We live in an exciting time for home renovation and green home materials. Although concrete has been used for over 2000 years as a building material, interior and exterior, decorative concrete for individual homes is a relatively new concept.

Concrete is getting a lot of attention lately because it is environmentally friendly and cost effective. It is extremely durable and long lasting. Until recently, the only problem with concrete has been that unless your design concept was an ultra modern, minimalist or inductrial style, there wasn’t much one could do with concrete design wise.

All that has changed. With acid staining and polishing, there are almost limitless possibilities for color, texture and design using concrete. These techniques have revolutionized how concrete is being used for floors, countertops, stairs, garage floors, patios -- even walls!

Not only can acid staining provide many color choices, simple techniques can create the effect of tile, marbling, patterning, shiny and matte finishes.

All of these options are available at very low cost. Your home can be dramatically transformed within a very reasonable budget.

Call Colonial Floor Care today for more information and a free estimate!

Today I was remembering my growing up in the North, particularly during the holiday season. At this time of year the cold begins to come, and one can’t help but begin preparing for the holiday season. Festive thoughts of beautiful decorations come to mind. Dreams of one’s home looking idyllic, such as this one, warm the soul.

And then the snow begins to fly and reality sets in. Whipping winds, decorations that fly away, broken lights and freezing fingers. More than one yelling match has occurred in my family’s quest to create the peferct outdoor christmas wonderland. In the end, our dream turned into something more like this.

Well, reality somehow has a way of interfering sometimes.

Living now in South Florida, I take great joy in the fact that the cold never really comes! What I do notice, however is that the rains come, and along with the rain, mold. I have seen a lot of people trying to update their homes by installing carpet and tile over their terrazzo or concrete floors. The end result is kind of like the Christmas lights of my past- in a short time, the carpets become moldy and filled with sand, no matter how often people try to clean them. That unmistakable mold smell hits you as you enter the door of a home with carpet. Housecleaning becomes an endless nightmare.

Many people think that because their terrazzo or concrete are yellowed and stained, that the only solution is to cover or replace them. This is not true. Terrazzo floors can be easily and inexpensively restored using non-toxic methods. Concrete can be acid stained or polished- color and/or shine cane be added along with a strong seal- all in an environmentally safe way.

Call Colonial Floor Care today. Let us restore, clean, polish or repair your terrazzo or concrete floors. Once restored, these floors are so durable, beautiful and easy to maintain, you will definitely lessen the stress of your day to day life. Perhaps best of all, no more mold!