Floor
Polished concrete. When Stephen first suggested it my vision was ‘car park’. But he won me over (along with groovy pads on google images) and so we decided to go for it. An eco friendly, low toxicity floor that will last for as long as the house gives it groovy ‘green’ credentials too; as well as the option to function as part of our heating and cooling systems fo the house.
Plus, it just looks wicked cool.
For anyone interested in the finer details, our floor has been ground, polished and burnished. This is a heat sealing process that gives a lovely gloss without using a heavy sealer. After much debate we decided not to colour the concrete, all the colours looked either green or purple, so we stuck with the natural concrete. I love the way the patches of aggregate come through, the variations in colour and tone and the way it reflects the light. Right now it is very cool (which will be lovely in the heat of summer) but soon the radiant floor heating will warm it through, giving us a cosy floor to walk on all winter.
Now that we are fully in the swing of September, with the golden sun dipping that bit lower in the sky and setting that bit further west, our house is most often full of light. As the day ends and twilight replaces sunshine, the floor darkens in colour and seems to shine even more. In the hallway, where there is very little light, it is dark gray, but in the living room, by the windows, it is a light colour and shines like glass.
Out of the dust, bits of board and plaster, wires and pipes, our home is starting to emerge. This unique place that is all our own.
8 thoughts on “Floor”
I love concrete floors. So easy to maintain and definitely hard wearing. You are going to have the coziest feet come winter. Jacinta
I love the floors! Shiny like diamonds!
Will you have baseboards?
Beautiful floors. They do look very glossy. Glad to see all is going so well. Have a wonderful weekend. Katie x
Oh so beautiful, your floors are just asking for sock skating!
Sock skating…on it!
Wow!! Didn’t realize floors could be so cool. So happy that your dream home is almost there.
not trying to be rude or sarcastic…but why is a concrete floor eco-friendly?
Not rude at all, I wondered the same thing! Basically it comes down to a few elements and is more about comparing it to alternatives than anything else. For us it worked on lots of levels because we were running radiant heating which is more energy efficient so concrete worked as a housing for that. Elements of concrete can be sourced locally (usually the aggregates) which helps with it’s carbon footprint, but mainly it is because 1)it never needs to be replaced and 2) it doesn’t release VOC’s or other toxins which hurt during the manufacturing, transportation, installation and living with the product. It is exceptionally hard wearing, so doesn’t need to be replaced in five years (the polish can be spruced up however, if required), it can takes kids, dogs, chairs and other knocks and also helps to create a thermal mass during the summer which assists in keeping the house cooler. It has not been mined in environmentally sensitive areas or produced in factories with toxins by people who have poor working conditions. It is also hasn’t been shipped from far away (though I’m sure there are elements that come from overseas, it isn’t perfect). We were also able to support local businesses who manufacture, lay and polish the concrete which was important to us throughout this build. Those are the reasons it worked for us. Hope this helps!