Stained concrete or ceramic tile?
Question:My house just flooded in the Texas floods. I had carpet, linoleum, & some parquet hardwood taken up (ruined). I am NOT going to be replacing this again. It will be the 3rd time. It flooded a little in '81, & we were able to do everything ourselves & not replace anything. Then a hwh broke & leaked in '96, & we had to replace the entire house w/ carpet &and linoleum (covered by insurance). This is NOT covered by insurance, & I can't in my lifetime go through this again. (due to costs & stress) I am trying to decide on ceramic tile or stained concrete. This will be covering a 17 x 25 den, a small entrance hall, a hallway, plus 2 13 x 14 children's bedrooms, a bath, a kitchen / dining room, & a utility room. What will last the best, stained concrete or ceramic tile? Can I have some pros and cons?
Answers:
With stained concrete you have to prepare the concrete floor especially if it has been flooded. Check to see if you have concrete damage from the flood like flaking from water damage. This will need to be repaired. The preparation includes using a degreaser, then an acid wash to remove any dirt or stains, particularly oil stains. There is usually three coats of the stain done minimum of three days apart, then a sealer. Then you have to be very careful not to drag things like furniture over the stain or it will scrape off and look terrible. When I built my home, I had difficultly getting insurance because the insurance companies looked at stained concrete as having no floor covering at all and would not insure the house.
If you use tile and seal it well and reseal it periodically, I think it would be a better way to go.
stained concrete. the tile can still retain moisture if it gets under the tile and mold. the concrete is the lowest level it can go .
The stained concrete may develop cracks over time. You could cover it, however, with an inexpensive but nice carpet that is glued to the cement with a water soluble glue. If-- heaven forbid, it should get wet again--the carpet can be simply peeled back and discarded. Ceramic tile, on the other hand, is very durable, especially the new large size squares that are 12"sq. or bigger.
Stained concrete is cool
The concrete option is probably your best bet, but why just stain it? Try going to your local hardware store and ask about driveway paint or concrete paint. We have concrete all through our house also, and my son has so many allergies that the carpet came up before we ever moved in. I just painted the whole thing black, then taped off rectangles to look like wood planks and painted over the black with a cherry wood color and, voila, he now has hardwood floors without all the headache of worrying about him scratching it with his toys.
stained concrete can look great but any glue, stains, paint, cracks etc. will show differently. It can get pretty involved with baseboards and cabinets already installed. Make sure you mask everything off. The orange cleaner may take care of anything on the floor. The color that seems to look best is called coca-cola. I think you also have to use a diluted muriatic acid before you stain. Painting the floor works well and is quick and easy. Ceramic tile is difficult for the novice and can get rather expensive. But its your choice. You can do any one of the 3 yourself. But hey whats wrong with just bare concrete with some nice rugs.
I'd go with tile. It will increase the value of your home more than concrete and will not crack like concrete, providing you use a crack suppressant beneath the mortar.
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