We are in the process of building a house and our entire first floor is cement. We have radiant floor heat underneath so our floors can be toasty warm which is a whole new experience of wonderful. I have also been experimenting with finishing the floors with a water-based acid etch technique and a water-based epoxy sealant which has been so much fun to explore. It is quite the process and very time consuming but the results have been great, and the sealer on the floor makes it so easy to clean, it's fabulous for folks like us who suffer from allergies. But cement floors also come with a downside, you should be sure to have places where you can step onto throw rugs or keep a pro gel mat in the kitchen. (I will definitely be getting one). Your feet will get tired easily. I always wear good shoes when I'm working. Recently I had some gravity issues with a coffee pot, and some spices which made for a fabulous splattering array of glass. But all in all, I'm really happy with the cement floors and they will be unique to the house. I've attached some pics of an area of our kitchen in progress and the guestroom/office. The pics don't do the color and patina justice, but in the kitchen you can see the light gray unfinished floor against the finished parts.

Our home was built in 2007, beautiful concrete floors. We love them enough that we are putting them in our new home. You have a lot of flexibility with colors and finish. We have 2 large dogs and kids. They look great. We have had them polished and sealed once since instillation.

Concrete is hard on the feet, do you have to wear shoes all the time?

I don't wear shoes all the time, only when I'm in work mode. But I do wear slippers because I like a little cushion.