Concrete v Tiles

Concrete and tiles are two of the most popular flooring options for contemporary homes.

Whether you’re building or renovating, you might find yourself comparing the benefits of a polished concrete floor with traditional floor tiles.

While the colour scheme could be the first consideration to spring to mind, there are many other factors that contribute to choosing the perfect flooring for your home.

It’s important to think about your lifestyle, your household’s needs, and the ways you intend to use the space.

Also think about how those needs might change five and ten years from now.

To help with your selection, our experts have compiled some of the latest information on polished concrete flooring, from aesthetics and installation, to cleaning and durability.

Speed

Time is money when building or renovating. Tiles first require a solid foundation like a concrete slab. And the process of tiling is known for being time-consuming and tedious. Polished concrete floors are poured in liquid form, and entire house slabs can be completed in a matter of hours. Once set, the concrete finisher hones and polishes the concrete to your requested finish. Finishing the floor faster also allows you to continue on with the other areas of your build and renovations, so you can be enjoying your new space sooner.

Grout Free

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges with tiles is the effort required to keep the grout free of mould, dirt and stains. In even the most meticulously kept homes, grout will eventually discolour, and sometimes crack and need replacing. This can result in floors looking dirty or aged, even when they’re freshly cleaned. Polished concrete floors offer a single, solid and flat surface that doesn’t require grout to hold it in place, making it easy to clean, while retaining that long-lasting sheen. And being waterproof and resistant to mould makes polished concrete ideal for wet areas.

Visual Appeal

Concrete-look tiles have grown in popularity as more homeowners embrace minimalist styling, earthy textures and natural materials. Instead of replicating the look of concrete, a polished concrete floor provides all the benefits of genuine concrete, while offering the visual appeal of a range of concrete colours and natural stone selections, with a smooth and polished finish.

Durable

Anyone with tile floors can attest to the frustration of a broken tile. Perhaps you dropped something in the kitchen, the kids were playing a little too rough, or time and movement have caused tiles to lift or crack. While broken tiles can be replaced, it’s not always possible to find a perfect match. And sometimes just one chipped tile requires multiple tiles to be replaced. Polished concrete floors are hardwearing, durable and require minimal maintenance, which is why polished concrete is a long-lasting and affordable flooring solution.

Versatile

Polished concrete is smooth as silk, and hard as rock. But it starts out in a liquid form, making it a highly versatile construction material. This versatility extends beyond colour and stone selections to include special features, and custom shapes and forms. Decorative concrete can also be extended outside the home, and is particularly popular outdoors as honed concrete or exposed concrete for driveways, patios, paths, outdoor entertaining areas and pool surrounds.

Climate adaptable

You might remember the childhood joy of laying on cold tiles during a hot summer’s day. But what about waking up to those same cold tiles on early winter mornings? Polished concrete floors offer the benefits of thermal mass, helping to keep your home cool in summer, and warm in winter. Concrete is capable of absorbing and storing heat from sunlight, and slowly releasing that warmth when the air temperature drops.

This process is reversed during warm weather, when concrete floors can help to absorb heat to maintain a comfortable temperature day and night.

Lifetime costs

Long-term costs and return on your investment are also important aspects to consider when choosing building materials for your home. Sometimes lower cost options can cost more in the long run, particularly if they require extra maintenance, or have a shorter lifespan.

While some building materials like polished concrete floors can not only hold their value, but increase the resale value of a home. This will be a vital consideration for anyone renovating for profit, or contemplating selling their home, even many years down the track.

These are just some of the factors to consider when choosing between tiles and concrete flooring for your home.

If you’re looking for more inspiration for polished concrete floors in your home, you might like to explore the Geostone polished concrete range available in your area, or visit our Blog for more articles and ideas.