If you’re looking to install polished concrete but unsure about your budget, here’s everything you need to know about the costs of polished concrete installation and maintenance.
Residential Concrete Floor Cost
Overview
- Residential Polished concrete floors range from $3.50 to $10 per square foot installed.
- An average 1,500-square-foot residential new-construction ranges from $5,850 to $9,875
- All polished concrete floor installs are low-maintenance and easy to clean by wet mopping
- New construction projects are typically lower priced than renovation projects
- The level of polished concrete floor reflectivity and desired color have a minimal impact on the price
Is installing a polished concrete floor expensive?
For residential construction, polished concrete floors are the most affordable luxury floors available compared to other flooring types like hardwood, tiles, and carpets.
As a rule, new construction projects are less expensive because the contractors can install them with fewer obstacles, like walls and cabinets. Further, there is less repair work required for the existing concrete floor.
Are certain types of polished concrete floor installations less expensive than others?
Yes, some styles of polished concrete floor cost much less per square foot than others. These affordable styles are called cream-polished or salt-and-pepper polished concrete floors. Concrete floors that require more grinding, such as rock-cut polished concrete floors, land at the higher end of the price range.
How much do polished concrete floors cost per square foot for new Residential construction projects?
Based on the style of the polished concrete floors, the price per square foot depends mainly on how much grinding each one requires.
- The lowest cost option are cream-polished floors. These concrete floors cost $3.50 to $5.00 per square foot
- Salt and Pepper is the middle priced option. These concrete floors cost $5.50 to $7.50 per square foot
- The most expensive type is rock-cut polished floors. These concrete floors cost around $10.00 per square foot.
Level of Reflectivity and Color
Despite their name, polished concrete floors can range from a satin finish to a mirror-level gloss. While high gloss floors require additional steps to install, the difference in installation cost per square foot between these finishes is minimal.
- High gloss polished concrete floors typically cost $0.75 more per square foot than satin floors.
- While most of our customers prefer the natural color of their concrete, we sometimes stain concrete and add pigments to alter its color.
- Added color typically costs $1.00 to $1.50 per square foot.
Of course, polished concrete surfaces don’t have to be only floors. Some homes require additional surface installations, such as walls, countertops, and worktop benches. It all depends on the style of each project, and, like any other surface, their prices are per square foot.
Additional costs and considerations to install polished concrete floors.
Ram Board Concrete Covering
It is best to install concrete flooring as early as possible in the construction process. For that reason, you will need to add to your polished concrete floor budget the expense of covering the floor during the remainder of the construction process.
Ram Board floor covering is typically installed before drywall so that tape, bed, texture, and paint contractors do not need to cover the floor individually. Doing this will save both time and money during your construction project.
- Ram board floor covering costs $0.45 to $0.65 per square foot installed.
Concrete Repair
Even for new residential polished concrete flooring projects, some amount of concrete repair should be expected. Common repairs include areas where a framing nail was incorrectly placed and caused a pit mark in the concrete. A polishable concrete material called a ‘grout coat’ is used to repair these types of damage.
- A typical new construction project will require $400 in concrete repair.
- Renovation projects can have in excess of $1,500 in repair, depending on how much damage was caused by previous flooring installations.
Sawcuts and Joint Fill
For some construction projects, structural engineers will specify that intentional saw cuts be made into the slab at weak points to control cracking. Called ‘control joints’, the slab will crack in these cuts instead of other areas of the slab, improving the floor’s overall aesthetic. These cracks will then need to be filled so that dirt and debris do not collect in them, creating a cleaning issue.
- Standard 1/4″ control joints cost $3.00 per linear foot, with an $800 minimum cost
- Joint fill is priced by depth and material, and costs from $3.50 to $6.00 per linear foot
When should polished concrete floors be installed?
Unlike hardwood flooring, which is installed near the end of a construction project, polished concrete flooring is typically installed as early in the construction process as possible. In fact, for most residential construction projects, we start the concrete polishing process just a week after the slab is poured.
The primary reason for this is simple; completely new concrete slabs will be much more resistant to staining and scratching after being polished. Another reason is cost. Starting a polished concrete floor installation before the walls are built will be less expensive than doing it after.
How much Do polished concrete floors cost in renovation projects?
For renovation projects, the price of a polished concrete floor will be similar to that of a builder-grade tile floor. While hardwood flooring options are highly variable in price, it’s typically less expensive to install polished concrete floors than install solid hardwood planks.
We recommend only installing polished concrete floors in fully gutted renovations–that is, houses with cabinets, trim, and doors removed. Because concrete polishing uses large, industrial equipment, these finishes may be damaged during the installation process if they’re not removed.
Further, installing a polished concrete floor in a gutted renovation is less expensive than in houses containing these finishes.
Commercial Polished Concrete Floor Cost
For large commercial installations, such as big box retail or warehouses, a polished concrete floor is often the only suitable type of flooring. Polished concrete floor costs less than other alternatives, such as VCT. Additionally, polished concrete floors offer higher durability, lower maintenance costs, and a more attractive appearance.
Commercial overview:
- Commercial concrete flooring is economical because large equipment can be used
- New construction pricing can be as low as $1.00 per sq. ft. for very large spaces
- Polished concrete floors are slip resistant and easy to clean
- Unlike VCT, concrete flooring does not require waxing and stripping
High Productivity Concrete Polishing
At Craftsman Concrete Floors, we utilize state-of-the-art power trowel polishing systems for extremely high productivity rates on large-scale jobs. Power trowel polishing systems offer the same quality of finish as planetary electric concrete grinders at production rates of 300% or higher.
This reduces on-site polishing times per 100,000 sq. ft. from approximately 20 days to 7, dramatically reducing downtime and increasing profitability. Power trowel polished concrete floor systems are a paradigm shift in commercial concrete polishing, reducing installation costs to a level that was impossible with electric polishing systems.
Other commercial flooring considerations
Polished concrete floors are not suitable for all types of commercial spaces. Commercial coatings, such as ESD epoxy or cementitious urethane, are recommended for industries such as: data centers, veterinary, commercial kitchens, automotive repair, pharmaceutical, or food manufacturing.
Concrete Overlays and Terrazzo
Overview
- Residential micro-topping overlays range from $8.00 to $15.00 per square foot
- Full-thickness overlays range from $24.00 to $35.00 per square foot
- Terrazzo floors can cost $50.00 or more per square foot, depending on design complexity
- An average 1,500-square-foot residential overlay ranges from $36,400 to $48,150
- Full-thickness overlays offer more durability and a more natural look than micro-topping overlays
- Micro-toppings should only be used as a short-term solution or when there isn’t available depth to install a full-thickness overlay or terrazzo system
Concrete Overlays
Concrete overlays are used to cover an existing concrete slab that is either too damaged to be polished or is not at the correct grade to meet other finishes, such as the egress in a retail shopping center. They may also be used to grade adjust between other flooring installations, such as hardwood or tile floors.
While this may sound ideal from a functional perspective, they’re often one of the most expensive flooring options available. This comes from the fact that concrete overlays are highly engineered flooring systems designed to be installed in high-traffic use cases such as stadiums, hospitals, schools, and airports. Installed at only 1/2″ or less in-depth, these concrete layers must be extremely strong to hold up to heavy traffic without cracking, chipping, or delaminating from the concrete slab below.
Concrete overlays also require additional components to function properly, including extensive concrete surface preparation and an epoxy coating between the slab and the poured topping.
Concrete overlays are used to cover an existing concrete slab that is either too damaged to be polished or is not at the correct grade to meet other finishes, such as the egress in a retail shopping center. They may also be used to grade adjust between other flooring installations, such as hardwood or tile floors.
While this may sound ideal from a functional perspective, they’re often one of the most expensive flooring options available. This comes from the fact that concrete overlays are highly engineered flooring systems designed to be installed in high-traffic use cases such as stadiums, hospitals, schools, and airports. Installed at only 1/2″ or less in-depth, these concrete layers must be extremely strong to hold up to heavy traffic without cracking, chipping, or delaminating from the concrete slab below.
Concrete overlays also require additional components to function properly, including extensive concrete surface preparation and an epoxy coating between the slab and the poured topping.
Terrazzo Floors
Terrazzo floors are a type of concrete topping that provides a versatile, high-durability floor for commercial use cases. Terrazzo combines a colored epoxy binder with marble or granite aggregates to create visually striking finished floors. Because these floors are mostly made of hard rock chips, they’re extremely durable and can withstand very high traffic.
Because of their complicated installation process and the high cost of materials used, terrazzo floors are generally quite expensive. They can range from $40.00 per square foot to as much as $90.00 per square foot, depending on the design elements and materials used.
Because of the high cost, terrazzo is mostly installed in high-traffic commercial buildings such as stadiums, hospitals, schools, and airports. They’re occasionally installed in residential areas such as kitchens and bathrooms.
FAQ
Installing a polished concrete floor by yourself is not recommended. Concrete floor polishing is a highly skilled task that requires expensive, complicated, and potentially dangerous equipment. Other types of installations, such as sealed concrete, are more realistic for DIY installers.
Bamboo floors are popular and affordable alternatives to wood flooring; however, they’re generally not less expensive than polished concrete floors. Typically, bamboo flooring costs from $8 per square foot to $16 per square foot, whereas a polished concrete floor can cost as low as $3.50 per square foot.
Polished concrete is significantly more cost-effective than wood in new residential construction. That is because the material used for polished concrete floors costs six to eight times less than that of high-quality hardwood floors. In 2023, a typical white oak floor install can start at $12 per square foot and go as high as over $22 per square foot. A cream-polished concrete floor is generally $3.50 to $5 per square foot, depending on slab size and gloss level. Stained concrete floors are similar in price to polished floors.
Because of their smoothly honed surface, a polished concrete patio provides a much better experience than standard broom-finished patios. Not only are they easier to clean, but they also feel better on bare feet. However, because these concrete pours are often broom-finished rather than hard-troweled like interior concrete, they require more grinding to achieve a good finish. Because of this, polishing exterior concrete is more expensive than polishing interior concrete floors.
Ideally, if installed correctly and regularly maintained, polished concrete can last up to 10-12 years without needing major maintenance.
Polished concrete floors are significantly less expensive than tile when installing a new floor in a residential construction or renovating an old one. Based on the project size a polished concrete floor can start at $3.5 to $5 per square foot.
Polished concrete floors are generally similar in price to laminate or vinyl flooring. Remember, vinyl floors such as VCT requiring regular waxing and stripping. These ongoing costs make polished concrete a more affordable option over its lifespan.
