Stained Concrete: A Low Cost Alternative to Carpet

When most people think about nice flooring, they usually picture hardwood, tile, carpet, or even marble. Concrete never really stands out as a beautiful or high-end choice in anybody’s mind. Well, you’d be surprised by what a professional can do to a rough, drab, grey slab of a rock-like material. When given a proper stain job, concrete transforms into one of the most breathtaking flooring materials available today. If you’re a homeowner in the Atlanta, GA area, here’s why you should consider installing stained concrete instead of carpet inside your house.

More for Your Money

When you compare stained concrete with carpeting of similar quality, you’re almost always going to squeeze more out of each dollar. Polished concrete flooring with a basic stain finish will generally run you between $2.50 and $5.50 per square foot. This look is a huge visual upgrade from industrial concrete and involves one coat of stain with sealer. For a mid-grade job rivaling mid-level carpeting, expect to pay $5.50 to $7.50 per square foot. You’ll be able to use various stain colors, achieve more elaborate staining patterns, and have the concrete cut into more complex shapes. High-end stained concrete typically costs between $7.50 and $15 dollars per square foot, roughly the same as luxury carpets. Using advanced staining, cutting, and sandblasting techniques, you can get a look that rivals marble flooring for much less.

Easy to Maintain

When red wine, pasta sauce, and other hard-to-remove spills stain carpeting, the damage is often permanent. You’ll either have to pay up for professional cleaning or a replacement carpet. The same scary accidents will do little to nothing to a stained concrete floor. With a quick wipe of a towel, your floors will look like new again. Most substances fail to penetrate the sealant layer of the stained concrete.

Tough and Long-Lasting

Indoor carpets see a lot of foot traffic. Combine that with moving furniture, devious kids, and random accidents, and any carpet would see considerable wear and tear over the years. Stained concrete is extremely durable, liquid-resistant, and can stand up to more punishment for much longer than carpet. You’ll probably never have to worry about repairing or replacing it.