Concrete floors are a popular choice for homeowners and business owners due to the associated benefits. This blog delves into all things concrete floor-related, explaining the advantages and disadvantages of concrete flooring to help you choose your next flooring option.
What is Concrete Made From?
This is a common question as concrete can be confused with cement, however, cement is one of the ingredients that makes concrete. The other ingredients involved in making concrete are water, sand, gravel, air, and of course, cement; and they all have slightly different percentages to create the perfect concrete consistency. Carry on reading to find out the concrete flooring advantages and disadvantages.
Concrete Flooring Advantages
1. Concrete Flooring Longevity
Concrete flooring can last for many decades if maintained correctly and regularly re-polished. It has been said if the concrete floor is properly installed, sealed, and cleaned it can last well over 20 years, which is a major advantage for those looking for long-term flooring solutions.
2. Concrete Flooring Durability
These floors are extremely durable and they can withstand high pressures, high temperatures, low temperatures, chemicals, fires, and abrasion. Concrete flooring is appealing for businesses that require their floors to withstand heavy weight, such as industrial companies, vehicle companies, and warehouses.
3. Concrete Flooring Maintenance Requirements
This flooring requires minimal maintenance as long as the concrete is properly sealed. You will be happy to know that regular cleaning is a major requirement and even better, concrete is mostly stain-resistant.
4. Concrete Flooring Customisation
Concrete floors can be customised depending on personal preferences and business functionality. There are many different types of concrete and finishes available. Pile Foundations specialises in hand-trowled, coloured, and brushed types of concrete as well as polished, powdered, and tamped concrete finishes.
5. Concrete Flooring Energy Efficiency
Concrete can absorb, store, and release heat, also known as its thermal mass, which allows this concrete to reduce temperature fluctuations. This is ideal for reducing heating and air conditioning bills, which is especially advantageous for larger buildings which typically have higher utility costs.
6. Concrete Flooring Cost-Effectiveness
As concrete has an extremely long lifespan, it can be very cost-effective in the long term due to fewer repairs and refurbishments. Polished concrete can be a cheaper and longer-lasting alternative to hardwood floors or tiles and is a strong contender when considering your next flooring solution.
Concrete Flooring Disadvantages
1. Cracking Concrete
Concrete can be susceptible to cracking due to weather changes, chemical reactions, and improper installation. There are many ways to avoid these problems such as choosing concrete flooring contractors that have many years of experience across varied projects, as well as ensuring there is proper reinforcement.
2. Cold To The Touch
Concrete is known as being colder to the touch than other materials such as carpets, due to its high thermal conductivity where it absorbs heat. This is something to consider especially for homeowners who could be walking barefoot on the concrete floor and experience the colder feel more than businesses. These colder temperatures are more prevalent in winter and may require extra heating solutions to outweigh temperatures.
3. Concrete’s Environmental Impact
The cement used to make concrete emits large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, making this flooring type less environmentally friendly in the short term than alternative flooring materials. However, there are more environmentally friendly concrete alternatives to choose to balance out the concrete flooring advantages and disadvantages.
This blog aims to enlighten readers about concrete flooring advantages and disadvantages, to help you with your next flooring decision. If you have any questions about concrete flooring or our other services, please contact Pile Foundations today!