Background: The flooring system at Little Rascals Rescue in Phoenix was in need of some TLC. With so many dogs running around, the owner had difficulty keeping the existing floor tile and grout clean and sanitized. Upkeep was constant and labor intensive.  

The rescue house called on Concretizen to install and test a new flooring system in a small “sitter” room where the dogs could hang out while unsupervised. This included a dog door and fully enclosed “doggie wonderland.” The initial trial proved successful. The sturdier concrete floor held up to doggie challenges – urine, nail scratches and all. And so, the complete concrete floor makeover began…   

Contractor: Concretizen is a decorative concrete company specializing in concrete coloring, overlayments, vertical surfaces, counter top resurfacing, concrete tiles and a wide range of artistic services. Owner Dana Boyer is also well known for artistic talents including airbrushing, automotive painting, murals, faux painting, metal sculptures and design work.

The Challenge: Taking on the entire house included a few challenges. The owner requested an overlayment without visible joints or seams on the second story. Plus, she wanted the staircase to blend with the rest of house for a modern look, which diverted from the typical stair and riser applications. There was also a fireplace with a huge vertical facade that had to be resurfaced. And of course, everything had to be accomplished on a budget.

The Solution:

Upper level: The linoleum and carpet were removed to the wood subflooring. Cem-Rez EV 5500 was applied as a prime coat. Metal lathe was stapled into the flooring and a scratch coat of Cem-Rez STP was applied to fill in the lathe. The metal lathe secured the joints and seams of the wood subflooring to create the desired seamless look. A second coat of Cem-Rez R was applied to provide a final fill for the lathe and then a third coat of Cem-Rez HT. The floor was then sanded to a smooth finish and stained with a diluted solution of “Cola” Acid Stain. Small diamond shaped tiles were then scribed into the floor to create an “inset” look.  The floor was then stained a brilliant Chinese Red using Cem-Dye. The insets were brushed with several coats of black dye. The black marbled look was accomplished using the lower level techniques as well over the initial Cem-Rez STP and Cem-Rez R applications.

Lower level: Cem-Rez HT was applied in a tinted base color and troweled on while swirling in Cem-Rez HT in white to create a marbling effect. The floor was then finished with dyes, sealed and waxed. A similar system was used for the kitchen using Cem-Rez HT in white and a tinted light grey.  Small square insets were then scribed into the kitchen floor.  Each large square had four smaller squares within to create a custom tile look.

The fireplace:  For the fireplace and surrounding vertical wall, Cem-Rez R was used as a scratch coat.  Two coats of Cem-Rez M were then applied and sanded to a smooth finish. Next, the vertical surface was acid stained with Cola and dyes were applied. It was then sealed with Poly 250 and Poly 100 to create a high gloss look.