I consider myself a planner, so approaching this project without everything determined in advance has been a little anxiety-inducing. That said, I’m learning that being in the space and seeing things as they develop has advantages. Making a game-time decision on the downstairs flooring is one example. Originally, I was leaning toward wood-look flooring, either laminate or vinyl plank. But when I had the tile and existing laminate removed, I found that really I liked the look of the concrete slab that was underneath.
Because my design preference tends to be neutral and use a lot of white, I was concerned that doing concrete flooring would look sterile or industrial. Yet the more I looked into it, there were several things that changed my mind. First, I really liked the idea of utilizing what already existed, which is a more sustainable approach. Second, this is Arizona, and it turns out that concrete flooring doesn’t really retain heat, so it helps the house stay cool. Third, I’ve been envisioning an earthy, modern, minimalist look for the space, and the more inspiration research I did, the more I liked the aesthetic of the gray concrete. It’s going to change my kitchen cabinet selection a little – more on that later. This is also the optimal time to stain and polish the floors as the entire ground floor of the house is completely gutted.
From what I can tell, all work on existing concrete subfloor is more or less the same: they come in and grind down the surface to make it smooth and even, fill any holes or cracks, stain it whatever color you’ve chosen, and then buff it out. You can do an epoxy finish, but I wanted it to be basically matte and not reflect a lot of light. It’s important to know that the surface will be imperfect, anywhere cracks or holes have been filled or where there is large-particle aggregate, it will be visible. In the photos of my floors below, you can see the cracks, dots which are likely where old carpet tacks once were, and a patch of aggregate. Personally, I love this element of it, but it may not be for you. A darker stain of course will hide more of the imperfection. It’s also good to know that when the stain is sprayed, you want to avoid walking on it as much as possible for about 24 hours.
The process normally would take about five days in a house of this size (just under 1600 square feet), but it’s currently the holiday season so it’s taking a little longer in my case. In the meantime, I’ve been working through measurements for the kitchen cabinet layout and researching appliances. Can. Not. Wait. to have a fully-functional kitchen in 2018. It’s been a long two and a half months without one and the charm of eating out constantly is wearing off quickly.
