paint store for product recommendations. Basically, you need a clean slab. You can probably remove the old paint with a rented orbital floor sander. This will create some dust, so be forewarned. Cover everything and wear a good mask. The stain penetrates the cement, so it’s permanent. After it dries, it will have to be sealed. If you painted it you can stain it.