It’s back to school season and everyone is talking about the growing trend of polished concrete floors being implemented into schools. Whether the project is a new build or any sort of rehab, polished concrete is unique, eye-catching, durable, cost-effective, and long lasting. Every year, schools around the world spend millions of dollars replacing worn out tile, carpet, and other types of flooring. With polished concrete floors, longevity is significantly higher and costs are strikingly lower. Some examples of areas that work well for polished concrete in schools include classrooms, hallways, entryways, restrooms, and auditoriums. There are many other reasons why polished concrete is a great option to have in schools of all different sizes.
Heavy Foot Traffic
School district and contractors have recently come to terms with the fact that polished concrete offers immense benefits in buildings that are subject to heavy foot traffic.
Mr. Galen Havner, Principal of Central Park Elementary School at Morningstar in Bentonville, Arkansas, discussed the polished concrete floors that were installed in the hallways and classrooms of the school he looks over. He mentioned the many benefits that these floors have brought the school such as a great first impression when visitors walk in and easy maintenance for janitors, but most importantly, he mentioned that flooring of this kind is essential for high foot traffic. “We have over 900 kids here, a staff of 100, and usually probably 100 parents in/out every day. You multiply that times 2 for each foot and there is a lot of wear and tear on the floors," he mentioned. As opposed to carpet that takes a beating from heavy foot traffic and needs to be replaced, concrete is meant for this type of durability and a school with a vast amount of people coming in and out all day is a great place to utilize polished concrete floors.
Allergens And Going Green
Many people struggle with allergies at all times of the year, kids included. Carpet is difficult to keep clean and is a haven for dust mites and allergens that can’t be removed by one swift sweep of a vacuum once a week. In fact, carpeting is among one of the worst options when it comes to poor indoor air quality for people of all ages - children and adults alike. For example, schools in more rural areas may deal with more sand and dust coming in from outside. Carpet traps sand and dust causing the fibers to break down faster and adding allergens into the air. In most cases, schools have a short number of weeks in the summer to extract this dirty carpet with equipment that may not even remove everything. Concrete floors, however, are hypoallergenic.
Polished concrete floors are easy to keep clean with periodic dusting or mopping and won’t serve as a haven for dust mites when taken care of properly. Even though things like sand may scratch polished concrete, the cost to repair it as opposed to the cost to install new carpet is vastly cheaper in the long run. Not having to replace carpet also means less waste being put into landfills.
There is not a greener flooring solution out there than polished concrete. Even the products used to densify and polish the concrete have no VOC products which means that they won’t release dangerous fumes that could harm children in a school environment. Overall, polished concrete is more appealing, easier to maintain, and less costly than other flooring options for schools.
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There are so many creative and custom options for finishing concrete, but first and foremost important is the concrete itself. At Custom Concrete Creations we have state of the art equipment and a properly trained team with years of experience. Custom Concrete Creations is a premier contractor serving the Omaha area as well at the Midwest. Give us a call or send us an email for your custom concrete finishing needs today!