Concrete floors are trendy ways to make your house stylish. But they don’t just add aesthetic appeal. Removing your old carpets and tile can also make your home’s air quality skyrocket. Here’s how:
1. Your floors will be breathable.
Concrete floors have a bit of moisture in them. They wick up water from the soil underneath them, and the liquid goes through the material and releases into the air. There’s no way to fully seal off concrete from the ground up, so having a nonbreathable layer of tile or sealant on top is bad for your house. It traps the moisture in the concrete, and the water can cause tiny cracks as it moves or freezes and thaws in the winter. But professionals will apply a breathable sealant to your stained concrete so that moisture has a way out.
2. Allergens won’t stick around.
Carpet is an allergy magnet. No matter how much ventilation you have in your home or how often you clean the carpet, allergens can still get trapped in the fibers. The problem can be even worse if you have pets or there’s a lot of pollen in your region. But once you rip up the carpet and get rid of the dust-lined foam, those allergens don’t have anywhere to stick to, so they filter out through your home’s HVAC.
3. There won’t be anywhere for mold to hide.
One of the best places to have a concrete floor is in your basement. Sometimes basements flood, and they always seem to be just a bit too damp. Even if you have a tiled basement floor instead of carpeting, mold can start to build up in the grout and in air pockets under the tile. But stained concrete floors can help solve the problem. Acid and water-based stains are applied straight onto the concrete and the seal goes on smoothly. There aren’t any cracks, hidden layers, and rough surfaces for mold to cling to.
4. Fewer surface areas will absorb smells.
Carpet holds onto everything it has access to. Whether it’s pet stains, mud, or just the particles from the last time you cooked, the scent lingers in the materials that can absorb it. In most houses, this includes curtains, wall hangings, and carpets. Because that buildup can almost never be removed, many people turn to scented air fresheners that partially clean the air but mostly cover up the old smells.
That tactic can be bad news for people who are sensitive to strong artificial scents. Removing your carpeted floors and rugs doesn’t just decrease the allergens and particles that can worsen your home’s air quality. It also means you don’t have to introduce more chemicals to your home to solve the problem.
5. It’s easier to clean your house.
According to the EPA, 72% of your chemical exposure happens when you’re at home. That’s not because your home is uniquely dangerous but because you spend a great deal of time there. That’s why it’s so important to keep your home clean.
But if you have children or teenagers, they’ll be a bit less agreeable to the idea. Carpets are hard to clean and impossible to clean perfectly without a lot of time and effort. But concrete floors are easier to both spot clean and keep clean, no matter what room of your house they’re in. That simplicity makes it a lot more likely the floors, and your house, will stay clean.
Every inch of your house takes away from or contributes to its good air quality, and that includes the flooring. Go to PolyTek Surface Coatings to schedule an appointment and get started on your new, improved floors.