...ARE ALL THE THINGS THAT CONCRETE FLOORS, MOST DEFINITELY, ARE NOT.
When making a decision about which flooring to use in a new house plan or addition, the use of concrete should be given great consideration. At mBark Design we believe its aesthetic, practical and environmental features are vast.
Many of us have memories of concrete being used purely in unattractive garage flooring but technology and research has led to it becoming a product of tactile luxury. Its one of very few flooring types which can be used throughout the entirety of a home including outside entertaining areas, living spaces and bathrooms.
This provides a clean sophisticated patina to be used as a canvas where rugs, furniture and art can be shown off at their best. Dyes specifically designed for concrete are often applied to create a variety of colours from muted hues allowing an appearance of time worn beauty to darker colours for a bolder take.
Its style fits equally well in situations where natural landscapes play a central role and also in urban applications. Saw cuts can be added at different intervals to create scale in a space and borders and other patterns can be also be used. When penetrant chemicals are used on the surface during the polishing process it becomes extremely hard and also dust proof, making this option of flooring much easier to live with on a daily basis.
It's actually considered an environmentally friendly material due to fact that its 100% recyclable, low levels of energy are required for its production and the fact that most buildings will need a concrete slab to be laid anyway, meaning its already there and requires only its finishing process to be carried out.
No other choice needs such low amounts of maintenance and its longevity is second to none.
Energy saving is another area concrete floors excel in. Thermal mass principles mean the floor is able to sustain the temperature of a room long after heating or cooling has been used, requiring far less use of artificial heating and cooling via air-conditioning.