Grounding, aka ‘Earthing,’ is an ancient practice going through a modern revival in the world. If you’ve never heard of it, the easiest way to think of grounding is simply connecting with the energy of the Earth, much like an electrical current. And just like electricity, scientists have been studying the properties of Earthing and how it can benefit your health. All you have to do is take off your shoes.
Sort of.
See, you have to make a connection with the Earth in order to have a transmission of energy. The Earth has a lot of energy to give and we rarely take advantage of that. If your lawn has survived the drought in San Luis Obispo County, you can go outside and stand on the grass, or you can walk around on the dirt, but these methods don’t work for everyone. Especially when it’s 107⁰F in Paso Robles. Dry grass and rocks are sharp and dirt is, well, dirty. To top that off, any concrete or stone is going to be extra hot. What if you want to ground yourself indoors?
It is possible. There are companies out there selling mats and blankets that connect to the ground of an electrical socket in your home, but their coverage is limited. Instead, you can make your entire home a place to connect with the energy of the Earth with concrete. The home can’t be on an elevated foundation or use a vapor barrier to do it, but it is possible. For homes in either of these situations, a patio can be built or replaced in concrete without a vapor barrier or a sealer for grounding on concrete. Concrete is made up of water, sand, crushed stone, and cement (usually with a little bit of air trapped inside, too). All of these come from the earth, even the cement, which is typically comprised of lime, iron, silica, and alumina. By connecting the concrete directly to the soil without any vapor barrier between the two, then leaving off the sealer on top so that your feet can make a direct connection, you are Earthing in and around your own home any time you kick off your shoes.
Many San Luis Obispo concrete sidewalks are the same way; just concrete on the Earth with no concrete sealer, but that doesn’t mean your home needs to be the same foggy shade of tombstone gray in order to try grounding on concrete in your own home. We specialize in decorative concrete applications in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Monterey Counties, and can use additives and grinding techniques to still give your home or patio a beautiful finish. Contact us today!
Here are just a few of the benefits of Earthing*:
- Electron Transfer
- Antioxidant
- Anti-Inflammatory
- Better Sleep
- Less Pain
- Reduced Anxiety
- Neutralizing Free Radicals (could slow aging)
- Fewer Headaches and Migraines
- Faster Healing (especially from exercise-induced fatigue)
- Reduce Loss of Calcium and Phosphorous
*Please keep in mind, we’re a concrete contractor, not a medical doctor. These benefits have been found by multiple researchers, but speak with your doctor before assuming anything is a cure or treatment program.
We live in SE Oklahoma and I’m search for a way to finish our floors and still be grounded. We live in a mold infested house and need so many benefits from a new healthy home. We are very rural so contractors have no clue what grousing is much less how to help us. Please let me know if there is any information you can share since we can hire your company here. Thank you.
Starting to have a home grounded with a concrete floor depends on the foundation of your home. If you are already on a concrete slab foundation, removing the flooring down to the concrete will get you started. Look in your area for someone who does concrete polishing and they should be able to help you. If you have a raised foundation, you’ll need to find a concrete contractor with experience in foundations.
Hi! We are in the middle of building our home (just passed combo) and I’m about to embark on the very time consuming journey of polishing our concrete slab myself. We are going this route specifically for the grounding benefits, as I suffer from Chronic Lyme Disease and I think it would be beneficial to my healing. My biggest concern/question is whether or not I should be using a densifyiny chemical..? Of course everything I read about polishing says a densifier is a must, and although it’s not technically a sealer, I have no idea if it gets in the way of grounding or not. I thought I’d ask here first but my next step will be to buy a grounding tester and put a little densifier in an inconspicuous area and then test the difference. Thanks in advance!
No, It will not interfere with grounding. Densifier hardens the cement paste around the aggregates does not form a grounding barrier on surface. Good luck!
Hi, I live in Illinois in a brick condo building on a third floor. I have a relatively large balcony that has concrete floor. Do you think grounding on such floor is possible when bare feet, considering the concrete floor is connected to all brick building. Is there any way to measure this? Thank you
The steel (rebar) in the slab must be grounded to a ground rod to ground slab. Depends on construction method. I believe the rebar must be grounded per building codes. You should check with local building dept.
Would you like to join our non-commercial facebook group on Earthing to talk about how concrete and earthing work together? We’d love your contribution.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/earthandground