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The Health Impact of the Eco-Friendly Polished Concrete Flooring

Today's homeowners and businesses are much savvier about reducing their environmental footprints. With polished concrete, it's possible to achieve the most practical, aesthetically pleasing result, yet without the environmental impacts associated with flooring materials like carpet, hardwood and other types of coated or painted concrete floors. Polished concrete is virtually high VOC chemical free, produces very little waste product, and makes effective use of existing material - recycled concrete - that can literally last for centuries.

What's more polished concrete won't give off harmful VOCs during its lifespan, and because it's so durable, it won't end up in a landfill with mountains of synthetic material like carpet and laminate flooring. These products are all based on plastics that do not biodegrade, and are known to continue to off-gas for their entire lifespan. Imagine that in your home of place of business?

Concrete is also a recyclable material, and you'll sleep better knowing that your design choices aren't contributing to the production of pollutants. In fact, a polished concrete floor is destined to outlive its owners - how's that for leaving a lasting legacy with a responsible ecological footprint?

Where you and your families health is concerned, concrete flooring performs much better! They are very easy to clean and do not harbour dust mites and other allergens typical of other flooring materials.

Concrete also works very well in combination with radiant floor heating and solar design homes for their heat retention capabilities. As the sun shines all day on these floors the heat is absorbed and is later released into the home when it needs it at night. The heat produced from the floor rises naturally in the home and does not force allergens into the air as it would with other heating systems.

Struggle with allergies? The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America just released the Top 5 Fall Allergy Capitals for 2011. Knoxville, TN is #1 on that list. Allergists highly advise their patients to get rid of carpeting in their home. The best choice for allergy suffers is polished concrete. Other flooring options can release harmful chemicals making allergies and asthma worse. When choosing a flooring for those with allergies and asthma you should look at the following

•The floor covering should have a low capacity for allergen retention

•The manufacturer's recommended cleaning procedures must be effective at removing accumulated allergen from the floor covering

•The recommended cleaning procedures of the floor covering must not contribute to a significant increase in airborne allergen levels that may result in redistribution of rather than overall reduction of allergen

•Exposure to airborne solvents and other irritant or toxic materials during floor covering installation and thereafter when in use

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