How much do polished concrete floors cost?

When you think of polished concrete, you might think of an office or warehouse, but in the home, polished concrete can add a sophisticated touch that’s both subtle and understated. It has become a popular home design trend in recent years to create a contemporary ambience and clean finishes in the home.

What are polished concrete floors?

According to Cement Concrete and Aggregates Australia (CCAA), polished concrete describes decorative concrete flooring options that leave the concrete surface exposed as the final floor finish. The CCAA notes that polished concrete floors are affordable, energy-efficient, low-maintenance and dust-free. Polished finishes can be achieved through a variety of techniques, which can create different colours and patterns in the floor. These finishes can be completed on concrete slabs that are either on the ground or suspended.

Is a polished concrete floor expensive?

How much does it cost to polish concrete depends on how much heavy grinding is required, according to Policrete, a concrete flooring specialist. With the benefit of durability, concrete flooring may be a cheaper option than some alternatives if you are looking for a long-term value option.

How much does a polished concrete floor cost?

Polished concrete floors cost from under $25 per square metre to around $50 per square metre for grind and seal polished concrete on average, according to online service directory hipages, with honed concrete costing about $75 per square metre and mechanically polished floors costing $100 or more per square metre.

Different factors go into the pricing of polished concrete, including the size of the area you require flooring for, the condition of the floor, the type of concrete finish you’d like, what type of polish is used, how much polishing is needed and how easy or difficult it is for workers to access the floor area with their equipment.

Is polished concrete more expensive than floorboards?

According to hipages, it is likely that polishing a concrete floor may cost more than a polished timber one, a polished concrete floor is likely to last longer, require less maintenance and experience less wear and tear than a timber one over the course of its lifetime. They state that the cost of polishing a timber floor could vary from anywhere between $1,000 to $8,000, but add that the average cost of polishing a timber floor in a three-bedroom house is around $2,500.

Are polished concrete floors worth it?

Concrete is known for being a low maintenance flooring option. Concrete industry specialist John Nichols shared with Canstar that polished concrete floors are the most durable floor in the housing industry. “They will not be eaten by termites, will not rot from moisture, will not burn if exposed to heart or flame, will not wear out, and will outlast many generations of the people that live in the house,” he said.

Concrete floors now come in a variety of colours. Looks can be achieved in different ways through mixing the colour into the concrete, as well as through staining and coatings. Textures and patterns can even be created to replicate the look of a desired aesthetic, such as timber or stone. Another advantage is that concrete floors can work as a thermal mass if they’re exposed to the sun. This means that they can absorb and store the heat of direct sunlight and slowly release it over the day and into the night. This internal heating could make a difference to the comfort of your home, and even your utility costs, longer term.

But, there can be drawbacks to choosing polished concrete flooring too. First, it can be cold. Second, with little ‘give’, concrete can be uncomfortable for some people and hard on the knees and joints, plus it might be similarly unforgiving if glass or other fragile items are dropped onto the floor. And while polished concrete can be waterproofed, moisture can still make its way up from the ground if the floor is not properly sealed on both the top and bottom surfaces. This might lead to the growth of visible mould or mildew, which could impact the structural integrity of the slab and be costly to fix.

What types of polished concrete flooring are available?

There are three basic methods of producing a polished concrete floor. These can be used to polish the concrete slab itself or to achieve a different look by using different materials in the top layer. They are (1) steel trowelling, (2) burnishing and (3) mechanical grinding. Both a steel trowelled and burnished finish require a high degree of labour, as the surface must be worked around quickly to create the desired finish before the concrete hardens.

The most common method today for producing a polished concrete floor is through mechanical grinding. This is done by allowing the concrete to set hard and then using grinding pads (on a grinding machine) to grind down the floor to produce a desired finish.

What’s the difference between a honed finish and a polished finish with concrete flooring?

There are typically two types of finishes you can get from a mechanically ground concrete floor. They are a honed finish and a polished finish.

• Honed finish. This is produced by partially grinding down the surface with coarse and medium grinding pads to reveal a smooth matt finish. This finish will have a higher skid resistance compared to a gloss texture and may be suitable for outdoor floors or those that experience high foot traffic.
• Polished finish This high gloss shiny finish is produced by fully grinding the surface with progressively finer grinding pads and is generally suitable for indoor flooring surfaces.

The process of grinding the concrete will expose the aggregates (materials in the concrete such as sand, gravel and stone) which can provide different patterns and colours. A sealer is then applied and absorbed into the concrete to help prevent staining, keep the concrete surface looking good and to facilitate cleaning.

How are polished concrete floors installed?

A concrete floor can be laid either as part of the foundation slab or as a cap (or topping) overlaid on an existing concrete floor, according to build.com.au. Once the concrete is poured, one of the methods described will be used to provide the polished finish. The concreter will need to know what method you are using while laying the slab, to ensure they can give it the type of finish you’ve chosen.

The CCAA states that colours can be introduced to polished concrete floors by adding pigments to the concrete when mixing it, or by applying aggregates, chemical stains or dyes and tints to the surface. It also advises that patterns can be created by saw-cutting pattern lines into the surface, using different joints, or adding aggregates when polishing. Existing concrete slabs can also be polished, according to the CCAA, but this will depend on their condition. Some surface preparation, such as the removal of minor defects or trowelling marks, may be required on existing floors before polishing can begin.

How long does concrete polishing take to complete?

The time it will take to polish concrete in a home will ultimately depend on the size and complexity of the project, but could take upwards of two to three days, according to hipages. Looking online or visiting showrooms may help you visualise how polished concrete would look in your home and give you more information about the options and pricing for this type of flooring. For further guidance, you may find it helpful to get in touch with a flooring professional.

Cover image source: By Jodie Johnson/Shutterstock.