The next time you’re scrolling through Pinterest on ideas for your next DIY home renovation project, pay attention to how much concrete you see. It’s everywhere! Instead of sidelining concrete as a construction material that’s just for roads and bridges, interior designers have embraced concrete as the perfect aesthetic for the modern age.
But using concrete in your home has many more benefits than simply being visually appealing. Concrete as a construction material provides homeowners lots of benefits. Here are six reasons why you should incorporate concrete everywhere in your home.
1. It’s Strong… And Gets Stronger
Compared to traditional building materials like wood or bricks, concrete is able to hold much more weight without breaking. And the best part? As concrete hardens (often referred to as curing) up to several years after it was created, the bonds between the materials actually get up to 10 percent stronger. This makes your home even stronger with age, and who doesn’t want that?
2. It’s Durable
If you’re looking for a building material that will hold up no matter what you throw at it—whether that’s a natural disaster, dropping something heavy on it, or just years of kids running around wreaking havoc on your home—concrete’s durability makes it an attractive choice for homeowners.
Since the bonds between all of the materials within the concrete are so strong if properly mixed, the final product is surprisingly resistant to weather, impact, stains, and time. If you’re still not convinced, consider that the roads the Roman Empire built out of concrete are still around—and being used!
3. It’s Better For The Environment
Lowering your environmental impact is very important for a growing number of homeowners. For people who want their home renovations to be environmentally friendly while still being aesthetically attractive, concrete checks off both of those boxes.
At its core, concrete only has five ingredients: cement, water, sand, gravel, and air. These are all-natural ingredients that can easily be recycled and reused for other projects. When you compare that to wood—a building material that more and more people are avoiding due to deforestation, concrete is a great alternative for sustainability.
4. It’ll Save You Money
For homeowners who want to make their home more energy-efficient, incorporating concrete into your home’s foundations, walls, or floor can lead to substantial energy savings over time. Compared to wood-framed homes, the high mass of concrete slows down the movement of heat inside your home. This keeps your home warmer for longer—lowering your home’s energy bills while also lowering your environmental footprint.
5. It’s Safe
Traditional homes built with wood are constantly in danger of burning down—even an unattended candle can cause a home to easily go up in flames. Since concrete isn’t flammable, it’s a safer option for home construction and gives homeowners more protection against accidents.
Houses with wooden frames also pose a danger of rot and mildew building up and making the entire structure unsound. Concrete has a low water permeability, which means it’s much harder for water to get inside. This makes it more resistant to bad weather than other materials, keeping everyone inside the home safe and warm no matter what’s going on outside.
6. It’s Trending
The industrial design aesthetic isn’t going anywhere anytime soon—it’s a timeless design choice that gives homeowners and designers the perfect base to make their home look and feel the way they want.
Concrete can have a variety of aesthetic looks to fit every home style. Whether you like the matt, brutalist concrete vibe you see in parking structures, or the smooth and polished look that’s everywhere in modern designs these days, concrete’s versatility makes it perfect for any design preference.
The Bottom Line
Whether you’re looking to build your next home from the ground up or are simply looking for your next DIY home renovation project, concrete is a great addition to any home. Since it’s the most widely used building material in the world, there are lots of great resources out there to help you get started on your next concrete project. For some of the larger builds, you may have to bring in contractors who are familiar with handling large-scale concrete needs—but don’t be afraid to try out some smaller DIY home improvements yourself.
