Possibilities with Concrete Floors

Malibu, California home

Interior of Malibu, California home

Interior of Malibu, California home

To say that concrete floors are growing in popularity would be quite an understatement. Concrete floors are both beautiful- made so with an array of stains, tints, and dyes- and clean, for those with allergies who don't get along well with the dirt that carpet harbors.

I spent the day with Larry Ross of Richard Smith Custom Concrete, a company that has produced hundreds of beautiful concrete floors. This provided an opportunity for me to get his thoughts on how he explains the variety of concrete flooring options to clients- considering many clients have not heard about acid stains, water based stains, tints, or dyes for concrete. I also gained insight on why an overlay is sometimes needed to give the concrete a new 'canvas' before the decorative treatment is performed on the concrete.

"The client does not want to know if it's a stain or a tint or a dye- they simply want the floor to look a certain way. So it is my job to use our portfolio of tools available to produce that look", notes Ross. "There are a tremendous amount of new colors which have become available in recent years. We experiment all the time with how they work, and how they work in combination."

We looked at a home in Malibu, California, where the owner's floor was integrally colored concrete with a brownish tone, and was saw cut into squares. The owner told Ross she wanted more color applied to the floor but it had to be very subtle, the look of a leather top desk. She didn't like what she had; it just wasn't 'popping'.

Again, the client does not want to know if it's a stain or a tint or a dye- they simply want the floor to look a certain way. It is my job to use our portfolio of tools available to produce that look. Ross asked to see a sample of the kitchen countertop the client had selected. He knew it would give him a strong indication of the look she was going for. The countertop was a bluish- green "mallard color" integrated with burgundy and olive.

So Richard Smith Custom Concrete applied a thinned down base coat with olive, then feathered in the mallard and burgundy colors on top of the base coat. To finish the job, the floor was sealed with a breathable water -based sealer and then waxed. Now the floor was 'popping'.

The owner was ecstatic with the result. She commented that the floor looks different at different times of the day and night depending on the light. "The burgundy really comes out at night when the lights go on."

Ross has told me many times over the last year that they are not in the concrete business; they are in the dream business. I guess I'm starting to understand what he means.

Ross also gave me his thoughts on overlays. When do you need a new 'canvas' to work on? "Basically, we can use the existing concrete as our canvas if the existing concrete is in good condition. The floor at the Malibu house, for instance, was in fine shape. But if we find we can't use the existing concrete due to cracking, flaking, or too much glue or grout line remains from previous flooring, we apply an overlay before performing the decorative technique."

That sounded simple to me. Then Ross continued, "The confusion for a client comes when the concrete floor they are considering working on is currently covered by vinyl, wood, tile, or stone. In this case we don't know what we are up against until the existing flooring is removed and the concrete floor surface is examined. Imagine a wall in an old home, there might be six to eight coats of paint plus a few layers of wallpaper for good measure. You can see the history of the home by the time you get down to the bare wall- it is the same with a concrete floor." He continued, " Once you get down to the concrete floor, you can then check the structural integrity of the floor."

Ross noted that crazing cracks, small non-structural cracks, and even larger cracks where there is not a level separation between the two sides of the crack can be repaired. Then an overlay can be applied to create the new 'canvas'. But if there is differential movement between the two sides of the crack- you need to explain to the owner that the floor may continue to move and eventually crack the overlay. If the floor is in really bad enough shape an overlay may not even be an option.

All this can be quite daunting to the client- since it's hard to know if an overlay is needed until the process is begun, and creating the new 'canvas' adds considerably to the cost. "That is where the relationship with the client, and trust, come into play. If we are at a point where the client knows us and is comfortable with what we can do for them, that we can give them the final product they want- all is fine. Nobody ever said it was easy being in the dream business!"

So here is the essence of these fabulous concrete floors- go for the look you want, a company like Richard Smith Custom Concrete can tell you how to get it. At that point, depending of the condition of your existing concrete- they may do the work directly on the existing concrete, or place an overlay for a new 'canvas' before doing the work.

Richard Smith Custom Concrete
Larry Ross
6520 Platt Ave, Suite 257
West Hills, CA 91307
(818) 710-6615
(818) 710-1803
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www.richardsmithconcrete.com