Fashion for floors

Published: August 30, 2008

Is it possible to convert a floor to concrete if the concrete is already covered?

Yes, but changing the floor from tile or carpet to stained concrete will cost you more money, about one-fourth more than what an original job costs, said Doug Urie, Elite Concrete general manager.

The other alternative is to make it partly a do-it-yourself job, ripping off the carpet or demolishing the tile yourself. This is actually what his company prefers, Urie said.

Then the professionals can apply a layer of concrete — probably about an eighth of an inch thick — to the original base.

Then, second and third layers so thin they are actually watery are applied.

"Whatever inconsistencies there are in the concrete will be filled in and you get a cleaner look,” Urie said.

Then acid stain is sprayed on the concrete foundation, creating a permanent chemical change.

Tom Adkins, co-owner of Advanced Concrete Designs, 207 NW 95, said business has doubled the past five years.

Most of the work is with home builders, but he said part of the increase is from projects for "regular homeowners,” about seven a month.

"We get a lot of them who have kids who have bad allergies,” Adkins said.

Other customers are tired of cleaning carpet, particularly when they have pets. Adkins likes the easy maintenance the most about living with his own concrete floors.

"The ease of it — I have two kids, and I don't care if they spill their Kool-Aid,” he said.

Of course, he also likes how the floors look.

"Personally, I have cracks in my floors and they are absolutely gorgeous,” he said.

Adkins said the most basic stained-concrete floors in a new house cost about $4 a square foot.

A floor with multiple stains and a design might cost about $5 a square foot. Staining a concrete floor in an existing home might cost between $7 and $9 a square foot, which would include the removal of the tile or carpet, Adkins said.

Erik Van De Steeg, who owns Elite Concrete, said his company stains concrete floors in new homes for $3 or $4 a square foot. The most intricate patterns can cost as much as $20 a square foot, he said.

Special Correspondent Chris Brawley Morgan

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