Hardwood, tile, and carpet often come up the most in discussions of residential flooring. While they are all viable options that have clear advantages and disadvantages, some other flooring types do not get much attention. Concrete is another flooring option that is typically found in garages and basements, but it can fit well in your entire home. Tile will run you around $11 to $16 per square foot, but concrete floors can average as little as $2.50 to $5.50 per square foot including installation.

When you get these floors in your home, you should know how to make them last a long time.

Minimize Wear and Tear with Mats and Rugs

Concrete is highly resilient, but it will still experience wear and tear just like any other flooring. If you let high-traffic areas go unchecked, you could find the concrete prematurely depreciating. It is best to keep this from happening by using floor mats or rugs in the highest traffic areas. The front and back entrance and hallways almost always experience heavy traffic, but the rest depends on your home life. To prevent the mats from moving around, you can get rubber shelf lining and place it underneath.

Clean with a Dust Mop on a Daily Basis

Concrete does not require a lot of maintenance overall, but it is smart to put daily effort into preventive maintenance through dust mopping each day. This way, you can protect the floor sealant or polish from scratches that would cause cosmetic imperfections and reduce the floor's resistance to damage.

Exercise Extra Caution in the First Few Days

When you first get concrete installed, you have to be extra careful with what you do in the home. It takes several days for concrete floors to completely cure after they have been sealed, so liquid spills could be problematic enough to require a complete resealing of the affected area. If you have children or pets, you should veer on the safe side and keep them off of the floors until a few days have passed. The easiest way to do this is to handle the sealing or polishing in sections or to go on a mini vacation after doing it all.

Make Your Own Concrete Floor Cleaner

It is not necessary to buy concrete cleaners from the store, especially because all it takes is a simple mistake to get the wrong cleaner that could have harmful effects on the flooring. It is better to make your own, in which you have options such as baking soda and liquid soap for basic cleaning, as well as hydrogen peroxide or sodium peroxide to eliminate any stains that are in the floor.

For more information, contact Claggett & Sons Inc or a similar company.

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