First, we pulled up all of the carpet and tack strips, and then we removed the tile in the kitchen and dining room. Let me tell you, removing tile is no walk on the beach! So, we made the decision to install the overlay on TOP of the rest of the existing tile that's in the hallway and baths. home office furniture He called it a true test of the overlay product we use - if it could hold up over top of tile and grout (some of which was a little loose!) if would hold up to anything. We decided to go with a tile look in the kitchen, dining room, hallway and baths, and to go with a flagstone look in the den, living room and bedrooms. For the tile look, he laid down one coat of concrete, which we then taped off to create the grout lines we wanted (we went with a 9" x 24" tile look). Next, he laid the second coat down, let it dry, and then he added the colors. The final step was to pull all of the tape up, revealing the "grout" lines, and then to seal it. The end result was gorgeous!

For the flagstone, the process was a little different. The first thing he did was to use a concrete cutter to cut the flagstone pattern into the concrete itself. Another option is to tape out the flagstone pattern instead of cutting into the concrete, but personally I prefer the cut-in pattern much better. After this step, he applied one coat of the concrete overlay, let it dry, and then added a water-based stain to get a blended stone look. A couple of coats of sealer later, and the job was finished. This ended up looking completely different than the tile look we did in the other area of the house, but looked just as good. companies offshoreWe never have been able to decide which finish we like better.

So, why do I love this finish so much? Several reasons. First, anyone who's ever had a tile floor knows how hard (impossible, even) it is to keep the grout looking clean. The areas with more traffic end up getting darker grout lines than the light traffic areas because of the dirt and oils that get into it. And, don't even get me started on the grout lines near where the dogs eat! Even though my kitchen now looks like it has tile and grout lines, it doesn't. It has a nice thick layer of sealer that will never wear off. That means that when the dogs finish eating and slobbering all over the floor, and my husband has tracked in mud from the yard after a monsoon rain, all I have to do to get my floors (that have pristine white grout lines) looking brand new again is to wipe it up with a rag or get out the mop and some hot water. A couple of swipes later, and it's good as new. This is by and far the biggest reason that I love these floors.

Another reason I love them is their durability. Remember the part about putting the overlay on top of some loose tiles? That was a year ago and the floors are perfect. I've dropped soda cans on the floor from about four feet up, and the cans dent - but the floor has no damage. I get water on the floor from the shower every day - I have one of those shower stalls and for some reason I just can't seem to keep the water in, even though there is a one inch lip at the edge. But, I never have to worry about the water seeping into the floor like I would with carpet, wood or tile because the sealer is completely impervious. Finally, I've found that neutral concrete floors are the perfect canvas for area rugs that are easily interchangeable. With carpet, the color you choose is the color you're stuck with, and putting an area rug on top to change things up just seems a little weird.

What's the last thing that I love about concrete overlay floors? The price! Well, obviously since my husband installs this, I got it for a discount price. But, I've found the regular price to be competitive with having wood, laminate, and tile installed, as well as anything but the cheapest carpets. We have Pergo laminate flooring in my office (the one room in the house without the concrete overlay),Virtual Office Sounds Good and the price to buy it and have it installed was equivalent or more than the price it would cost to install the concrete overlay, which will easily outlast the Pergo because of its indestructible tendencies.