Polished Concrete: Everything You Need to Know

Polished concrete is a type of pavement that is becoming stronger every day as the main option to place it as a floor in houses, offices and large surfaces, due to the extraordinary characteristics and advantages it offers with respect to other flooring alternatives.

When we are going to complete the masonry reform of a house, office or large area, one of the issues that most concern us is what type of pavement we choose to place on the ground, and really it is VERY IMPORTANT THE TYPE OF SOIL that we choose , because it can make us regret the decision if we do not choose correctly.

The floors for housing most usual ceramic tiles have always been, but those who have put this type of floor, sure you are tired of the joints of them are black, and you have to make an effort to clean them, and although you give a lot with the steamer do not always look good.

If to avoid this you chose rectified ceramic tiles, surely you will be tired of the eyebrows or stumbles that present the pavements, due to the curvature of them, since you have spent a good money for example in an imitation wood porcelain pavement, thinking that it would be like a floating platform, smooth and perfect, and it turns out that it is not like that.

Those who have terrazzo or marble as pavement of your home or office, you will be happy that they practically do not wear together or barely notice each other, because that way they do not get black, there are no trips between pieces, because when polishing it everything is uniform, but you will be tired how delicate they are with the subject of stains, because if you drop something and do not clean it immediately you already have that stain permanently.

And according to which areas, such as the kitchen or bathrooms, having a polished floor with a lot of gloss represents a great risk and possibility of slips and falls, especially in older people, who flee from this type of flooring and seek better options.

If in your day you opted for wooden floors or floating flooring to give warmth to your floors you will be happy in this aspect, but surely not so much in how delicate they are in front of the water, which causes them to swell and rise, and according to what dais models, how delicate they are before the heels that scratch them or the rubber of some soles that leave traces on top of it.

As a solution and alternative to the most classic pavements, we have the option of polished concrete that does not have joints that stain or that can cause tripping on the pavement, with the resin finishes that are used for polishing have a great resistance to stains and blows, and for areas of bathroom and kitchen are treated with systems to make the floor slip, maintaining the same aesthetic as the rest of the house.

That is why throughout the article that we have prepared, we will go deeper into the knowledge of this polished concrete, in case you do not know it, or you do not know the advantages that it presents and at very reasonable prices, almost always inferior to the other options of pavements

If you have a few minutes, read the article, I think it will be of interest to you.

What is polished concrete?

Polished concrete is a type of finish that is given to the concrete by polishing it by adding different resins and silicates to provide the same with a finish and a smooth and fine texture.

As is the printed concrete that everyone is sure you have heard, consisting of a concrete pavement that through some molds, you get some finishes with some concrete drawings, in the case of polishing, the finish is smooth and fine , normally bright.

Is concrete the same as polished?

It is not exactly, the same, let’s say that the concrete is half-way between the normal untreated concrete, which would have a more rustic texture, the trowelled by a machine called helicopter by the blades it has, and make finer the Finishing surface, although without polishing finishing resins.

And the polished concrete that in addition to making the framed with helicopter and give more passes, then apply some resins and special silicates to get finer finishes and usually bright.

Where is polished concrete used?

Because of the polished and usually glossy finish we could think that it is only used as a continuous pavement inside homes, but it has more uses, and not only in the interior, but also in the exterior.

In the garages is also the usual use of this polished concrete, as well as outside, such as sports tracks, department stores, even in industrial buildings, or outdoor terraces of the house at street level.

So, although many people distinguish between printed concrete with molds for outdoor and polishing for interiors, this way of classifying them is not really correct, since as we discussed, sports tracks, terraces at street level, parking, pediments, they are also common places where we can find this polished concrete for exteriors.

Advantages of polished concrete

Given the great advantages of this type of pavement compared to the other flooring options that can be found in the market, it is normal to understand the great boom that it has had in recent years, this construction system, and if we add the improvement in machinery for its application, even more.

Among the advantages of this polished concrete respect to other pavement options we have:

Decorative design wide variety of colors

When we talk about concrete we all tend to think about the gray color of cement, but further away from reality, since with the application of different dyes, and resins we can get the colors of concrete we want, prints, inlays of other materials.

Even different finishes that depending on the materials used, although the base is the mixture of cement, sand and gravel, we get to customize the floor of our home to our desire and personal style.

Easy cleaning

One of the most appreciated features of this paving system is its ease of cleaning, better than any other paving options we have.

It does not have placement joints, which is why it is called continuous pavement, so we do not have to worry about the joints becoming black as it happens with the ceramic racholas, nor that we get dirt in said joints because the tilers have lowered us a lot. together when grouting.

Directly, the polished concrete does not have joints where dirt can be introduced.

Its smooth and fine treatment, and its resistance to damp makes it ideal to sweep, clean, and mop over, and in areas of large surfaces, with cleaning machines, if you do the same in a moment, without having that much remirarse, hence it is highly valued and used in large areas and office buildings.

Great hardness and resistance

The polished concrete is achieved by applying a concrete floor of between 5 and 8 centimeters in the area that we are going to pave, and then with the helicopter it is fratated to a higher level than the usual smooth finish and the resins are applied and corresponding silicone finishing, as well as pigments and different treatments of impermeability, antifisuras, etc.

So we are talking about a solid block, which in a function of the size of the surface will carry reinforcement meshes to prevent cracking and to give the concrete base a compaction.

Therefore we are facing a very hard and resistant material, unlike for example what would happen with ceramic tiles where the tiler has stuck to gobs instead of a trowel, a tiling system that is still seen in some masons.

This system of tiling ceramic floors to gobs makes some parts of the pieces are hollow, so if we support a chair or strong table right where there is no cement tail, it breaks the same, especially occurs with this system on tips of ceramic floors.

This is impossible to happen in polished concrete pavement because it is all solid.

We can place furniture, drag it over without the precaution that we should with natural wood flooring or floating flooring, which are much more delicate, and we would not have problems in that we dropped water, leaks or broke a pipe.

Kitchen polished concrete.

In the kitchen something similar to the bathroom happens, not in the sense of accumulation of water vapor, but before the possibility that liquids fall when cooking, or when we scrub water falls out of the sink, hitting the ground directly .

The wooden floors and water have already commented that they do not take anything well, so it is usual to see in houses that have floating rate or natural wood, in bathrooms and kitchens, place imitation ceramic floors, avoiding wood in them.

And in the case of marble and terrazzo, we have the danger of absorbing it due to the high absorption of these materials, which is why we run the risk of stains or stains of humidity on the pieces that affect the tiling of the floor.

With the polished concrete we avoid these problems, giving the waterproofing, anti-humidity and non-slip treatment, to avoid that the water can filter in them, we can slip, or the humidity could get inside the soil.

Polished concrete and radiant floor

Inside the heating systems that are used especially in houses of new construction or where an integral reform of masonry is made where the existing floor is raised for the sanitation of the same and the installation of heating systems that give more comfort to the house, is the radiant floor system.

The system of radiant floor consists of the passage of pipes or conduits through the base of the floor, in the concrete slab, connected to each other and to the boiler that produces hot water, to circulate said water through the ducts and out of the heat from the ground up.

As the heat has to rise, it is a system that provides a high comfort in the house, since being spread throughout the floor of the house, there are no areas that do not acclimate.

For them we have to place said concrete slab and then decide what type of termination floor we place on top.

Wood and heat do not get along, so placing natural wood or wood flooring over the concrete slab when we have placed underfloor heating is not recommended.

We can place a ceramic floor, but due to temperature changes we must opt ​​for porcelain stoneware flooring, we already know that their prices are higher than normal stoneware floors, so the price of the work and only with the floor porcelain increases a lot.

To this we must add that to place these ceramic tiles on top of the concrete slab we have to do with a flexible glue cement, so that flexible cement bags are also much more expensive than conventional ones, so also will increase the final price.

Placing marble, granite or terrazzo is another option, but because of the thickness of the pieces, it will also reduce the efficiency of the radiant floor.

Then, the option of polished concrete and underfloor heating is the best option, because at the same time that we make the concrete slab we will couple the corresponding pipes of the heating system, and then we will give it with the fracking helicopter, and the chosen resins and dyes , the desired finish, as well as the desired brightness.

Microcement or polished concrete?

At the time of choosing between microcement or polished concrete we must know the main differences that will make us decant for one or the other, since in some points they are similar materials, but they present differences.

The micro cement is composed of cement, aggregates and resins with a pigmentation to achieve different colors, in this it would be similar to polished concrete, but the main difference is that the microcement has a thickness of between 2 to 3 mm, while the polished concrete the thickness is 5 to 8 cm.

This main difference in thickness is what will influence us when choosing the micro cement floor or the concrete floor.

If it is new work, we are making the new house, or a sports tracks, a garage or a garage, or a warehouse, then at the same time we cast the concrete slab that is always necessary to cast regardless of the type of pavement that we later place above, we can take advantage of the polished concrete.

In the event that we already have a pavement placed, such as a terrazzo pavement, or a marble pavement, with the doors of the house already placed, the armored door of the entrance, then, if we do not want to tear the floor, for the time and the expense that supposes the best option is the one of the microcemento.

When ascending in height only 2 or 3 mm by the thickness that it has, we will hardly have to touch up a little the doors of the house, as well as the armored door of the house that are always the most difficult to sand.

Because of course, in this case, throw even if they were only 5 cm thick, it would be having to eat a lot at the doors, and the armored door would be impossible to eat so much to fit the new height of the floor.

Then in this case better microcemento, in the others, for the price and for the placement the polished concrete.

Do cracks come out of polished concrete?

This is a question, the issue that if you get cracks to the polished concrete that I have seen more is repeated with respect to the time to decide on this type of pavement.

Here I have to say that it will depend on the quality of the materials used for the final finish of this polished floor, and the use of reinforcement meshes in the corresponding areas to avoid cracks and fissures.

It happens as in the plaster of a cement wall.

If the wall is made with quality materials, the construction sand used is of quality, the cement too, the water mixture is correct and the application also, no cracks are made in the plaster wall of cement or smoothed cement.

On the other hand, if to make smoothed cement, poor quality (obviously cheaper) aggregates are used, or the mixture or application is not made well (the time of laying, the time of use of resins, etc.) are not respected, we can have cracks in the polished concrete.

So as always, the price is important, but especially in this case, where labor is so important, it is best to look for good polished concrete companies, ultimately good professionals in the sector.

Polished concrete companies

If you are looking for polished concrete companies that can make a budget and advise you on the best way to apply this continuous pavement system, it is best to look for a printed concrete company, because as printed concrete is the best known, it will be the easiest to find.

Depending on your city you can search in google for printed concrete companies and there you will see several options, or if you have an acquaintance who have done some work of this type and was happy to contact those professionals.

If you are looking for printed concrete companies in Murcia, or for example, Cartagena printed concrete companies, you will find good professionals in the sector, who, even depending on the size of the work to be done, move to nearby provinces such as Alicante.

They have good prices and they are good professionals.

Polished concrete price m2

The price of polished concrete per m2 varies depending on the finish that we will give and the type of resin we use, from finishes in quartz or carbon, to more economical finishing systems.

The price of polished concrete will also depend on the amount of m2 of the work, as well as the displacement of the company that will carry out the work.

In general, the price of polished concrete comes out cheaper than any other type of flooring that we shuffle as an option to place on the floor of our home, garage, sports court, or warehouse.

Since regardless of the type of material, all should have a concrete slab, which as we discussed if we want to make a polished finish we take this to perform the finish.

If we think of ceramic floors or a stoneware floor or porcelain tile floors, apart from concrete, then we must apply a small layer of leveling mortar and then the cement glue and the stoneware floor, so the price will be higher that in the case of opting for the polishing of concrete.

In the event that we opt for wooden floors or floating flooring, it will be similar, since after concreting we will have to make a small layer of mortar, place a stoneware floor over, even if it is the cheapest on the market, and then place the wood over, so this price will also be higher than the first option.

And in the case of placing terrazzo, which we can put with cement broth on top of the concrete, so we would save on material grip, then we have to add the price of the terrazzo, that although we buy a cheap one, 5 or 6 € per m2 no one takes it away from us, then polishing and polishing it, so the final price will also be higher.

In short, for new works, or complete reforms of masonry where the pavement is going to start, the option of polished concrete, by characteristics and its great advantages is the most economical option and that will provide us with better results.

Of course, always contact good professionals, because in the rest of the flooring options, the quality of the material we buy greatly influences, and there are big differences between types of stoneware, porcelain, wood and floating flooring, as in terraces.

But in polished concrete, apart from the good quality of the application materials, the experience and the workmanship are fundamental to achieve a perfect finish, since there are many factors to consider during its application, such as the application temperature , setting times, resins opening time and uses.

So, first of all, hire good professionals, because a job is not finished or given away we want it.