Concrete is the world’s most used building material. Ton for ton, it is used twice as much as steel, wood, plastics, and aluminium combined. Currently, about 7.5 billion cubic metres of concrete are manufactured every year.1 The use of concrete can be traced back to a myriad of applications, over many centuries. More recently though, it has primarily been applied to build bridges, car parks, road substructures, Brutalist architecture and so on.
CONCRETE IN THE HOME?
The decorative and practical use of concrete in the home began in the 1980’s when Buddy Rhodes the father of the concrete countertop) cast his first countertop. Around the same time, Fu-Tung Cheng also cast his first concrete countertop. In the subsequent years since, concrete countertops have become incredibly popular due to their durability, beauty and range of customisation.
FLOORING HISTORY
It was not until 1999, that the first polished concrete floor appeared as an Interior Design concept. This happened when HTC, a Swedish company, introduced concrete polished flooring to the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas with their 40,000-square-foot floor.
Although polished concrete flooring first became popular as industrial flooring; it quickly moved into retail locations.
Subsequently, it began to be used by Interior Designers in homes as both a feature and a practical solution.
WHY IS CONCRETE FLOORING BECOMING SO DESIRABLE?
Polished concrete is the ultimate flooring material where a marble or granite floor look is required.
It provides the same consistent (virtually seamless), remarkable, mirror-like surface finish – at a fraction of the cost of other comparable floors.
Not only do polished concrete floors look beautiful, but they outperform virtually every other type of flooring: With a long lifecycle, (minimum, twenty-year lifespan) – they are super durable – easy to clean – available in a limitless range of colours – and environmentally friendly.
For more information on the interior use of concrete – or for help with any other aspect of Interior Design go here.