The Chen Family (Asian American): Minimalist Design Meets Maximum Durability
Client Profile: The Chens
Location: Roanoke, VA
Family Status: The Chens are a modern Asian American family with a strong appreciation for minimalist design, clean lines, and highly functional, uncluttered living spaces. They value longevity and quality over quick fixes.
Challenge: The Chens had just built a new, architecturally significant home with a ground-level recreation area that opened onto a patio. They wanted a seamless, sleek, and highly durable concrete floor that flowed from the inside to the outside, requiring minimal maintenance and offering a high-design aesthetic.
The Challenge: Achieving Flawless Flow and Minimalist Perfection
The Chens’ home is a masterpiece of minimalist architecture. Every element was carefully chosen for its purpose and aesthetic contribution. The standard flooring options felt too traditional or busy for their taste.
They desired a polished, seamless look that emphasized the concrete structure itself but without the issues of bare concrete (dusting, staining, porosity). They needed a solution that was durable enough for indoor/outdoor transition, easy to clean, and perfectly aligned with their specific design vision. The pain point was finding a product that offered both high functionality and minimalist purity.
Our Solution: A Polished Concrete Look with a Clear Epoxy Finish
For the Chens, less was more, but the execution had to be perfect. We recommended a high-performance clear epoxy system applied over a professionally prepared concrete slab to mimic a polished concrete look but with the superior protection of a coating.
Flawless Concrete Prep: The new concrete slab was diamond ground to a smooth finish. Because the concrete was new and clean, we didn’t have the heavy stain issues, but the preparation was essential for the smooth, clean look they wanted.
Crystal Clear Epoxy: We used our premium, ultra-clear 100% solids epoxy to maintain the natural, raw beauty of the concrete underneath. This gave it a sophisticated, wet-look finish without covering up the natural variations in the gray concrete.
UV-Stable Topcoat for Indoors & Out: Since the floor transitioned directly to an outdoor patio, a UV-stable polyaspartic topcoat was critical to prevent any yellowing indoors or out. This created the seamless flow they desired visually.
Integrated Design: We collaborated with their interior designer to ensure the finish and sheen level complemented the surrounding materials (wood accents, natural stone, glass walls), making the floor an integral part of the home’s architecture.
The Results: Functional Art and Seamless Living
The Chens achieved their vision of a perfectly executed minimalist home. The floor is a key design feature that is both beautiful and highly functional.
Design Perfection: “The floor is stunning in its simplicity,” Mr. Chen shared. “It perfectly matches our vision for the house and flows beautifully from the inside to the patio.”
Maintenance: The non-porous, seamless surface requires almost zero effort to maintain, which is a major benefit for their busy professional lives.
Durability: The floor is incredibly resilient, handling high traffic and environmental changes with ease, embodying their value of longevity.
Aesthetic & Lifestyle: The clean, uncluttered space promotes a sense of calm and order, contributing to their desired minimalist lifestyle.
The Chen case study is a testament to how specialized concrete solutions can meet niche, high-design requirements, proving that simplicity doesn’t mean a compromise on performance.