Caxton magazines staffThere’s no denying the industrial-chic edge that concrete brings to a modern interior, or the raw earthiness it evokes in a rustic space. The colour options are endless and concrete can imitate any surface, from expensive marble and granite to slick glass or worn and faded terracotta and brick. Decorex gives five reasons to incorporate concrete into your home
It’s infinitely versatile
The biggest benefit of concrete is its versatility as it can be creatively adapted to any setting or style. Its hardness, strength and mass express the timelessness of natural materials such as granite or marble and its plasticity allows a wide range of details to be incorporated into designs, from hard-edge contemporary to ornate traditional.
Photo credit: Concreate range available at Forest Flooring
It’s eco-advantageous
Durable concrete has a decidedly green edge over traditional carpeting. Its installation requires no toxic adhesives, nor the costly manufacture and transportation of materials.
Photo credit: Concreate range available at Forest Flooring
It’s unmatched underfoot
Concrete feels natural underfoot. For walkways and other outdoor surfaces, poured concrete offers exceptional durability. This helps with slip resistance and a clean, finished appearance that will stand up to decades of weathering. Indoors, concrete floors come with the same great durability but also a distinctive look and feel that you don’t find with more conventional flooring materials. And this may come as a bit of surprise, but finished concrete feels good; it’s not at all like the rough, grey, monotonous concrete we associate with freeway overpasses or parking garages. It can be smoothed and polished to replicate the feel of sensuous stone. Coloured and textured, it can echo the patina of timeworn tile.
Photo credit: Concreate range available at Forest Flooring
It’s a classic in the kitchen
The concrete kitchen countertop is extremely convenient as good design merges with practical needs. The shape and slope of an integrated drainboard, for example, can become a sculptural feature on the landscape of the counter. It directs water towards the sink when it’s in use and it looks great when it is not.
Photo credit: Concreate range available at Forest Flooring
It’s a winner on walls
The beauty of concrete as a surface material is in its receptivity to any design treatment. It can accept a variety of textures and inlays. Versatile in its use, it can be carved, ground and polished, sandblasted, stamped, stained, drawn on, painted, or dyed. It can evoke any feeling or allude to any time or place or style, from contemporary to ancient, from slick and commercial to warm and rustic.
Photo credit: Concreate range available at Forest Flooring
