Remodeling a Residence: Creating a Dream Home with Concrete Floors.

The Challenge

Install flooring for a 3,000sq.ft. home as a DIY project. The flooring needs to be trendy, match the style of the remodeled interior design and be cost-effective.

The Outcome

With the help of Duraamen’s technical support, Chris Hawkins was able to install a beautiful, one-of-a-kind, concrete floor in his family’s home for $3.00 per square foot. The floor is ultra-durable and low-maintenance. Most importantly his wife Julie, an interior designer, approves of the look and style of their new floor.

Overview

Julie and Chris Hawkins and their two children moved to Eugene, Oregon from San Francisco, California, and started searching for homes in the area. Julie, an interior designer, had worked at a prestigious San Francisco design firm for clients like Napa wineries, restaurants, and high-end residences.

One of the homes they viewed was a 1960 architect-designed home. The interior was all white from the tile on the 3,000 sq. ft. first floor to the cabinets in the kitchen. The house was a maze of halls, small rooms, and doorways. The couple purchased the house because it allowed for the opportunity to do their own remodel.

The couple considered wood for the flooring but felt it didn’t really fit the house. They thought about tile flooring but didn’t like the installation costs.

The home had a concrete subfloor. It was in too worn shape to polish, but there are other concrete floor options. Chris wanted to do the project himself to save installation costs and be sure that the floor he installed matched their home’s interior design plan perfectly.

Chris research concrete flooring options heavily. He found Duraamen products based in New Jersey. Chris called Duraamen’s owner, Victor Pachade. Victor and Chris talked extensively about the project. Victor guided Chris towards installing a concrete overlay with a matte sheen. It was decided that Duraamen’s Param 5500 (self-leveling concrete overlay) and Perdure U45 (matte polyurethane topcoat) would provide the perfect flooring solution for the 3,000sq.ft. residential floor that Chris had envisioned.

Chris spent weeks prepping the concrete surface. He spent many more hours than a professional installer would have spent. Chris even rented a floor grinder and a bead blaster to remove the old tile residue and make sure the surface ready for priming and the concrete overlay. As any do-it-yourselfer may tell you when you work on personal projects, you’re often overly cautious and more detail-oriented because you want the finished project to be perfect.

Though the prep time was long, the installation was quick. Param 5500 is best applied to the substrate all at once. Sectioning off areas doesn’t tend to work because of the flowable self-leveling properties of Param. So Chris hired a crew of 6 guys to help him mix and pour the entire 3,000sq.ft. floor in only 3 hours. They used a gauge rake and a 36” blunt roller to spread the overlay. Chris feels it worked out beautifully.

Chris and Julie are very happy with their new floor. It feels good on bare feet too. Chris says, “There’s a velvety-ness to it when you walk on it. It doesn’t feel hard as regular concrete. It feels softer. It’s nice for a home.” Most of the subfloor had radiant heat installed which contributes to the nice barefoot feeling of the floor.

Chris was surprised at the cost of shipping the products across the country. Even so, for having 3,000 square feet of floor to cover the total cost only came to about $3 a square. That’s comparable to the cost of affordable tile.

Benefits:

• Contemporary concrete flooring offers a unique look. Nearly infinite color options and textures can be created, meaning no two floors are the same. Custom interior design projects are easily realized through color, texture, and material choices.
• Concrete flooring lasts for the life of your business or home.
• Concrete flooring is low maintenance. For commercial properties, a concrete floor should have a clear sealer reapplied every 2-3 years. For residential flooring resealing is only needed every 4-5.
• Because Duraamen polished concrete and concrete overlay products are known for their high-quality, contemporary style and trend-setting advancements towards ease of installation, they are used by contractors nationwide at comparable costs to other types of flooring.

Cost:

Do-it-yourself: $3–$4.50 per square foot depending on the thickness.
Installed by a pro: $10–$12 per square foot.

Outside of Eugene, Oregon concrete flooring costs vary depending on your geographic location and the thickness of the overlay. Thickness is determined by the condition of the existing substrate. Is the substrate new, old, level, good condition, deteriorated, plywood or gypsum?

The cost is comparable or less than other types of flooring including:

• Hardwood
• Ceramic or Porcelain Tile
• Commercial Carpet
• Marble

The Success:

Chris Hawkins was able to install a beautiful, one-of-a-kind, concrete floor in his family’s home for $3.00 per square foot. The family now has a newly remodeled home they can be proud of.