apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Anyone have a rough guesstimate of how much it might cost to put in a poured concrete floor in a (small, Manhattan-like) bathroom? Would any contractor even be interested in doing something so small?

And while I'm at it - is poured concrete "over"? Am I living in the 90s?
(And is it even a good choice for a bathroom?)

Good Question. I am also wondering if people have recommendations for people that do countertops.

As for the issue of whether concrete floors are "over" or good for bathrooms: I L-O-V-E concrete floors. I am now in NYC, but recently returned from living in Africa for years. All of my floors in different places were concrete, including the bathrooms (when I was lucky enough to have one). They are so deliciously smooth, and so easy to clean and take care of. And I find them beautiful. I think they are a great choice for a bathroom, although I have never lived with them in an American context.

Pphillipp. I love concrete floors too. Some friends have a great post-and-beam house in Palm Springs. And throughout the entire house, they have glazed concrete floors that have been tinted a brown-grey color and scored (to mimic the look of 2"x2" oversized tilework laid down on a diagonal). The overall look is fantastic. And the upkeep is minimal--"swiffer"ing the floors every couple of days and mopping up when needed. And in terms of finishing the floors, you have lots of options--color tints, scoring (if you're pouring new concrete), number of glazing coats, etc. (But, hmmm, now that I think about it... I seem to remember that their bathrooms had slate tile.) Regardless of "shelf-life" of the look, I'm sure you could make the concrete work for you because of the many finishing options.

anyone know where to find decent teak patio furniture that doesn't cost a fortune (e.g., smith and hawken...gorgeous stuff, about 3x more than I want to pay). I tried world market in los angeles, but they didn't seem to have something that would work. Just looking for a small circular table that'll seat four and allow for a market umbrella in the $500 range. thanks!

I'm in lover with concrete too. Polished! Gorgeous! However I wonder what the logistics would be to have it done in my new 3rd floor apartment...

Cleaning month update:
I finally, after thinking about it forever, was inspired by cleaning month chat here to get a Roomba (robotic vacuum cleaner, very cute) a few weeks ago and it is absolutely wonderful. Some people might be driven crazy by its seemingly random path. Think of how pool balls hit the side of the table and go off at an angle--this is basically what the Roomba does. It bounces off walls, furniture, whatever, and then is diverted in a different angle. So, you really never know whether every inch of the floor has been covered. But I don't care. I'm just thrilled to let this thing loose and not have to lug out the vacuum cleaner all the time. Every once in a while, yes, to get at the corners - the Roomba is round, so it's never going to really get into the corners - and maybe for a very occasional thorough cleaning. It looks very clean to me after the Roomba's been through. And it's so much fun to watch. It also has a remote control, although it's not necessary to use it, making it even more like a toy. The cat is wary of it and curious, but not horrified, as with the regular vacuum cleaner. The Roomba is much, much quieter. Also, I think because it's small and low, the cat doesn't see it as something that will run over her or suck her into the machine.

Pixie. have you seen this webpage about a woman, a Roomba, and her cat?

I thought it was side-splittingly good.

www.tomatonation.com/roombaloo.shtml

Anne-that's hilarious!

Hah!

Or this webpage about a woman, a woomba, and her...

http://mediafetcher.com/?p=86&page=2

(Aired on this weekend's SNL.)

Trying to track down two art pieces...

Was wondering if anyone who attended this year's Armory Show remembered seeing a series of two bright red prints, being sold as a fundraiser, each saying "None of the Above", one red on white, the other white on red. They were being sold from stacks, at I think $75 for the set. Tried the Armory Show folks to no avail.

The other piece I'm trying to track down was possibly shown at the AAF (Affordable Art Fair): a large-scale silkscreen (or other type of hand-pulled print), square-ish in format, featuring a "tin man" sort of character with a cartoon balloon filled with cartoon cursing (*%$@#@!!). Print had a lot of red in it.

Doug-thanks for the woomba link - I think someone previously alluded to this here. The resemblance of the little woomba to a roomba crossed with some feminine hygiene product is great. And the completely unpredictable racing around of the device is probably more in the nature of what the cats are imagining.

Adam - I've bought teak outdoor furniture through Amazon. This year, I bought a table, chairs and market umbrella for around $750. Bizarrely, it was sold through Amazon by a Canadian company called All Things Cedar. It is teak though and not cedar.

Adam - I got a great bench on sale at Smith & Hawkin a few years back and it is showing zero signs of aging. It should be about time for their deep discounts to kick in -- and it really is quality stuff . . .

This is neither teak nor circular, but I think it's awfully pretty AND well-priced:

www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?page=proframe&prod_id=1088780

(Just offering it up in case anyone else might be looking for a patio furniture.)

rock the concrete floors, from NYC and Africa to my sister's suburban Pleasant Hill living/family room (bay area)...it can take tints or any abuse; my nephews enjoy their toy cars + such, or sis can put down either refined rugs or tumbling mats + rubber playground flooring ...great for many settings.
Concrete walls and pillars should stay in style (doubly lasting), what with architects like Tadoa Ando (who "...works primarily in concrete and is renown for an exemplary craftsmanship,") gaining esteem.