The legendary designer Coco Chanel once advised: “before leaving the house, a lady should look in the mirror and remove one accessory.” In other words, less is more – and one of the hottest trends for home improvement is minimalism.
And when you take something away, you can create a stunning effect, especially when using polished concrete – where the everyday grey building material that forms the walls and foundation of many homes is transformed into a beautiful, minimalist feature.
Pondering polished concrete floors or walls for your home? Let’s look at some ideas and considerations.
Decide which room is best suited
Polished concrete involves using a range of abrasive tools to strip back and smooth out concrete surfaces, creating a brilliantly moody, stylish look.
Polished concrete is a style best suited to modern homes, and can be done as a uniform look, with walls or floors in every room, or just in a few spaces, such as bathrooms and kitchens, to prove a stark contrast with other areas.
Be warned though – this is a strong, bold look, so be certain before you start polishing! In some homes it could create a gloomy look, so unless that’s your thing, consult an interior decorator first or carefully examine your home’s features and what you’re trying to achieve with them.
Polished concrete floors, walls – or both?
Polished concrete floors can look magnificent, lending understated elegance to living spaces like dining rooms, kitchens, bathrooms and entertainment areas. Likewise with polished concrete walls, which bring a stark, contrasting style to their surrounding furnishings.
A key decision for a polished concrete project is whether to have both walls and floors polished, or just one of the two.
Take a good hard look at your home and the style you are trying to achieve. Perhaps one wall polished up as a feature may suit your home best, or it could be better to have just the floors done. It’s best to look before you leap. There are many great flooring alternatives to polished concrete.
When it comes to your walls, consider what furnishings you are going to pair with any polished concrete you might be adding to your home. Polished concrete can create a vastly new style for your home that may not suit the décor you have currently. There are plenty of brilliant ways out there to dress up your walls to complete a new look, so have a think before you polish.
Always use a professional concrete polisher
Polished concrete uses the foundations or supporting structures of your home to create a decorative look. So let’s be blunt – if it goes wrong, repair bills could be high.
It’s not as simple as applying a coat of paint that can be touched up, or swapping out a coloured couch for another. A botched polished concrete job could ruin a whole wall or floor, and take lots of time and money to repair.
So it definitely pays to hire a concreting professional with experience in polished concrete to do the job. Not only will you get a better polished concrete effect with a professional compared to a DIY attempt, you will also have the surety of knowing the integrity of your home’s framework is in good hands.
Do you have a wall or floor that would come up a treat with polished concrete?
