New Finishes Take Concrete From Dull to Dazzling

Dec. 28--Concrete doesn't have to be dull as dirt and gray as a January day. And increasingly, it isn't.

Color, texture and pattern -- once seen mostly in commercial settings -- are gaining traction around the home, primarily for basement floors, entry areas, three-season rooms, patios and even upscale garages.

Two options are staining and epoxy finishes, typically similar in price but different in appearance.

Last year, John and Gretchen Thomas moved from the Cathedral neighborhood into one of the Row Houses at SoMa. They wanted a distinctive and artistic look for the townhouse's entry.

They found an example of that look at an organic grocery store, where the floor had been stained and finished with a sealer.

They hired Todd Rose, who has been staining concrete for eight years, working for Stephens & Smith. The company has decorative concrete installers in Omaha and Lincoln.

Rose said concrete floor staining has a lot to recommend it: cost, ease of maintenance, durability and aesthetics.

Stained concrete can look like a faux-finished wall: a mottled blend of dark or light colors. Concrete also can be scored to create a pattern, border or bands.

Staining generally takes three days. Cleaning and preparation typically takes a day. Day two is for cutting a pattern or border, if needed, and staining. Day three is for sealing, giving the floor a minimum of two and usually three to five coats of sealer. Finishes can run from matte to glossy.

Staining costs roughly $3 per square foot, Rose said, noting that a 1,000-square-foot area would cost about $3,000.

Shane Kuchta of Installation Specialists said both staining and epoxy floors run from $4 to $6 per square foot, depending on the concrete's condition and number of finish coats.

Kuchta has been doing epoxy floors for 20 years, staining the last couple of years.

People, he said, are asking for staining. "It's an old-world look," he said.

Kuchta said the customer "gets a bigger bang for the buck with epoxy," though, because it doesn't need to be resealed in three or four years.

Epoxy is a hard, seamless finish, about one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness. It is available, like paint, in a variety of custom-blended colors. It creates a sealed surface, like an acrylic mat, that resists water and chemicals, and is stronger than acrylic sealants used on stained floors.

An epoxy floor, with color chips added for traction, will look like granite more than the blended wash of colors created by staining.

Some homeowners are choosing epoxy for garages that are a cut above the rest, said John Valenta of Heartland Epoxy Floors in Omaha. He sees the look of granite floors in garages of homes selling for $250,000 and more.

"It may become the standard. That's the way the trend is going, mostly for the garage," he said.

Valenta said his business has been by word of mouth from home shows and exhibits at two recent Street of Dreams events.

Generally, the process of laying the floor takes two days, the first for preparing and repairing floors, grinding them down to remove oil, grease and areas pitted by salt. The second day is to apply the epoxy and chips for slip resistance, if needed.

There are 12 base colors and 53 color chips for blending to create the granite appearance.

That wasn't the look the Thomases wanted. Their multi-hued 4-by-11-foot entry is a blend of amber, umber (a reddish brown) and a hint of green.

In other areas of their home, the Thomases have cherrywood floors, terrazzo in the bath and carpet in the bedrooms.

They figured the staining was as expensive as tiling. Their total cost was $1,200.

Because they had already moved in when Rose started the entry project, the couple was concerned about dust (from grinding the concrete to a smoother finish) and odor (from the staining chemicals).

But neither was a problem. The equipment was equipped with dust catchers and air filters.

And the effect, the calling card of stained floors, was what the Thomases wanted for the first impression of their new, urban townhouse.

--About concrete finishes

STAIN Appearance: Adds transparent color, allowing the concrete to show. Colors usually are combinations of earth tones, randomly blended. Concrete can be scored to create a pattern or border. Where: Entry, patio, basement and three-season rooms. Maintenance: Damp mop for regular care. Reseal after three or four years, depending on wear. Cost: Typically $3 to $4 per square foot

EPOXY Appearance: A solid look, like granite in some applications. Opaque color goes down as a thin layer over concrete. Color chips can be added for the granite look and traction. Where: Typically the garage and basement. Maintenance: Damp mop. No need to reseal. Cost: Typically $4 to $6 per square foot.

Sources: Todd Rose of Stephens & Smith; Shane Kuchta of Installation Specialists; John Valenta of Heartland Epoxy Floors

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Copyright (c) 2006, Omaha World-Herald, Neb.

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