Decorative concrete coatings provide great value to modern-day construction projects. The evolution of ordinary functional concrete into one with ornamental and decorative functions widened the popularity of concrete in the building industry.

Here are five main advantages of decorative concrete coatings applications over ordinary concrete or non-concrete applications:

1. Aesthetic enhancement

Gone were the days when concrete is only a big grey slab of cement used as a foundation for carpets, tiles, linoleums or wood floorings. Decorative concrete coatings help this cement slab transform into a beautiful flooring solution that can stand on its own without help from any other ornaments.

Stamping is often used by painting contractors to create artistic patterns and designs in freshly-poured cement mixes. Artful stamping can mimic the design of stone, bricks, slate or wood. The finished product can even take on many interesting hues, and can also mix with tiles, aggregates, stones or rocks for a more artistic effect.

Stamped concrete can be used as beautiful pavers. They are safer and easier to apply and maintain. And as a replacement for traditional masonry, these decorative concrete coatings applications have a longer useful life than the former.

2. Design flexibility

As floor finishings, decorative concrete coatings applications offer amazing design flexibility. They can be used to create stamped, acid-etched, stained or polished floors, which are cheaper alternatives to traditional and expensive floor coverings. Polished floors, in particular, are used in many public facilities for their ease of maintenance, durability, and excellent reflectivity to sources of light.

Polished floors need only a polishing primer and concrete grinding, or decorative concrete coatings and polishing equipment, to turn the cement slab into a beautiful glossy floor finish.

3. Long service life

Because concrete is durable and strong, it possesses excellent rigidity that can tolerate nearly all kind of physical impacts. With decorative concrete coatings, the strong cement foundation is transformed into beautiful flooring systems with superior strength and a long service life.

This flooring system is nearly impervious to any type of load and deteriorates more slowly than traditional floor systems. With the application of protective and decorative concrete coatings, they are even more resistant to damages from chemical, water, wind, and other sources.

4. Economy

Because decorative concrete coatings applications last longer and have stronger resistance to damages, they are not repaired or replaced very often. This lessens the cost of maintenance for the facility. Cleanup of the flooring systems is not very complicated, requiring only minimum re-polishing or cleaning, thus the cost for clean-up is also lesser.

5. Environment-friendly

Decorative concrete coatings applications have critical importance in green construction projects. They support energy efficiency efforts, because of their ability to maintain comfortable inner temperatures in the building and in turn reducing the use of HVAC systems. Many of these coatings are also designed for light-reflectivity, preventing the production of "heat island" effect by warding off the sun's rays and reducing temperatures.

Unlike conventional wall and floor coverings, they also contribute less to near-zero VOC emissions. Dust particles are easily removed from their surfaces, and protective coatings provide good waterproofing, inhibiting harmful bacterial growth and maintaining good indoor air quality.

Decorative concrete coatings applications combine beauty and functionality into one complete package, turning it into a popular and practical flooring solution in any facility.