You can be floored by this concrete

Concrete has come a long way from the warehouse floors of yesterday. Now, people are finally warming up to the beauty and versatility of concrete and decorative concrete can be found among others, even at places such as upscale restaurants and charming bed and breakfasts, says Colourcrete Systems which has an impressive line-up of products using decorative concrete technology.

The applications have become wide and varied from kitchen and bathroom countertops, sinks, tub surrounds, tabletops for dining, coffee tables and end tables, interior floors, driveways, patios and outdoor living areas.

Decorative concrete has become the new material of choice for designers and homeowners. One of the most common places the decorative concrete is seen these days is under the feet. Even the elaborately detailed pieces of these can be more cost-effective than marble, slate, granite and others. Decorative concrete flooring is resistant to the wear and tear or decay and unlike other floor coverings, it does not warp or buckle, Colourcrete says. Receptive to colouring methods, it offers the flexibility to cut, pattern and impress, making it possible to produce near exact replicas of even the most expensive building material from granite to marble.

The other features assured by Colourcrete include high capacity to absorb, store and slowly release heat and coolness, easy maintenance, water resistance among others. For those keen on putting specific designs, logos and custom graphics can be recreated on concrete floors.

The products of Colourcrete include Stampcrete which duplicates textures with realism, Overlay-crete that comes as cover-up for existing concrete surfaces, Stain-crete that creates mottled colour tones in the existing concrete, apart from Texture-crete, Stonecrete and Walkcrete.

There really are no restrictions that usually come with other material, for one can unleash one's imagination and get the desired surface with decorative concrete. "Any colour and any pattern and any design can be worked out," says Vasant Sunerkar of Wide Spread (Ph.9866326686), local dealer for Colourcrete.