If you love a more sleek and modern aesthetic, you may find yourself considering concrete floors for your home. These floors are lower maintenance and can help you achieve the dream appearance in your space. While unsealed concrete floors may be beautiful, they pose a significant risk to you and your loved ones.
Although this sounds concerning, you may risk it to ensure your home looks exactly as you’d like. But this can take a major toll on your health and well-being. If you are considering investing in concrete floors for your home, keep reading to learn more about why it is essential to seal them up before you begin using them.
What is Unsealed Concrete
Unsealed concrete floors are concrete surfaces that have not been treated with a protective coating or sealant. This lack of sealing means the floor remains porous and can easily absorb moisture, dirt, and stains. While unsealed floors are common in basements and garages, they are more susceptible to everyday damage. It isn’t uncommon for your concrete floors to exhibit some signs of damage over time. Cracking, chipping, and crumbling aren’t unexpected from older concrete floors. However, when this damage occurs to a freshly poured concrete slab, it can be frustrating to deal with.
The Risks of Unsealed Concrete in Your Home
While you may love the appearance of unsealed concrete floors, they are an incredibly risky investment. If you are considering installing these floors in your home, the risks may include:
Premature Damage
When you install an unsealed concrete floor in your home, they see a great deal of regular friction. Whether this friction is from foot traffic as you walk inside or the weight of your vehicle, this is risky for your floors. Without proper treatment, these floors can begin to wear down prematurely. This can lead to costly repairs, which can be frustrating.
Floor Dusting
One major problem with walking across unsealed concrete is your risk of floor dust exposure. As you walk across your floors, this dust is kicked up and breathed in by you and your loved ones. Prolonged exposure to concrete floor dusting may result in your developing COPD or silicosis, irreversible lung conditions that make breathing difficult.
Staining
With concrete floors in your garage or workshop, you run the risk of exposing them to chemicals, oil, and grease. As an incredibly porous surface, this exposure can lead to difficult-to-remove staining. In some cases, the vehicle fluids are far too difficult to remove, even with the strongest cleaning solutions, resulting in permanent damage.
Moisture Problems
If you’ve installed concrete floors in a room that has experienced moisture problems in the past, the concrete doesn’t solve this problem. As mentioned above, concrete is incredibly porous. When exposed to moisture, your concrete will absorb it, which can result in efflorescence and structural damage, which can be frustrating to address.
Your Best Concrete Finishing Option
While you might like the appearance of unsealed concrete floors, it is best to seal your floors if you want to avoid damage and health risks. But what concrete finishing option is best for your home? There are two popular options that homeowners find themselves choosing between when preparing to finish their concrete floors:
- Epoxy Coatings: These coatings are an incredibly popular choice among homeowners who want to finish their concrete floors while maintaining a sleek, modern appearance. With a variety of finishing options and colors to choose from, there is a perfect option for every homeowner.
- Polyaspartic Coatings: Although these coatings aren’t as well known as their epoxy counterpart, they are the most durable coating on the market. In addition to their durability, your floor coating team can add non-slip additives to the coating to ensure you can safely navigate your home.
If you are on the fence about what coating is best for your unsealed concrete floors, it is best to reach out to a trusted floor coating professional for support. With their experience and a clear understanding of how you use the space, they can determine which floor coating is the right fit for the space.
They may also have a gallery of previous floor coating projects, which can help you pick a color and finish for your floors. When you’re struggling to choose, don’t go into this process alone. Instead, turn to a team of experienced professionals and trust that you’re making the best investment in your home.
Choose the Best Concrete Coatings in Ogden, Utah
If you want to avoid the harm that may come with untreated concrete floors, it is essential that you choose the best floor coatings on the market. If you’re looking for a reliable floor coating company in the Ogden, Utah, area, turn to our team at Slid Garage Floor Coatings of Utah for support.
For years, our team has provided reliable, durable floor coatings to homes across Northern Utah. Whether you like the sleek, modern appearance of epoxy floors or you’re interested in the more advanced Polyaspartic coatings, our team does it all. With our support, you can trust that you’ll find the perfect flooring for your home.
If you would like to learn more about our floor coatings or have any questions about the services we provide, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
