Polished Concrete Floors

The word concrete evokes the plain, cold, gray floors often found in factories and garages. But it's more than that. Concrete is fast becoming the ultimate no-fuss flooring material.

Thanks to recent advances in polishing equipment and techniques, we are now grinding concrete floor surfaces—whether new or old—and applying coatings to achieve a gloss or low-sheen finish. Factor in the superior durability and performance of concrete, and it’s no wonder that more retail, warehouse, and office facilities are opting for polished concrete flooring as an alternative to marble, granite, tile, or linoleum. Even homeowners are catching on to the appeal of these smooth, high-luster floors. Perfect for Warehouses, Showrooms, Restaurant floors, Retail space and more.

The exposed aggregate look, where the normal grey concrete is ground back by several millimeters to expose whatever aggregate exists in the slab, is often used in renovations of older buildings to reveal some of their history.

Not all concrete floors are suitable for this treatment. Where the subfloor is badly stained or cracked, these flaws have become an integral part of the concrete and cannot be removed. Some stains (such as oil or chemicals) may react adversely to the coatings that are applied as part of the finishing process.

One important factor in both new and old concrete floors is the moisture level present within the slab. This needs to be bought down to a low level, or the coating system will fail. New floors may need several months to dry out sufficiently for the work to be carried out. Older concrete floors, particularly at ground floor or basement level, may suffer from rising damp or moisture ingress from elsewhere - see our page on Floor Preparation. Your Floorco representative will carry out a moisture-meter check as part of their assessment of the floor.