When you think of concrete, you may envision gray sidewalks and poured slabs for house or garage foundations. Perhaps you’ve merely considered concrete to be an outdoorsy material: drab and utilitarian. To the contrary, concrete is so versatile that it can infuse style into your home’s interior flooring design. Whether you’re building your new house or want to replace your current flooring, the options for concrete floor colors and textures are virtually endless. However, is it really possible to use concrete flooring to creatively customize the heart of your home: the kitchen?

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Colors and Textures

With so many concrete stain options available, you’ll definitely find a way to match your kitchen’s color scheme. Concrete stains are semi-transparent and, according to ConcreteNetwork.com, “Most acid stains are a mixture of water, hydrochloric acid and acid-soluble metallic salts. They work by penetrating the surface and reacting chemically with the hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide) in the concrete. The acid in the stain lightly etches the surface, allowing the metallic salts to penetrate more easily.” That means your lovely kitchen concrete floors can not only be creative and stylish, but they will:

Furthermore, concrete floors can be stamped so they look textured. DIYNetworks.com explains that, “Combined with the right dyes or coloring agents, finished concrete can be made to mimic ceramic tile, natural stone, brick, even dirt!” Acid etching usually limits your color choices to earth tones. However, water-based stains are also available.

Quality and Maintenance

Concrete floors offer low maintenance care with extra durability. Wood floors scratch. Tile can chip or break, but you’ll appreciate the longevity that properly-sealed concrete floors provide. No matter what mess pops up in your kitchen, just sweep and damp mop when necessary — and you’re all done!

There is no perfect flooring material, so even concrete has its limitations. For example, concrete is heavy, so if you want to replace a current floor, you may have to have a lightweight concrete installed. Even professionally-installed kitchen floors can crack (yet those cracks can be filled with patching materials and colored cement paste).

Comfort

Concrete is a hard, rigid material. Your kitchen is one of the most used areas in your home, so if you have physical ailments like back pain, you’ll want to invest in memory foam or ergonomic mats and area rugs to make your time spent cooking and entertaining while standing on the kitchen floor more comfortable. (Mats and rugs may also help if children or grandchildren may drop glass dishes on the floor, since glassware most likely will shatter into tiny pieces.)

Are you a fan of heated floors? Radiant heat may work for you if you’re installing new concrete floors or have an existing subfloor.

Cost

Depending on the style of customization you choose, your kitchen’s new concrete floors don’t have to shock your wallet or even break the bank. Since techniques like stamping and staining will mimic high-end materials, you can feel confident about staying within your flooring budget. And, concrete’s hardiness increases your kitchen floor’s longevity so you get more bang for your buck.

You have a lot of choices of materials to use for your kitchen floor, and Alair Homes Scottsdale is here to help you better understand them all. One option is to give your kitchen a high-end look for the cost of concrete — not brick or marble. This material is surprisingly easy to care for. Besides the fact that properly sealed concrete floors are almost indestructible, they add that custom, creative element like no other in your kitchen. Contact us to discuss this important design choice and make the right plan for your family.