What do I do with a concrete floor? I had to pull up nasty carpet and discovered a concrete slab--?

Question

I had to pull up the carpet because we have an old dog with kidney issues (that's a whole other question!!), Anyway--our house is on a concrete slab and so my dining room floor is now a garage floor. What can I do to at least make it fairly presentable until I can really finish it (i.e. tile, wood, ceramic). I've thought about painting it--just so it's not obviously concrete--so how do I do it and what prep work needs to be done?? I know people are thinking this and "No--putting the dog down is NOT an option!"

Answer 1

As an American, I'm used to living a life where you move into a house and find either wood, tile or carpeted floors. We moved to the Netherlands over a year ago and quickly discovered that cement floors are just how it is here. When a person moves in, the entire house is bare walls, floors and everything in between! After a person moves in, it's their job to tend to the floors.

My neighbor just so happens to have a part of her house still with cement floors (her dining room and kitchen) and she painted them. Frankly, I like how it looks. Until you're ready and able to do your floors, just look for a cement quality paint in a shade that you like. You can go to any home improvement store and find the correct type of paint. If you need help, then just ask someone to help you, after all, that's why they're there!

My neighbor as I said, has sections of her floor still cement, painted them and then placed a nice area rug under her dining room table. The paint color is up to you of course, so have fun with it!

If I'm not mistaking, to pain cement, try using a polyurethane "porch and floor" paint in latex or oil. Again, just ask for help from your local paint store or home improvement store.

Answer 2

Look into concrete stain, yes it can be stained like wood ( not the same finish at all, just a term ).
Add an inexpensive area rug or two as required.
The concrete staining procedure has been used in many condominium projects recently, Have seen a few that were stunning, due to the surrounding decor of course.

Answer 3

I went through the same thing. We moved into a "fixer" and the carpet was beyond disgusting. I had very little money in the budget to replace it. The subfloor was not pretty enough to stain or paint without a ton of work. It isn't really smooth. I pondered my options and calculated the costs. We chose to lay some 18x18 vinyl tiles down. They look like slate. It was so easy and cheap. People comment on the floor all the time. It was a great option for us. Easy to keep clean, and they hide dirt well! We now are ready to remodel, and can afford to put the flooring we really want. We bought the vinyl tiles at Lowe's, and installed about 400 sq ft in about 8 hours.

Answer 4

Go to your local hardware store (Lowe's or Home Depot) and ask about concrete stain or paint and how to seal it. They should show you what products will go down and then how to make it stay down. I used concrete paint on a grey slab in our home and got really creative. I painted old faux bricks. First, I picked out two shades of browns and a white paint. Mix several shades together - one that is straight dark, then add a little white to each one until you have as many shades of the brown as you want. Figure out how you want your bricks (or stone) laid out and how big. I found a grout tape at my home improvement store that is really skinny - about 1/4 inch to make my grout lines. Get a straight edge and a ruler and start laying out your brick pattern with the tape - make straight horizontal lines all the way across the floor say 6 inches apart. Then come back and inbetween each line, make a small line to make it look like the grout b/w the bricks. Make sure you stagger each line so it is not straight in a row. Once you have it laid out - get a sponge and start slowly dabbing in on your bricks. mix your colors to make the bricks look kind of multi colored. This is really beautiful and a great weekend project. Once it has dried and you have pulled up your tape, seal it with something the paint people said to use. You might like it so much you might not want to re do your floors. Good luck

Answer 5

There is this neat stuff that you can spray onto concrete that makes it look contemporary and fresh. It has little specks of color in it that you can coordinate to match your decor. It is often used in industrial or commerical businesses. The best thing to do is search online for concrete floor finishes.

Answer 6

Wash floor with good cleaner,Use a good concrete stain and sealer after floor is dry, Ask paint dealer what is the best for your area.

Answer 7

you can stain and wax the concrete for a modern look it can really turn out beautiful!

Answer 8

Walmart to the rescue !!

Buy cheap rugs.