[derf]

Not sure if this is the best place for this...but I'll leave it to the admin's to relocate if necessary

I recently took occupancy of a soft loft and was a bit disappointed with the finished product of 'polished concrete floors'

From asking around - the 'best' / cost effective solution to get the higher gloss / wet finish I want is to go the epoxy route. Just wanted to know if anyone else had alternative solutions and / or recommendations of reputable suppliers. I've heard prices ranging from $2 to $5......what would make up this variation in pricing (I'm assuming materials as I figure the labor/application is similar)?

Aside from the aesthetic of the epoxy finished....I'm also doing it to hopefully cut down on the dust my floors seem to be constantly spitting up..... just wondering if this improves over time or if it's just the nature of concrete floors....

thanks for your help!

 

[gabe]

I have worked in a office with polished concrete floors, they do look great, but after a while i had to cover my area up with mats, my back was killing me from walking on concrete, over time the concrete does damage to your joints. Not something i would want in a house or condo. The dust build up is just the nature of the concrete floor. You could try covering parts up with area rugs or some kind of wood flooring, it would be a lot warmer as well unless the floors area heated.

 

[greenleaf]

Contact Derek at Floorlab - www.floorlab.ca. He knows what he's doing.

 

[taxman]

I saw this kind of floor in a condo at the Soho....looks pretty sweet!

 

[neuhaus]

I had exposed concrete floors in my loft in Denver and I love it and miss it!

I bought from the developer brand new which was already built and the flooring hasn’t been installed yet. They wanted to know what kind of flooring I wanted. I said not to put in any flooring and I will do it myself and take the credit for what was being put in (it was supposed to be solid oak hardwood, not engineered), which I was happy that they were able to accommodate.

The condition of the raw concrete floors was very good and level and even. My contractor was able to grind the floors down even of any imperfections and applied three applications of acid stain which is a chemical reaction that the stain penetrates and reacts with the top layer of the concrete. I had two applications of ebony (a very dark espresso brown) and an application of turquoise to bring out the subtle variations and highlights in the concrete to make it resemble natural stone.

I love how low maintenance and durable exposed concrete is (great for dogs) but I understand that this will cause noise transmission between units.