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Price, Advantages and Disadvantages & Price of Polished Concrete Floor

Advance PolytechMarch 9, 2022

255 5 minutes read

Modern loft style bedroom with mountain view 3D rendering image.There are polished concrete walls and wooden floors. There are large windows that offer endless views to nature and mountains.

The most common polished concrete finishes to investigate

Steel trowelled, burnished, honed, and mechanically polished concrete floor have the four basic methods of polishing concrete. There are various amounts of stone exposure as well. Very unique and colourful final patterns may being creating depending on the degree of grinding and the particles used in the concrete mix.

To minimise differences, discuss the intended final outcome with the concreter prior to polishing the concrete floor. Choose if you want trowel markings for a more rustic style, what gloss level you want, and how much stone exposure you want. We’ll go through the exact qualities of each polishing process, their benefits and drawbacks, as well as remarks on their durability and pricing, so you’ll know what to look for.

Steel trowelled — Despite being the most basic and inexpensive polishing finish, when a sealer is apply, this process may still create the desired shine look. This procedure sands the still-wet cement using a hand trowel or a power trowel (also known as a helicopter). A hand trowel is often use to prevent harming the surface and to treat smaller sections. This, however, may leave trowel marks. A power trowel, on the other hand, is better for bigger expanses and floors that are free of trowel markings. After that, you’ll need to apply a non-penetrating sealer. The sealer will need to be remove and reapply after a few years.

Burnished — This style of polishing is done by steel troweling the surface with a machine-powered trowel until it is free of markings and glossy enough. Extending trowelling while the concrete is still wet may cause the surface to ‘burn,’ causing certain areas to darken. The burnished approach is more costly and time-consuming, but the results are well worth the effort.

Honed – Here, finer abrasives are use to grind the previously set concrete in order to produce greater degrees of glossiness. A greater amount of aggregate exposure may be attain because to the deeper grinding. A penetrating sealer is employing in the honing process. Furthermore, this polishing procedure makes the concrete very durable, but it is also more costly and time-consuming.

Mechanically polished — This procedure grinds, hones, and polishes the concrete using diamond-bonded abrasives. The surface is then being threat with a chemical hardener to make it more harder. Because of the aggregate exposure, this is the toughest and most durable concrete available, with a surface that is both bright and colourful. It is mostly use in large commercial projects.

The kind of sealer used may have a significant impact on the final appearance and polishing level. The three basic varieties of polished concrete finishes – matte, satin, and high gloss – will be discuss here. Which one you choose is mostly determine by your own tastes. Nonetheless, some are more suited to certain places and properties in general than others.

Matte (light-polishing) — Choose light-polishing for a more natural and hazy effect. It won’t reveal much of the stones, nor will it have a lot of clarity or reflection, but it’ll be easier to keep clean since dust won’t draw as much attention.

Satin (middle polishing) — The satin finish gives the surface a clearer appearance. The reflection, however, is still not particularly crisp. Satin polish concrete floors are still quite simple to keep clean, and they have a gloss to them that the matte alternative lacks. Mid-polishing is likely the most popular option, since it is seen as the golden mean by many.

High gloss (high-polishing) — This finish has a brilliant mirror-like reflection and clarity. It brings out more of the stones in the substrate, making it seem shinier, more rich, and colourful. It’s a little more difficult to maintain the surface pristine all of the time since everything is visible. Nonetheless, many homeowners choose this option because of the beautiful effects.

What is the price of polished concrete flooring?

In general, polished concrete flooring is considered a low-cost option. In Australia, prices may start at $25 per square metre and rise to $50 per square metre. You should expect to spend $75 per square metre for sharpened concrete, and $100 per square metre for mechanically polished concrete, which is the most costly.

However, before you decide to polish your floor, you must first ensure that the underlying concrete is acceptable for polishing. Some concrete floors are softer than others, and as a result, they may be damage with time. Those floors will first need to be levelled out and repair. Consider if there are any cracks that need to be fill or if there are any high places that need to be sanded. This will have an impact on the ultimate cost of the project.

Other variables that might affect the price include:

The dimensions of your room – Smaller rooms are often less costly, but it depends on if any particular sections would need more careful and accurate work. This may result in a modest price rise.

The cost of steel trowelled, burnished, honed, and mechanically polished surfaces varies depending on the kind of polishing.

Level of stone exposure – Minimal, medium, and full stone exposure are all lovely alternatives, but the more colourful patterns will set you back extra.

Finishing sealer — Matte floors are less costly than satin floors, but high gloss is usually the most expensive.

Is it true that polished concrete is less expensive than tiles?

When it comes to deciding whether polished concrete or tiles are more cheap, it all comes down to the sort of flooring you already have. If you already have concrete floors, you will just need to pay for the polishing, which will cost you about $50 per square metre. The cost of only the tiles, on the other hand, may vary from $35 to $50 per square metre, with real stone tiles costing more than $100. The cost of having the tiles place will be extra.

If you require new concrete flooring, however, expect to spend about $80 per square metre for both the new concrete and the finishing. Keep in mind that concrete flooring must be install by an expert. As a result, you’ll have to employ a professional to do the task.

When it comes to long-term outcomes, polished concrete, on the other hand, is more durable and may last a lifetime. It will take many decades before you feel the need to repair your polished concrete.

Is polished concrete less expensive than hardwood floors?

It also depends on if you already have a concrete floor and only want to polish it, similar to the tile cost comparison. If you answered yes, the cost of steel trowelling your concrete will almost certainly be less than the cost of purchasing and having flooring fitted by a professional. The price of wooden flooring ranges from $30 to $120 per square metre, depending on the quality of the wood and whether you choose pure hardwood or engineered wood. As a result, both the technique and the cost of installation will change.

However, since polished concrete has a long lifetime, you may expect to save money on new floors and repairs. While wooden floorboards are readily damage and will need to be replace after a set amount of time.