Concrete look is becoming a trend in many living areas
Living with an industrial character is becoming more and more popular and there are countless ways to implement this
This can be achieved with a hard epoxy resin floor coating or with an elastic floor coating out of polyurethane. For this purpose, a fundamental decision must be made as to where this floor coating is to be laid.
At home you want to feel comfortable, walk barefoot from time to time and also sit on the floor. Therefore, warm and soft floor coverings are the right choice. The elastic coverings can also achieve additional elasticity and better impact sound insulation with a mat or a second elastic layer. Soft flooring systems out of Polyurethane with feel-good factor for a continuous surface without joints. On top of that, made from renewable raw materials and low in emissions.
An epoxy resin floor coating is a hard floor covering. Floor systems made of epoxy resin are rarely used in private living areas. In private homes, the hard floor coatings are used
in basements or garages. These floors are durable and easy to care for. Just right for the basement rooms, which are also often used as a workshop.
A specialist company mixes two or three colors at the same time and pours the material onto the floor in a specific order and then, depending on the pattern, processes it with a roller, trowel or squeegee.
The floor coating cannot be applied directly to the concrete. A primer must be applied as the first layer beforehand. If unevenness is to be leveled out, an additional leveling layer makes sense. Sealing to protect the floor is optional.
In both cases, the surface is homogeneously glossy or matt. It is therefore not haptically comparable to a concrete surface. The concrete-look floor coating appears softer and calmer than pure concrete.
In order to be able to achieve the floor with a concrete look, there is the possibility of using real concrete. However, the long drying time of at least 1 week must be taken into account. A finisher should be applied in living areas as the surface rubs off when walked on. There is also the option of screed, which, however, has to be grinded and sealed.
There are already very large tiles with a concrete look in specialist tile stores. The advantage is the well-known laying technique, but unfortunately the seamless look is no longer given.
Concrete colored vinyl is available in rolls. Similar to polyurethane coating, vinyl is a soft substrate and there is a wide range of colors and patterns to choose from. The webs should be glued with great care, so that the webs do not come off at the edge.
Then there is a filler that needs to be applied. Processing takes some time, but after grinding and sealing, it comes very close to the concrete look.
It is difficult to give a specific price for the material. A major cost is the type of installation and working time. The higher the effort, the higher the craftsman costs. Experienced do-it-yourselfers can tile or glue small areas. When it comes to fair-faced screed or floor coating, you should be well informed and get advice from experts. Not only when choosing for optical reasons. A floor is intended for many decades and should be well thought out, especially in the living area.
Make screed yourself: Instructions for Renovate on YouTube