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For many homeowners, making their homes more robust is a priority. They want their renovations to last long-term in any climate.
But what do you need to do to join these enterprising individuals? How can you make your property more robust? What works?
That’s the topic addressed in this post. It explores the key materials to include in your next renovation and why they are so effective at resisting the passage of time. Here’s what you need to know:
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Natural Stone Accents
One method to make a renovation more robust is to add natural stone accents. These can reinforce weak points and stop things like weathering from taking hold from the outset.
When most people think of stone, they consider crumbling old buildings. Some forms of stone don’t maintain their integrity long-term. However, that’s because historical builders often used more accessible materials and didn’t understand which would last.
More recently, this setup has changed and individuals are using materials like granite and slate. These forms of stone are far more durable, particularly when used for exterior hardscaping, while also offering an element of beauty and durability that you simply can’t find elsewhere.
Natural stone is particularly valuable in high-traffic areas. It keeps them looking neat and tidy, even when there is weathering and other issues elsewhere.
Stainless Steel Fixtures
Another trend for making your home more robust is to include stainless steel fixtures in your makeovers. These are resistant to corrosion and easy to clean, allowing them to last considerably longer than standard metal fittings.
Stainless steel works in kitchens and bathrooms because its stone elements allow it to resist water. It’s easy to clean, highly durable, and looks good on most installments, like faucets and cabinet handles.
Stainless steel instantly gives your home a sleek and aesthetic look. It can withstand daily use and is suitable for things like cabinets and backsplashes. Some homeowners don’t like the clinical look, but others love it, especially when integrated with more traditional materials.
Epoxy Wall Panels
Epoxy wall panels are significantly less well-known. However, they are becoming more popular, especially among homeowners who understand or work in the trades.
Epoxy wall panels are essentially synthetic materials originally used by commercial installers to perform renovations quickly when on a deadline. These are water-resistant and easy to clean with non-standard implements, making them a must-have in many homes.
What’s interesting about epoxy and related materials (like acrylic) is their ability to mimic the look of more expensive materials, like glass or marble. Adding them creates a sparkling finish in rooms, reducing the need for maintenance or the challenges of traditional materials.
Epoxy wall panels are also highly customizable because they can come in nearly any color, size, shape, or finish. The degree to which manufacturers can personalize them to your requirements is considerable. While they won’t always be a perfect fit, you can often get close to a specific theme.
Furthermore, epoxy, like most synthetic products, can last a long time. It won’t degrade, even in the presence of water, which isn’t true of other materials, like marble, that sometimes adorn bathrooms and kitchens.
Concrete Pavers
They might not be luxurious, but concrete pavers are another option if you want something that will last and stand the test of time. These slabs are known for their durability and weather resistance, providing a stable, non-slip surface capable of handling heavy use in outdoor environments.
The original highways were made of concrete because engineers knew the material could withstand heavy daily use. The same is true of your outdoor spaces. Concrete is ideal if you have children or a lot of heavy furniture you want to move around.
These days, concrete pavers are more aesthetically pleasing than they were in the past. Slabs are more refined and don’t look as much like the underlying material as you might expect.
You can also use concrete indoors these days if you never want to worry about your flooring or surfaces again. Engineers lay floors to be smooth and glass-like, giving them a unique and attractive appearance you can’t achieve with carpets, tiles, or more expensive options.
Concrete is also now available in different colors, not just gray. This makes it suitable if you want to recreate a terra cotta appearance or like the material to look like slate.
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Reinforced Glass Windows
Reinforced glass is another addition you should make to your home if you want it to last longer. Including reinforced, tempered or laminated solutions is the smart choice, particularly for people living in storm-prone regions.
Reinforced glass offers numerous benefits to those choosing to install it. It improves security and is also energy efficient. It’s also useful in survival situations, particularly if it can’t be broken via manual means. Yes, someone could drive a forklift truck into it, but you could also erect concrete bollards outside your home to prevent this too.
If possible, look for reinforced glass that comes with UV protection. These films provide additional protection to flooring and fittings around your windows and mean you can sit next to the window without having to apply sunscreen.
Reinforced glass has the final benefit of lowering energy costs. Many solutions reflect heat energy into rooms while reflecting it out into the environment when it comes from the outside. This means that both cooling and warming are less expensive, potentially cutting your gas and electric bills substantially.
Composite Decking
Composite decking isn’t quite as durable as many materials mentioned thus far in this post. However, it is something you should consider if you want your outdoor flooring areas to last longer.
Composite is made of wood mixed with other materials, including fibers and plastics. This means that boards aren’t as prone to cracking or splintering, unlike conventional solutions.
Usually, you have to re-treat wood every couple of years or so. However, the same is not true of composite materials. These last significantly longer and don’t require much beyond the occasional cleaning, making them a long-lasting choice for patios and porches.
Porcelain Tiles
Another material to consider using in your home is porcelain tiles. These are an excellent option for any area prone to moisture damage or buildup, like bathrooms and kitchens.
Porcelain is denser and less porous than ceramic materials, which makes it more resistant in outdoor spaces too. This means that it can resist water infiltration better and provide a higher level of protection for longer, no matter how rainy it is in your area.
Many people like porcelain tiles because they come in numerous colors and textures. These let you create a stylish look for your home while also enabling a luxury appearance. You can also fold them into your existing theme, allowing you to complement your current setup, and reducing the need for more extensive renovations.
Slate Roof Tiles
Another way to make your property more robust is to add slate roof tiles. These tend to last significantly longer than most other materials, with a maximum lifespan of an astonishing 200 years by some estimates. (To put that into perspective, standard asphalt shingles last around 10% of that amount of time).
If you ask any hail damage roofer, they will tell you that the harder the material, the better. And slate is one of the hardest, able to withstand most extreme weather events, including golf ball-sized hail storms.
Of course, slate isn’t cheap, so if you invest in it, expect to pay a significant sum of money. But it is one of the most effective ways to stop damage to your property in at-risk areas.
Quartz Countertops
For the kitchen and bathroom, we recommend using quartz countertops. These offer a combination of beauty and resilience that no other materials in their class give you.
The reason for this is that quartz is non-porous. This means that water won’t infiltrate into the material and you don’t have to seal it all the time, unlike marble and granite. Some owners even cut directly onto their quartz countertops, though this isn’t advised.
Quartz is also a material that comes in various colors and patterns from the factory. As such, you can use it with your existing kitchen theme without having to rip out cabinets and tables to match.
Fiber Cement Siding
Fiber cement siding is another lesser-known material to consider for your home’s external areas. It mixes sand, cement, and cellulose fibers into a single material, increasing longevity substantially.
What’s more, it has the added ability to mimic natural materials, like stone, wood, and stucco, making it one of the most popular options in hurricane-prone areas. It’s inexpensive (making damage more acceptable) but it can also look like a premium material when installed in the proper way.
Furthermore, it doesn’t require the same level of maintenance as some of these other materials. Often, installations will last for years without the need for any interventions. Painting surfaces is sometimes necessary, but not always.
So there you have it: some of the materials to include in your next property makeover to make it more robust.
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