[Huligar]

It's different, it's durable, and it's making a name for itself inside the home Stories by Lori Darvas
Star correspondent
January 12, 2008

Concrete. It's not just for driveways anymore.
Just ask Dr. Michael and Sandra Neely. Concrete plays a starring role in the Hendricks County couple's interior design, with concrete floors and countertops throughout the home's lower level and on portions of the main level as well. Even the shower walls are concrete.
But banish thoughts of prison cells and institutional floors. This isn't your grandmother's concrete. Sandra Neely worked with builder Michael Altman of Michael & Associates to create a one-of-a-kind natural stone look that is low-maintenance and different.
"I'm very contemporary," Neely said. "I like the look. I had seen it in stores and at the hair salon. I thought I'd want it in a house."
Neely's friends told her she was crazy, but she's actually at the forefront of a trend, said Jim Peterson, president and founder of www .ConcreteNetwork.com, an online site that provides information on decorative concrete and referrals to local concrete contractors. Once associated with pool decks and patios, concrete has become an option for homeowners who want something different and durable indoors.
"The design opportunities are endless," said Kirk Muhlhauser, owner of Fasco Inc., a decorative concrete contractor. "It's very versatile. You can make it look like tile. You can make it look like stone."
Concrete can be stained, sanded, stamped or stenciled to resemble a number of solid surfaces, from smooth, variegated slabs to a textured tile appearance. Options can be simple, like the Neely home's lower-level floor -- essentially the home's foundation slab, stained with a special acid and sealed with a polish to leave a mottled pattern and glossy surface. Or, a floor can be carved into sections and colored in intricate patterns.
"It's a very natural-looking surface," said Steve VandeWater, owner of Aristicrete LLC, the company that stained the Neely floor. "It's not something that looks artificial, but I wouldn't necessarily say it looks like marble or granite. A lot of people look at it and they don't really know what it is. But they don't think it's concrete."
The decorative concrete trend started on the two coasts about 15 years ago and is quickly finding its way to the Heartland, Peterson said.
Gene Dean, owner and operator of Gene's Concrete Services and Elitecrete of Indiana, first heard requests from people who had moved from California and wanted to reproduce some of their previous home's elements in their new Midwest setting. Low maintenance is a big draw. Concrete's surface can be damp-mopped, and dust and debris are easily swept away.
Necessity was the mother of Tim Samons' concrete floor in Noblesville. The family's basement flooded three times. Each time, the carpet had to be torn up and replaced.
After the third flood, Samons gave up on carpeting and asked VandeWater to do something with the existing concrete slab. VandeWater cut diamond-shaped grooves in the floor and stained it to give it a variegated surface. No more damp carpets for this family.
"If the basement floods, you just take a squeegee (to remove the water)," Samons said.
Others appreciate concrete's versatility. Concrete can be stained in a wider variety of colors than its natural stone counterparts, allowing the concrete to enhance the home's color scheme rather than dictate it, VandeWater said. Acid stains create a permanent chemical reaction in the concrete, causing a color and pattern that's different every time a piece of concrete is treated.
Mementos or decorative items such as colorful rocks, marble or fossils found in the backyard can be embedded in concrete.
Design elements can be drawn, like the filmstrip ribbon that separates the living area in Cameron and Sally Wright's Southside basement from the home theater area. Dean laid the basement floor there and used the filmstrip and other decorative elements to differentiate various areas of the open space.
"It makes walls where there are no walls," Cameron Wright said.
Not just for floors
While local concrete contractors say floors make up the bulk of their decorative concrete business, many report an increase in requests for concrete countertops and other home elements. Concrete countertops can be poured in a shop and brought to the home for installation. The countertops aren't limited to straight slabs. They can be designed with lips, decorative edges and sinks, all poured into one distinct shape.
"Concrete comes into place when you're looking for more of a design, or you want flexibility in coloring or shape (of the countertops)," said Kerry Calvert, owner of Artistic Surfaces.
Concrete has vertical applications as well. The Neelys' shower walls are a textured concrete, much like a stucco surface. Dean has fashioned a concrete fireplace surround in his own home.
But, concrete isn't for everyone. In some cases, it can be more expensive than granite or other surfaces. It is heavier than typical floor surfaces, which isn't a problem when the floor in question is the home's concrete slab. However, if a concrete floor is used in a home's upper level, the floor may need additional support.
Cracks can be sealed
Untreated concrete is porous and can stain if messes aren't cleaned up right away. Sealers add some protection, but most concrete will wear over time, developing a patina that can add character. Cracks may occur, but they can usually be sealed with coordinated caulk, said Jeff Ware, owner of Wareform, the company that designed the Neelys' countertops and shower.
"Usually, people don't mind the cracks, because most of the floors we're doing resembled old, weathered-looking floors," Ware said.
There's always going to be a place for standard materials like granite countertops and natural wood floors in the home, Peterson said. Concrete is for the homeowner who wants to move beyond standard.
"Concrete is for the person who eschews doing what everyone else does. These people want something different."