Posts Tagged ‘concrete’
Even if we are not aware of it, mold spores can reside anywhere that there is moisture, and can be breathed into the lungs compromising lung capacity, the immune system and creating health problems. As a result, it is essential when building out your basement, to find products and processes that either eliminate or substantially reduce mold growth.
One of the best products and processes available today is the use of decorative concrete. Mold can be virtually eliminated by staining the concrete floor or adding thin layers of concrete on the surface of the slab that is the floor of the basement, and then sealing the new floor, in a process called decorative concrete. Once this is complete, using area rugs and other decorative but portable and removable floor coverings will help combat mold.
I usually do not venture into personal or family aspects when providing information such as this article, however, in this piece I feel it is essential. My family and I moved into a great home on an acre of land in the mostly dry high desert. We were in the process of building out the basement into a family room, extra bedroom and small office.
One of my family members became so ill that in a four month period she went from working and being busy and active 24/7 to barely being able to get from the bed to the bathroom. She was wheezing and her skin was looking pale and gray. The rest of us were getting headaches and having throat problems, but our symptoms were not nearly as extreme. The doctors put her on antibiotics and declared that she had pneumonia. Even with medicine, the symptoms continued.
By sheer accident one afternoon, a friend suggested that the symptoms might be from mold. We had no experience with this, so we started researching and we had the house inspected. There was a tremendous amount of mold growth – under wood and parquet floors and into the walls. We were told to move immediately. Within a week of moving my family member was up and around, breathing better and working again.
Unfortunately, she had to stay on anti-fungal and anti-bacterial medicines and it will take some time for her lung capacity to get better. It may not get to 100% again.
I share this story because of how quickly and seriously a mold problem – particularly in the basement, which was directly under this individual’s bedroom – created a health problem, even though there was no mold to be seen. When the wood floors were pulled up, they were black and green on the under side in room after room.
The inspector who found the mold said that the best way to use a basement was to make sure the slab was clean and then use various colors or textures and seal the floor – in other words, decorative concrete.
My current home does not have a basement, however, I already know exactly what I will do if I purchase a house with one. I will use decorative concrete as an insurance policy to keep my family safe from mold.
The nice thing about decorative concrete is that it not only beautifies an area but it as diverse as it’s designer and quite cost effective. We will bring you tips and ideas but for additional resources visit Www.concreteideas.com.
It used to be that when we thought of concrete, we thought of just a few things, such as sidewalks, driveways and cement slab house foundations. Most of the time the concrete used has been a pretty dull gray. Once in a while, for instance, in some southwestern towns, we could find some sidewalks that were various shades of rust and orange that mimic the beautiful mountains in their midst.
In the past decade, however, concrete has changed from a basic utility to a decorative enhancement, a creative and artistic essential in creating the
mood of resorts and homes throughout the world. Decorative concrete has become an integral part of the planning for many building plans – whether
commercial or private. The colors and textures of decorative concrete have become so important that often they are the centerpiece or focal point of a floor plan.
This phenomenon has changed the way that homes are created and office buildings, malls and other buildings are created. Imagine your basement
floors being the color of your choice, sealed to keep out mold and setting the tone for everything from the color and texture on your walls and the
furniture you buy.
Think about your kitchen counters being custom poured and cured right in your home in the color and texture you want – at about the same cost as a
pre-made countertop. Think of the hundreds of ways you could plan your decor around your custom countertop and matching or complementing floors.
Decorative concrete can do all this and more.
If you are planning to build or remodel a home, office, mall or any other type of structure, landscape, patio or pool, take the time to look into decorative concrete. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you find.
AnaLise is a professional writer and blogger. Currently, AnaLise is blogging for multiple sites including www.concreteideas.com. To view the entire list of sites and gather more information please visit Majestic Help on the web at www.majestichelp.com.
Decorative concrete is in the news everywhere these days. Varieties of decorative concrete are used everywhere from private homes to public squares. Its use involves many types and styles including overlays, stamped concrete, polished concrete and the use of a variety of colors and textures.
One quaint town along the famous and well-traveled scenic Route 30 along the Gulf coast of Florida, Rosemary Beach, has literally been built around the idea of a Caribbean village with a town square. The atmosphere in this town that reflects and is inspired by the qualities of the town of St. Augustine, the West Indies and other classic Pan-Caribbean areas.
If you have never traveled to the Caribbean or to Rosemary Beach, they are both inspiring. The streets in both places are actually mainly for pedestrians. In Rosemary Beach, they are composed of bricks, cobblestone and stamped concrete, surrounded by the walls of homes and businesses that reflect the hues and the textures of the Caribbean. Each street/pedestrian path leads to the beach at one end and the public square at the other end.
The interior that surrounds the public square, frames it with concrete finished to resemble the stucco textures and colors of the Caribbean. The pillars that help create the atmosphere of an easygoing Caribbean beach town rise up and melt into graceful arches which give one an easygoing, calm feeling.
The public square is the hub of all activity for the town. With its interactive fountain, grassy areas and Dutch West Indian architecture, it is filled with shops and businesses. The square draws you into its ambience and atmosphere with its cool decorative concrete turned cool earth toned stucco shop fronts.
The design and artful West Indian atmosphere of Rosemary Beach could not have been achieved without the use of decorative concrete. By using concrete creatively, the seaside town – especially its public square – is a work of art that is both stunning and durable. What is even better about the way that the concrete was used is that when it is time to spruce things up over the years, there are many finishes that will do the job without having to destroy and rebuild or re-pour.
Rosemary Beach is a tiny, seaside town centered around a public square and built artistically to resemble the Caribbean by using various methods and forms of decorative concrete. Your project might be much larger, such as a hotel/conference center or smaller, such as a private home. Regardless of size and scope, decorative concrete can be poured, shaped, stamped, polished and molded to turn your finished project into whatever your vision is. The ideas are virtually limitless. They can be created as far as your imagination can travel.
The nice thing about decorative concrete is that it not only beautifies an area but it as diverse as it’s designer and quite cost effective. We will bring you tips and ideas but for additional resources visit Www.concreteideas.com.
Not so long ago, if you had a garage or driveway that was weathered, worn and/or stained, or if you had a fireplace that you wanted enhanced by a rock wall, or you had walk ways or outdoor areas you wanted to beautify, your choices were limited to bricks, blocks, rock, cement and a few other items. Not that there is anything wrong with those items.
More recently, however, decorative elements for a home – indoors or out – have become more readily available. Many of these decorative concrete ideas used to be reserved for the more expensive homes or exclusive estates. Today, the use of decorative concrete to duplicate these types of artistic decorations is cropping up everywhere.
For instance, 30 years ago, if you wanted a fireplace set into a wall of flagstone rock, the rock had to be brought in and set. If the wall was 12 feet high by 6 feet wide, it involved a lot of flagstone. Today, decorative concrete can be used in conjunction with hand carving to create a wall that looks the same, but at a better price, custom look and feel and a fast and long-lasting process.
You might have a patio area that has basic concrete on the ground, but you want something more warm and inviting. You could bring in various types of tile or other materials and have them set, or you could use decorative concrete in various colors and textures, and even stamps. This patio resurface could then be sealed so that it would last for a long time. Instead of purchasing tiles – especially expensive stamped tiles – decorative concrete could be used to create the same effects with much less work and time and a beautiful, custom finish.
You can also learn to do this yourself from professionals who present various workshops through a number of decorative concrete suppliers throughout the country, or you can hire an experienced professional to do some or all of the job for you.
If you are thinking about making changes to enhance any part of your home – indoors, outdoors, walls, floors, patios, decks or more, now is a great time to contact a decorative concrete company in your area.
AnaLise is a professional writer and blogger. Currently, AnaLise is blogging for multiple sites including www.concreteideas.com. To view the entire list of sites and gather more information please visit Majestic Help on the web at www.majestichelp.com.
For quite a long time now Epoxy paints have been on the scene. Their characteristics of being oil and grease-resistant coupled with hardness and long life makes their use ideal for industrial floors. But, of late homeowners too have been using them.
Homeowners use epoxy paints for garage floors and basement floors.These paints can cover dull, gray concrete and provide you with easy to clean surfaces.Some of the advantages associated with the use of epoxy floor paints are: Durability, freedom from rusting, waterproofing and resistance to heat, salt and acid.One major factor prompting its use for the householders is its low price. Keeping the technicalities’ in mind, you should not use concrete floor paint in case your floor has seepage or moisture, as such paints don’t last long under humid conditions.
Primarily epoxies are available in three different types: 100% solids, solvent-based and water-based. The strongest ones being the 100% solids and are the most expensive that need to be handled by experts only.For industrial applications solved based epoxies are the most common. They comprise of 40-60% solids. Ventilation is of prime importance if you decide to use epoxy paints for your garage or basement floor.
They are easily available at any store that deals with industrial goods.The cheapest type is the water-based epoxies. Because of their strength they are recommended for being used for residences. Most of the home improvement stores offer these epoxies.You can have them in many colors.
You can even have a computerized toning.
Most of the brands in the market claim that epoxies are good for exterior purpose only. The claims hold good for some of the stronger coatings. For some, living in unkind weather it may be worthwhile to explore the possibility of using acid based or acrylic concrete stains before zeroing in on the use of epoxy concrete paint.
The first step before you apply epoxy paint on your garage floor, is to prepare the floor.Most of the epoxy coating failures i have witnessed are as a result of wrong or little surface preparation. At the outset you have to clean the floor with a hard bristled brush and subsequently clear the debris created. Next, you should use a mild acid for scrubbing of floor for a thorough cleaning.These are usually referred to as acid etching.
Next, you need to scrub the floor with a solution of warm water and soap and clearing that away. Your floor may still continue to have some water soluble impurities and you are required to scrub a de-greaser on the surface of the floor and finally wash it off. The grease and oil on a garage floor can’t be removed by mild acid treatment. You should ensure that water used for rinsing does not remain stuck on the floor, but if it does, you have to repeat the process once again.
After doing these, the garage floor should then be left overnight to dry.During epoxy concrete paint application, It is important to ensure a consistent application. You should also make sure that the humidity is at the accepted levels to prevent the coating from blistering and discoloring. Generally, two to three coats of paint deliver the required results.
A proper installation ensures years of service and a regular maintenance further enhances is life.
To improve upon the looks of your concrete floor, concrete staining is the most convenient and economical way and is a very interesting DIY project.The alternatives, like epoxy, tearing out existing concrete and replacing with new or decorative overlays, are not recommended for do-it-yourselfers and can be very expensive. However, before you get started with a staining project, here are a few things you should keep in mind.
Concrete staining is of two types: acid floor stains and acrylic stains. Acid stains are caused by the chemical reaction with free lime on the surface and give a translucent floor with natural looks. Acid staining gives spotted, multicolored and multi-hued coloring. Because every concrete reacts differently to acids, the outcome is exclusive in the sense that no two floors can have same type of acid stains. Acrylic stains on the other hand are water borne pigments that seep thru the pores and adhere to the surface of the floor, thus producing a more consistent semi translucent color as if obtained from a dye. A very positive aspect of acrylic stains is that they help to conceal some of the defects or discoloration, but acid stains on the contrary, tend to highlight such limitations.
Acid and acrylic stains work equally good on many of the floors and you have to choose one, depending on the kind of looks you wish to have.
Nevertheless, under certain conditions one may deliver better results than the other. For instance, exterior concrete older than ten to fifteen years may not be to hold acid stains as it has already lost most of the free lime on its surface. Under such circumstances acrylic stains will work very well because of its increased porosity over time. You can’t get this with epoxy garage paints. Acid stains work well with newer concrete because of the availability of free lime. A good feature of acrylic stains is that it will be able to conceal minor repairs like patches and scaling on an old floor. Any patching materials will stand out with acid stains. For smooth trowel led interior surfaces with less porosity, acid stains are usually better because they don’t require as much penetration to color the concrete.