Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread)

[Dee*Jay]

If I had thought this all through before I started the other thread I would have included this too; sorry for multiple threads!

Anyway, does anyone have concrete floors? I see a number of attractive polished options (although some of the wacky colors are a bit much for me!). This would be a pretty bullet-proof solution to my problem, but I wonder how comfortable it would be in the long term. This space is unusual enough that concrete would be a viable option so that isn't a problem -- don't worry I'm not trying to pave a Victorian with terrazzo!

The really bad part about all this (and I forgot to put it in my other thread) is that my kitchen was demolished two days before the floor in anticipation of work starting on the new kitchen that week. I can't get the kitchen done until I get the floors taken care of that go under the kitchen. So I am currently living with buckled floors, a microwave on a bookshelf, and doing dishes in the bathroom sink. Super... NOT!!!

 

[chrono]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

I grew up with concrete flooring and it was COLD all the time. Easy to keep clean but any slips or things dropped would be very painful.

 

[Calliecake]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

DJ, Have you been living this way since June 20 when the storm hit? I have heard about the concrete floors but never seen them in person. I've only heard that once you hit 50 your knees may hurt because the floors are so hard to walk on. Have no idea if it's true or not. Sorry I'm no help to you at all.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

Chrono, I am concerned about the cold becuase it could feel like an ice skating rink since I'm on the first floor and it's built on a concrete slab. Winters in Chicago are just fabulous!

Callie, yes, I've been kitchen-less since then. My fridge is still in place so I can keep the prosecco cold (the most important thing!) but it's not exactly a convenient situation.

 

[Calliecake]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

DJ, I had not heard about them being really cold. Can you imagine having them last winter in Chicago???

 

[alexah]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

We "inherited" concrete floors in two of the bathrooms of our last apartment. They were easy to keep clean and were interesting looking. I didn't notice them being any colder than the marble flooring in the kitchen/other bath. The rest of our apartment was maple hardwood and that wasn't quite as cold as the marble/concrete in the winter. We ended up putting area rugs down during the cold months on the cooler floors and put them away in the summer.


PS, Our hardwoods got so scratched by my puppy's feet (he's around 50 lbs). We had the floors refinished before we moved in and they were a mess within a year. That's one bonus with concrete or tile.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

Allex, thank you for the info! In my last house The Demon and his crazy brother Oscar scratched up the red oak floors pretty badly but didn't get too spun up about it, figuring that was just the price you pay for furry love!

Callie, I think the concrete would be colder because it's a slab that goes a certain depth into the ground so if the groud is cold I imagine the concrete would be too. Or maybe I'm thinking of this the wrong way... ? Since it takes the ground longer than the air to cool the slab might actually be warmer (for a while anyway) and then have the opposite effect in summer by keeping things cool(er) until the weather heats up in general. I will have to ask this of someone who actually has real knowledge!

 

[missy]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

DeeJay, I'm so sorry about your flood! Just seeing this now. I don't have firsthand knowledge of concrete floors but here are my thoughts.

I love the way concrete floors look (though they can give the space a colder look depending on how you accessorize) but they are much harder on the back and knees and probably other body parts than wood which has more give.

I hope you get your kitchen back the way you want it very soon and sending lots of dust your way!!!

 

[dk168]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

One can add suitable underfloor heating to make concrete floor warmer to the foot. They can be set to come on and off with a timer, and completely switched off if desired. Each room can have its own time and control.

Concrete floor is expensive to fix or modify, therefore, one needs to plan everything in and have them installed first before laying the floor, such as electrical wiring, gas central heating, water pipe work etc. etc...

I don't have a concrete floor, however, I have ceramic floor tiles instead on the entire ground floor, including the kitchen diner, and have underfloor heating as described above installed. I seldom switch on the underfloor heating though, as I am never without socks and/or slippers.

OP, I feel for you, as I would hate to live in a building site. Hence when I got my house, I lived in a bed and breakfast for nearly a month while it was being gutted and fitted out, and I have still not recovered from the whole relocation process that occurred nearly 8 years ago!

Good luck with the renovation.

DK

 

[marcy]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

Dee Jay, the floors at school where I taught for years were concrete and they were cold in the winter and hard on my knees. Easy to take care though.

 

[charleston1]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

I don't have concrete floors.

Although concrete floors can look nice in a loft, I would worry about resale.
I think concrete floors may be a deal breaker for many potential buyers.

Sorry to hear about your flood.

Oh and your description on the other thread re: car door was too funny. I snorted out coffee when I read it!

 

[ponder]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

I currently have about 3000 sq ft of concrete floors on the ground floor of my home. Yes, they are much cooler than wood, but I live in the deep south and I attribute them to helping keep the house cooler. It is a very similar feel to the travertine tile I had in my first house. I definitely have to wear socks/slippers in the winter, but they are amazingly cool on hot feet in the summer.

 

[azstonie]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

If you fell on concrete floors, you'd probably get hurt pretty darned good. Anything you drop will be broken or shattered.

For sure, your dogs, they'd have little traction on those floors and the slip/fall injuries would be awful. You'd be hard up to rehab them after a surgery to fix what got broken because of the floors too.

I hate hard floors, they make my back hurt.

I put some luxury vinyl planks in my house and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them. They have a slight 'give,' they don't show dirt or moisture and there are a zillion gorgeous treatments in them now. Check home depot website. I had my DH install them on the diagonal for a really custom look. He stopped hating me for that about yesterday

 

[aljdewey]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

With your prior knee issues, I wouldn't recommend concrete floors.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

Missy, pretty much the only part of the kitchen I really miss is the sink for some reason! I am fine taking things out of the fridge and walking 50 feet to where the microwave is, but going around the corner to rinse off a spoon really irks me, LOL. And I have been following your thread – my problem is so small compared to your problem. Biggest hugs to you.

DK, all the wiring, plumbing, etc., are in place and above the current floor. Regarding heat, you got me thinking about a radiant option. When I started going down this path I figured I would just polish the concrete that’s there, but in looking around I think I may be able to have them pour a new layer of concrete (my current wood floors are ¾” oak with a ¾” subfloor, so I’ve got a bit of room) and put radiant heat in there. Will have to look into this a bit more.

Curby, easy to take care of is definitely an upside! Hard on the knees is definitely a downside…

Charleston, this is a funky interesting space so pretty much anything goes. It was a photographer studio when I bought it but not it’s a 2800 square foot open room. I think of it as the world’s largest studio apartment! Wood is my preference, but shelling out boku $$$ over and over again is not so I’m considering my options. As sorry about snorting the coffee!

Ponder, thank you so much for the feedback. Are yours polished? Colored? Acid etched? Any other “fashion” option that you particularly like? And how are they on your knees/back? Do you have any pets? Do they scratch easily? Sorry for the million questions but I’m so happy to find someone who really has this!

Azstonie, I saw some vinyl plank flooring at one of the places last week and it was very cool! Does your have a “repeat” in the pattern? One of my concerns would be having the same few board patterns over and over again, and in a big open space like this I think it would be very obvious. Excellent point about the doggies though… Even though The Demon and Oscar live with my ex most of the time I would like to have them on occasion and a space like this inspires them to chase each other around at top speed and stuff like that. Hmmm… ETA: Are the planks on a subfloor like plywood or are the just down on concrete or some other surface like that? And how do they adhere or get put in?

Al, you’re right, I really do need to mull this knee thing over. I wonder if being better about wearing house shoes with a springy sole would help? Also, to be honest, I don’t know how much time I spend on my feet in the house under normal circumstances. There is a bit of traveling from one space to another, but I feel like I’m either sitting or lying down once I get where I’m going. I do really need to give this a good think before I commit.

 

[iLander]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

Don't they need resealing periodically?

Also, I know my local Costco has shiny concrete floors, but they are plain dirty in the corners. I think they still absorb dirt, they're so porous.

I would just get slate tile, without seams. Or maybe terrazo, they can do cool things with that.

I know in our last house, when we redid the first floor in mostly tile, it started to hurt my feet. They ached at the end of the day! But I guess my feet adapted, because after a few months they stopped hurting.

 

[Calliecake]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

DJ, Just something else for you to think about. If you decide to go with the wood floor, darker stains show dust much quicker than lighter ones.

 

[missy]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

DJ, Just something else for you to think about. If you decide to go with the wood floor, darker stains show dust much quicker than lighter ones.

That is so true. We have dark wood floors at the beach and it is always showing every piece of dust and cat hair so while I love the look of dark wood light wood is much easier to care for. We have light wood floors at our NY apt and it is definitely more forgiving that way.

 

[ponder]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other floori ng threa

I have lived in 3 houses. The first house we removed linoleum and carpet and put travertine throughout. Very low maintenance, and it did not scratch. The stone had a lot of variation so it hid dirt and was cool on our feet. I loved it! 2nd house was a complete remodel too. We replaced 1500 sq ft of 12x12 white tile with mauve grout with a medium to dark stained acacia high end engineered wood floor. It ran about $15 a sq ft with installation and a moisture barrier on top of the concrete. No pets, but I have 3 little kids and within a year or so I started noticing fine scratches. It was a little warmer on the feet, but I didn't think it was any easier on the back and feet.

we just sold that house and moved into an amazing architectural home that is very heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright. The home was built in 1978 and we are having to do a lot of updates. The concrete floors are currently an argument between DH and I. While we both love the idea of concrete floors, the condition of these is not pristine. These are not a case of a polished slab. It definitely seems that a layer of concrete was poured over the slab and then stained. Certain areas in amazing condition and look like polished mahogany. Other areas have started to chip revealing the underlayment. At one point the original home owners tried to have the kitchen and solarium refinished which left it looking like painted concrete, no depth and no shine. Maintenance is easy, but anything you drop will break, and it does have to be polished periodically and the polish does seem to scratch. All in all, the majority of it is in really good shape for being 35 years old.

We consulted a concrete specialist and they indicated that they would have to grind up the current concrete, pour a new layer and then stain. They quoted $10sq ft, but we would be out of our home for up to 2 weeks and taking up the concrete would be an unholy mess.

If flooding is still a concern, I would definitely investigate tile or concrete an an option. We had a small water pipe burst at work which ruined the high end vinyl plank flooring that was in one operatory. We were surprised that it effected it, but it lifted the glue off the concrete.

 

[missy]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

Dee Jay, what did you decide? I hope it went smoothly and you are pleased with whichever flooring you chose.

 

[TC1987]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

I love hardwood, but given the history of DeeJay's place flooding, I think I might consider something like nylon Berber carpeting. Might find a few nice area rugs to put down to make it look less commercial. Even with pets, nylon berber is easy to clean (with a carpet shampooer, it's a breeze compared to pile carpeting,) it's mold and mildew resistant, plus carpet and pad is easy to scrap and re-do if it gets flooded again. I don't like tile / stone / concrete floors anymore. I like a little cushioning underfoot. I get enough concrete at work. lol

 

[Dee*Jay]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

Thank you all for checking back in!

Half of the wood was taken up weekend before last and the other half came up last weekend. The concrete isn't in great condition (lots of holes and epoxy left over from previous iterations of tile and carpet) and to "perfect" it would be about $12-14 grand. I *like* the idea of a concrete floor... maybe... if it's the *right* floor but I'm not in LOVE with the concept.

In my education about different flooring options I have come across this loose lay vinyl plank product: http://www.earthwerks.com/aurora.php#!prettyPhoto The stuff is waterproof, pretty much idiotproof to install, and individual planks can be lifted right out and replaced if there is any damage. It's got a 10 year commercial warranty (they have a large installation of it in Heathrow airport) and a lifetime residential warranty. Still not super cheap; about $15 grand once you add in the adhesive around the perimeter and stuff like that. But better than thirty grand for new hardwood, and I don't have to worry about water. The water problem is supposed to get fixed BTW, and the City has issued a violation notice mandating that, but I will always be very uncomfortable when it rains. As much as I would love to put new wood in I think this will be the better mental choice.

The bad news is the subfloor has to be relatively smooth and the holes left over from removing the nails that were holding the plywood down are about 3" round and 1" deep so I am HAND FILLING them all with concrete. Yes, really. I did about 40% of the floor last week (pretty much the entire half except for where the furniture was moved to) and this week I'll work on the exposed side. I'm getting pretty good at it frankly! My technique has evolved and now I understand the right consistency to make the concrete (cake batter, not cookie dough), how to keep the putty knife clean so it doesn't "pull" the concrete back out of the hole when you're smoothing it, and I even made a "mechanic's creeper" out of a furniture mover and a cutting board so I can scoot along and save time.

(Yes, I realize how insane all of this makes me seem... )

Anyway, here are some photos.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

This is what's under the old floor.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

Here's an area I did last week.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

These are the flooring colors I'm considering (but I'm 99% leaning toward the dark at this point).

 

[Dee*Jay]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

My creeper!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

What the space used to look like.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

And what I've got now...

 

[missy]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

Wow, I am impressed Dee Jay! You are quite resourceful. Love your space. I think you made a great choice and it's going to look amazing when you are finished.

I like both colors but the light will show dust much less readily than the darker floor. Though I am partial to the look of the darker one. They both would look great.

Super work Dee Jay. Please continue to update when the project is complete. I am so happy you came up with such a wonderful "mind clean" solution.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Re: Concrete floors? (Off-shoot of my other flooring thread

LOL on "resourceful" Missy! When you're down on your hands knees dragging a bucket of concrete around the floor it's amazing what you'll come up with!