Sustainability. Concrete floors are a sustainable option if you use an existing concrete slab, avoiding the consumption of new materials. And they need not be relegated to basements or garages. Once the concrete is sanded down and polished or sealed.

Easy care. The only maintenance required of concrete floors is weekly mopping with soapy water.

Economical. The cost of concrete floors is very low, about $2 to $6 per square foot to polish a plain gray slab, giving it a lustrous sheen. The concrete’s tonal differences, subtle cracks and aggregates take on a stonelike, natural feel. More elaborate finishes cost around $5 to $8 per square foot. Staining concrete floors has been a popular option for years— different colors and application techniques combine to create a finish that’s unique to the home, with subtle variations across the floor. Other decorative effects, like scoring in grid pattern lines, cost around $5 to $8 per square foot. These are still very impressive. With a high-gloss seal, the floor can be transformed to look like limestone. An acrylic sealer could be used in the interior application to give it that wet look. In the range of $7 to $15 and up per square foot, you can get highly decorative faux finishes, such as a marbled effect.

Longevity. A floor that has been polished and maintained can be expected to last a hundred years or more.

Versatility. For exterior applications, silicone-based penetrating sealers can be used to avoid the wet look. We can see here how concrete is a good flooring material for indoor-outdoor transitions.