A new polished concrete floor
Pour the slab to be polished: power floated, with joints cut, then left to cure for at least 28 days before the grinding starts. The pour is a cost you'd have anyway; the polish is the extra.
Free, no obligation. One local polished concrete contractor prices it, not five.
Pouring for a polish
- Power float it. The slab is power floated and left with an SR1 level finish.
- Joints. Expansion joints about every 30 to 36 m². Agree where they go before the pour.
- Fibres. Polypropylene fibres in the mix.
- The stone. Concrete for polishing is made from local aggregates to I.S. EN 12620 and SR 16. Stone can't be added to the truck on site.
- Keep off it. Footprints left while it's drying can't be polished out.
Get the polishing contractor in before the concrete is ordered. The pour decides most of what the polish can do.
When it happens in the build
- The slab is poured, with the underfloor heating pipes in it if you're having them.
- It cures for at least 28 days. Most polishers want it a month old.
- The heavy work is finished first: plastering, with everyone else's kit off the floor.
- The grinding, the densifier, the polishing passes and the sealer.
Some contractors grind early and polish at the end. Ask yours how they'll protect the slab between the pour and the polish.
What a new polished floor costs
| Job | Typical price | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Polished concrete, most floors | €90 to €150 a m² | The finish, how much stone shows, the edges and joints, and the size of the floor. |
| A large floor, standard finish (over 100 m²) | from €55 to €60 a m² | Bigger floors cost less a m²: the machines and the set-up are the same. |
| A small floor (under 100 m²) or a high-end finish | from €120 a m² | More grinding passes, more stone showing, a higher gloss. |
| A 190 m² new build, mid-range finish, city | about €20,000 | About €105 a m². |
The truth about cracks
Concrete shrinks as it dries, and it takes years to dry out completely. Cracks can appear months or even years after the floor is laid. Joints in the right places give it somewhere to crack neatly. A good contract says how cracks will be treated if they come.
Polished concrete in your own room
Take a photo of the room, pick a finish and a sheen, and see the floor polished before anyone quotes. Free, in under a minute.
- Upload a photo, or answer 4 questions.
- We pass it to one contractor that covers your county.
- They ring you with a written price.
Preview of your photo, not a guarantee. Your photo goes to Google's Gemini service to make the picture and isn't kept.
A photo that works
- Daylight, lights on if it's dull.
- From the doorway, so most of the floor is in the shot.
- A building site is fine: the slab, the plaster, the lot.
- Hold the phone level, not pointed at your feet.
Questions people ask
Can any concrete be polished?
The mix matters: the stone, the fibres and how it's floated. Speak to the polisher before the pour.
How long after pouring can it be polished?
At least 28 days.
Does the polishing contractor pour the slab?
Sometimes. A concrete contractor experienced in slabs for polishing may charge a little more than a builder for the pour. Ask who's responsible for the finish if they're different firms.
Can I add a polished floor to an extension?
Yes, as a new slab. Where it meets the old floor, plan the joint and the levels with the contractor.
Get a price in 4 taps
Tap what you need and leave your number. It goes to one polished concrete contractor that covers your county, and they ring you back to look at the floor and give you a written price.
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