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Collection by Jacqueline Leahy

How To: Indoor Concrete Floors

Concrete flooring is cheap, durable, and not as cold as its reputation suggests—these eight homeowners show how to get the look.

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Poured-concrete floors are heated using radiant coils embedded in the floor. The dining table and chairs are by John Widdicomb Furniture. The light fixtures are by Weplight.
Poured-concrete floors are heated using radiant coils embedded in the floor. The dining table and chairs are by John Widdicomb Furniture. The light fixtures are by Weplight.
An architect explains his use of concrete in his apartment in a converted industrial loft building in Brussels, calling concrete “the most practical material. It’s warm, if you do it right. And you can clean it in about two seconds.” Photo by Frederik Vercruysse.
An architect explains his use of concrete in his apartment in a converted industrial loft building in Brussels, calling concrete “the most practical material. It’s warm, if you do it right. And you can clean it in about two seconds.” Photo by Frederik Vercruysse.
Idée Concrète To get a concrete look for the floors throughout the house, the team first considered Pandomo flooring, a slick treat-ment that would be even more expensive than a standard finish. Instead, says Winterhalder, they experimented with raw materials. “I’d call the suppliers and say, ‘Do you have something grayer?’ They thought I was crazy.” In the end, instead of a concrete look, the couple went with actual concrete—at a fifth of the price. pandomo.de
Idée Concrète To get a concrete look for the floors throughout the house, the team first considered Pandomo flooring, a slick treat-ment that would be even more expensive than a standard finish. Instead, says Winterhalder, they experimented with raw materials. “I’d call the suppliers and say, ‘Do you have something grayer?’ They thought I was crazy.” In the end, instead of a concrete look, the couple went with actual concrete—at a fifth of the price. pandomo.de
A 24-foot sliding glass door system leads out onto the balcony from the great room. Cypress wraps the ceiling and floor above. Beck says, "In designing this project, we strove for simplicity. Cost efficiencies were obtained by exposing the structure where possible, taking advantage of locally sourced products, and choosing relatively simple finishes." For the floor, a local concrete company ground and polished the elevated slabs to create the finished floors and exterior staircases.
A 24-foot sliding glass door system leads out onto the balcony from the great room. Cypress wraps the ceiling and floor above. Beck says, "In designing this project, we strove for simplicity. Cost efficiencies were obtained by exposing the structure where possible, taking advantage of locally sourced products, and choosing relatively simple finishes." For the floor, a local concrete company ground and polished the elevated slabs to create the finished floors and exterior staircases.
A Philippe Starck standing lamp and an Eames chaise longue bracket the living room; two Lawrence Weiner prints hang behind a pair of Warren Platner chairs and a table purchased from a River Oaks estate sale; at far left of the room, a partial wall of new cinderblocks hides a return air vent.
A Philippe Starck standing lamp and an Eames chaise longue bracket the living room; two Lawrence Weiner prints hang behind a pair of Warren Platner chairs and a table purchased from a River Oaks estate sale; at far left of the room, a partial wall of new cinderblocks hides a return air vent.
In the master bathroom, the floor’s subtle resin treatment was initially painted on the concrete as full-on orange, but started peeling immediately. Monory scrubbed it off until only a wash of the hue was visible. The bench is from Ikea.
In the master bathroom, the floor’s subtle resin treatment was initially painted on the concrete as full-on orange, but started peeling immediately. Monory scrubbed it off until only a wash of the hue was visible. The bench is from Ikea.
A 14-foot-wide opening at the rear of the house contributes, along with the concrete flooring, to an almost seamless transition from indoors to the patio. A spate of mid-century furnishings includes chairs by Hans Wegner and Poul Kjærholm and an Achille Castiglioni Arco lamp.
A 14-foot-wide opening at the rear of the house contributes, along with the concrete flooring, to an almost seamless transition from indoors to the patio. A spate of mid-century furnishings includes chairs by Hans Wegner and Poul Kjærholm and an Achille Castiglioni Arco lamp.