11 Benefits of Polished Concrete Floors for Homes

A polished concrete floor for a home may not be your first pick in mind. Most of the time, polished concrete is thought of. It’s for commercial or industrial buildings. However, more homeowners opt to go with polished concrete for their flooring because of the long list of benefits. It’s become a popular choice for property owners who want flooring that is durable, easy to clean, and, of course, aesthetically pleasing.

Let’s learn the benefits of polished concrete floors for homes.

Benefit #1: Diversity of Design

Polished concrete flooring comes in all sorts of colours and textures. You can even use polished concrete to resemble another type of material.

Decorative images, engravings, and stencilled graphics can all be put into your flooring if you want to add an extra sense of flare. This way, polished concrete floors are customizable to your desired decor aesthetic.

Benefit #2: It’s Heavy Duty

If you know you will be doing a lot of work over a particular floor and do not want flooring that will damage easily, polished concrete gets our vote. It is used constantly in manufacturing, processing plants, production warehouses, and similar facilities. They’re designed to withstand heavy-duty use and last longer than other flooring options.

Benefit #3: Very Difficult to Damage

Polished concrete is extremely difficult to damage, chip, or scratch for the average person. It’s one of the most durable types of flooring there is. Polished concrete comes extremely strong and resilient, capable of handling lots of traffic and equipment used on it without even a hint of damage.

You can also avoid polished concrete floor stains with proper cleanup procedures and routine maintenance.

Benefit #4: Waterproof and Sanitary

Properly-installed polished concrete floors are waterproof and fluid-resistant. They have a seal that will prevent contaminants from getting to the concrete. So long as it does not have any cracks, no dirt or bacteria should cause damage, and the sanitary nature of the floor can be easily upheld, making it the perfect flooring for a bathroom or kitchen.

Benefit #5: They Are Slip-Resistant

Many types of concrete floors are slippery, especially when they get wet or have a spill on them. Polished concrete sealed with a non-slip epoxy coating adds texture while removing the risk of a slip. They’re quite slip-resistant. This is perfect for environments in the home, such as the kitchen, where you want non-slip or slip-resistant flooring.

Benefit #6: Easy to Maintain

To clean a polished concrete floor in your home, it’s easy. A mop or broom to sweep it daily removes all debris and dirt. Next, a damp mopping of it once a week will help remove smudges, scruffs, and watermarks and help maintain its gloss. It does not take much else to care for a polished concrete floor.

Benefit #7: Life Span of a Century or More

A polished concrete floor in a properly installed, sealed, and maintained home can last a century or longer. Especially in a household where you aren’t doing the same labour as in a commercial setting, nothing can do serious harm that would interfere with the life span of your concrete floor. Nothing in a polished concrete floor would degrade over time, either.

Benefit #8: You Save Money in the Long-Term

Polished concrete is far more durable than carpet, vinyl tile, and wood laminates. While a homeowner may need to replace those materials eventually due to worn or damaged flooring, polished concrete will continue to uphold its appearance and shape for centuries resulting in long-term cost savings. You shouldn’t ever need to remove or replace it.

Benefit #9: You May Save Money in the Short-Term

You can buy polished concrete floors for anywhere from a few dollars per square foot to as much as $30 per foot. Most installs can be quite cost-effective, especially if you have an existing concrete slab that can be stained, polished, and refined. That said, you won’t always see savings from the onset. Under the right circumstances, though, polished concrete is not as expensive as some perceive it.

Benefit #10: They’re Eco-Friendly and Non-Toxic

Polished concrete floors do not contain any harmful chemicals or compounds. Some hardwood floors, vinyl carpets, and synthetic carpets, these flooring types can have volatile organic compounds or VOCs. Polished concrete floors are clean, eco-friendly, and sustainably made. After all, you use your home’s existing structural concrete instead of installing flooring. This process alone uses less energy.

Benefit #11: Concrete Is a High Thermal Mass Material

Polished concrete is a high thermal mass material. What this means is that concrete can absorb heat in a big way. For homes that are looking to maximize their temperature control at a minimal environmental cost, there are many ways that you can alter or optimize polished concrete flooring to provide your household with eco-friendly, solar-friendly heating and cooling solutions.