Decorative Concrete: the Future of Floor Design

Decorative Concrete is a serious game changer for the garage. 

Say so long to the plain old poured concrete you used to know. Concrete has gone from drab to fab! No longer confined to economy and foundational use, decorative concrete is a great new way to express your unique style throughout your home or office, from the indoors out. Today’s home and business owners appreciate the value, versatility, and beauty of decorative concrete. Ranging from expansive new homes with elaborate concrete driveways to budgeted one-room remodels showcasing a stunning, stained or overlay concrete floor, decorative concrete’s popularity continues to grow with in-the-know homeowners. It’s beauty, durability, and affordability make it easy to see why it’s highly touted as the future of floor design. 

At Unique-Crete Designs we love helping our clients create beautiful decorative concrete concepts. Here’s a list of options to help you discover the treatment that’s best for you and your project.

STAMPED CONCRETE

Adds texture and color to concrete making it resemble stone, brick, slate, cobblestone and many other products found in nature including wood, fossils, shells and more. Rubber imprinting tools (stamps) are impressed into thin pre-mixed concrete overlay material shortly after it is placed to create natural stone or brick textures. Available in a wide range of colors.

ACID STAINING

If you want a one-of-a-kind design, stained (a.k.a. acid stained) concrete is for you. Unique-Crete Designs will work with you to formalize a floor that trumps most art in the home, with the look of natural wood, stone, leather - and oh-so-much-more - in a wide, rich array of colors borrowed from Mother Nature. A chemical reaction involving a mixture of water, mineral salts and a slight amount of muriatic acid which creates new earth tone colors on the concrete surface. Due to inconsistencies in the surface level of concrete floor, acid staining creates a variegated or mottled appearance that is uniquely beautiful on each slab.

CONCRETE DYES

Offer a limitless palette for residential and commercial concrete applications. Dyes are nonreactive and impart color by penetrating concrete or other porous cement surfaces. They may be used on such projects as sound/retaining walls, bridges, countertops, floors, and many more. Dyes provide more vibrant colors such as yellow, blue, and purple, and are often used in conjunction with acid stains to produce a variegated look and, in most cases, complement the already stained floor. With dyes, almost any color is achievable. It's a great enhancement for stain giving you a wider range and vibrancy of color, and introducing color layering.

OVERLAYING

Useful on new and existing (sound) concrete applications, indoors and out. Although cement-based overlays have been around for decades, many of today's systems blend polymer resins with cement, sand, and other additives to improve performance, wear resistance, and aesthetic qualities. Polymer-modified overlays can be applied in layers as thin as a credit card or up to several inches thick without de-lamination or failure. They adhere well to existing concrete and resist damage from salt, chemicals, UV exposure, freeze-thaw conditions, and abrasion. Many of today's decorative overlays use acrylics or acrylic blends because these resins provide excellent bond strength and UV resistance.

POLISHING

High shine doesn't have to mean high maintenance. The experts at Unique-Crete Designs know just when to stop grinding concrete to hit that perfect, sublime, lustrous look that would turn most marble green with envy. The work is accomplished in multiple stages by passing over the concrete with successive grit diamond pads until it has a hard-glassy finish. Both acid stains and concrete dyes can be used during the polishing process.

ENGRAVING

Unique-Crete Designs can also etch exciting patterns into your existing or new concrete floor that will make it the envy of the neighborhood. Geometric patterns, straight or curved lines and custom designs can be cut directly into the surface of the concrete creating the look of tile, flagstone, cobblestone and many other common surface patterns. This is usually achieved using tools like an angle grinder fitted with diamond blades, but is more effectively accomplished using specialty tools designed specifically for cutting designs into the concrete.

FORM LINER

Concrete can be cast into unique and detailed designs using a urethane form liner, which acts as a mold. Once the concrete is set, the form liner is stripped from the hardened concrete surface. The concrete is permanently textured with the pattern of the form liner. These are often seen on sound/retaining walls, building exteriors, and bridges.

POLISHED AND STAINED OVERLAY LOGO

Make you floor stand-out from the rest with a polished overlay and logo.  We can take any logo or design and blend it into your flooring to give that personal look that is all your own.  Carefully laid with artistry and precision, this specialized space will add an extra pop to the the rest of your flooring.  Put a design in the entry way or other high-traffic areas of your building to welcome visitors in style.

EPOXY FLOOR COATING

After you decide how you want your floor to look, it's time to think about the surrounding environment, traffic, temperature extremes and other factors. There are special formulation for extreme temperatures such as refrigeration or freezer floors; coatings for high-impact floors including industrial or manufacturing environments; and, special formulations for food handling areas, automotive service areas and acid / chemical handling areas.

Get a FREE Estimate!

Want to see how beautiful your space can be? We'll be happy to schedule an appointment for an estimate of our services. Call Unique-Crete Designs today to achieve the beautiful, custom Decorative Concrete flooring and countertops of your dreams! 615-881-6694.