Concrete Floor Finishes

Why spend a lot of time, effort and money on new flooring when you can spend a fraction of all these by refinishing your concrete floors? Concrete floor finishes are not that difficult. And the results can be so amazing that your friends will think your floors belong in a design magazine.

Seriously, just about anyone can achieve show house results by doing their own concrete floor finishes. And don't say you don't have concrete floors because every dwelling is built on a concrete slab. You only have to remove the over flooring to get to it. And then at that point you can start to transform your house with your own concrete floor finishes.

Concrete is found in both the interior and exterior of almost every house, its very durable, and because of this you can turn it into a thing of beauty with your own concrete floor finishes. And the best thing is you can do this for a very nominal cost! Concrete floor finishes can be accomplished by using a simple stain all the way to stamped patterns that resemble natural stone, brick, tile or anything else your mind can dream up.

Concrete floor finishes are that versatile, and many coloring techniques are available, you only need to use your imagination.

On the other hand, one of the most impressive effects is created when several concrete floor finishes are combined. By combining several different concrete floor finishing methods carefully and with some forethought, the results can come together well and be truly awe inspiring. Mix and match and use creativity to come up with your own award winning floors!

Broom Finish- This technique is a widely used tried and true method for nice looking textured concrete floor finishes, and is easily accomplished by sweeping a broom across a wet concrete floor. The resulting texture might be coarse or light depending on the broom bristles.

You can alter the final result by altering the pressure on the broom to make it light or coarse. It is possible to dress up broom-finished concrete floor finishes by bordering it with stamped or stenciled concrete. For a dramatic effect try using different colors for the borders.

Stained or Colored Concrete Floor Finishes- Using an acid based stain that reacts chemically with the materials in the concrete to create a unique way to use this technique. The colors produced are normally rich earth tones with a beautiful marbling effect. Textured and patterned floors usually look best with these types of concrete floor finishes. For example if you have a normal plain colored concrete driveway, it is possible to texture it by using a saw to cut or engrave patterns into the surface to make it even more interesting.

Stamped Concrete Floor Finishes- Natural stone finishes and also brick, tile or slate finishes can be imprinted or stamped into fresh concrete for dramatic effects. Patterns such as plant, marine, and forest life, and so many others can be achieved with custom stamps. A 3 D effect is accomplished with stamped concrete floor finishes and these can look very realistic at first glance. To provide a nice contrast of texture you can add a band of stained concrete around a walkway.

Concrete Floor Finishes Using Stencils- Rip resistant paper stencils are available to imprint patterns on fresh concrete. A wide selection of stencils are available for different textures of concrete floor finishes for great looking combinations. For example say you have a slate stained drive or walkway, you could add stenciled bricks to this or a knot pattern over acid stained concrete floor finishes to add variety to a room.

Exposed Aggregate Concrete Floor Finishes- in this finish, diverse techniques are employed to expose the aggregates (i.e. stones, sand, pebble) inside the concrete's surface creating a distinctive glimpse. Exposed aggregate concrete floor is usually placed next to smooth textured concrete to generate contrast or they might be stained to make particular areas stand out.

Concrete floor finishes of these types are truly just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to making your floors or outside surfaces beautiful and unique. Make yourself familiar with the differing types of concrete floor finishes available, this is the initial step to making your floors unique and envious.

Look at pictures to see how every single concrete finish looks like so it is possible to see what you like and what will work for your project. Using your imagination and examples found online makes it possible to envision what can be achieved when you decide to try this for yourself.

And is easily accomplished by sweeping a broom across a wet concrete floor. A 3 D effect is accomplished with stamped concrete floor finishes and these can look very realistic at first glance. For a dramatic effect try using different colors for the borders. Concrete Floor Finishes