In association with PeterFell.
There’s no question coloured concrete flooring is a good look, but what’s it like to live with? Just ask Built Chch’s Hat Hall and Karl Saunders. At their house in Ōtautahi/Christchurch’s Sumner (as seen in our December/January 2023 issue), three young kids and one dog plus proximity to the beach equals practicality being paramount. Hat describes their coloured concrete as “a lifesaver — a real winner for our sanity”.
Despite the pooch, it’s texture that’s top dog around here, with the concrete grounding the overall effect. The couple choose the hue PFL137 from PeterFell’s Neutral range, with a minimum grind and polish for a matte finish to complement other tactile elements in their material palette, such as their plastered walls.
“As builders, we get to see a lot of products, so we keep an eye out for materials we want to use on our own projects,” says Hat. “We’d spied this industrial-looking finish at a local architect’s house and there were a couple of case studies we loved on the PeterFell website that used PFL137, so it was an easy selection for us to make.”
Textural effects are one of concrete’s strengths, from the simplicity of a smooth-trowel approach, to grinding to expose the aggregate, to the natural patina it develops with time. Sealing or polishing protects from stains, and makes for easy cleaning and maintenance, all of which aligns perfectly with the thrills and inevitable spills of family life. As Hat says, “The added beauty of concrete is it’s very difficult to destroy!”
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