Metallic Concrete Floor Coating Adds Dazzle to Parade Home

At the 2013 Boise Parade of Homes, sponsored by the Building Contractors Association of Southwest Idaho, an ultra-modern two-story home with decorative concrete floors wowed judges and visitors alike with the chic look of its metallic-coated floors, which flow throughout both stories of the home, including the great room, bedrooms, closets, bathrooms, kitchen and even the stairs.

“Almost every single person that came through the show commented on how incredible the floor was,” says homebuilder Steve Martinez of Tradewinds General Contracting.

Called “The Manhattan,” the 5,200-square-foot open-floor-plan home has a New York City design vibe, with large expanses of floor-to-ceiling windows that take advantage of river and mountain views. The design scheme is primarily white and dark gray, with lots of white lacquer cabinetry and stainless steel. The original intent was to leave all the floors as gray concrete so they would accent the home without competing with the other design elements. But when the time came to make the final decision, concrete coating applicator Tyler Hess of Silverline Systems suggested using the Liquid Dazzle system from Westcoat, a metallic epoxy floor coating that imparts shine and subtle color-changing effects. “Unlike a clear epoxy or sealer, this coating system has a lot of depth. There isn't one area that is the same,” says Martinez.

The Liquid Dazzle system is not only strikingly beautiful but also highly durable, an important attribute for a Parade home. “We needed a floor that would hold up to the masses,” says Martinez. “We held a private event the night before the Parade of Homes with 200 people, all with shoes, and were amazed that the next day the floor needed very little cleaning. During the Parade of Homes, we just used a broom and mop with warm water to clean the floor. It was really easy to maintain.”

To achieve the look you see here, Hess first applied a base coat of gray epoxy followed by Liquid Dazzle in graphite. “We used a notch trowel, followed by a loop roller, and finished with a spiked roller. We also sprayed the floor with acetone as an accent to create more movement. The overall finish is a one of a kind,” he says.

Often the materials and finishes used to construct a Parade of Homes participant are cutting-edge and foreshadow upcoming trends. Martinez says that most of the homes in Idaho are built on a crawlspace instead of a concrete slab, but he is seeing a lot more homes switch to concrete. “The feedback we got from the Parade of Homes was incredible, so I think it will be something that more and more people will be asking for,” he says.

You can see more photos of “The Manhattan” at the website of the Building Contractors Association of Southwest Idaho

Materials usedEpoxy basecoat: Westcoat EC-12, in gray
Metallic epoxy floor coating: Westcoat EC-34 Liquid Dazzle, in graphite

Building and design team Homebuilder
Tradewinds General Contracting Inc., Boise, Ida.
www.tradewindsofidaho.com

Concrete coating installer
Silverline Systems, Boise, Ida.
www.silverlinesystems.com

Home designer
Trey Hoff Architecture
www.treyhoffarchitecture.com

Interior designer
Architectural Interiors LLC, Eagle, Ida.
www.archinteriorsllc.com

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