The polished concrete cost factors can vary depending on a number of factors, including the size of the area to be polished, the condition of the existing concrete, and the level of shine desired. On average, polished concrete costs between $3 and $12 per square foot, with a median cost of around $8 per square foot. This cost can be influenced by various factors such as location, type of polish, and the contractor you choose. It is best to get multiple quotes from different contractors to compare costs and ensure you are getting a fair price.
Polished concrete is exploding due to its ease of maintenance. It's not just simply a shiny concrete floor but in fact, within the honing process, the substrate is impregnated with a resin referred to as a densifier filling the capillaries of the floor, creating a denser concrete. After more refinement of the concrete surface, a sealer or commonly referred to as a lithium Gard resin creates a sealed surface and allows the final step of burnishing or high-speed polishing to develop the sheen that is common to polished concrete.
Factors That Effect Polished Concrete Costs
There are a few factors that affect the cost of polishing concrete. A good concrete polishing contractor should be able to identify those items and assign a cost to remediate those issues. The more common issues typically include mastic or adhesive removal, as well as, tile removal. This generally results in an additional dollar per square for mastic and an additional dollar for tile removal. Another consideration is what percentage of the floor requires concrete resurfacing. For budgeting purposes, we should consider 85 dollars per .5 cubic feet or a bag of a polish-able concrete product, that cost includes not only the material but also the labor to apply.
Adding a Pigmented Staining to the Polished Concrete Floor
On occasion, depending upon how much patching is required a client may well request a pigmented stain to impregnate the substrate and bring together the overall appearance. This treatment typically costs approximately 1.50 dollars per square foot. The stained concrete flooring is affected by the porosity and original color of the concrete but often does make a floor really "pop" in terms of visual effects.
An Experienced Concrete Polishing Contractor Can Control the Cost
The honing of concrete substrate involves various textures or coarseness that will greatly affect the final outcome. Within the diamond selection process, you will also need to determine, beyond coarseness, the bonding of the diamonds to the metal segments as they are dictated by the substrate density if the wrong bonding is used the diamond segments will wear quickly causing larger expenses as more diamond tooling will be required to achieve the final appearance. A good concrete polishing contractor will test the hardness typical by way of a Mohs hardness tester, or simply scratching the substrate to determine the general hardness of the concrete floor.
Long Term Costs of Concrete Polishing
The initial cost of concrete polish is dictated by the factor discussed earlier in this article. It is difficult to determine the per square cost in general terms as it is affected not only by substrate conditions but the size of the overall project as well. In short, like all other types of construction get three estimates and discuss with your contractor the factors that were considered and get reassurances that they have addressed all contingencies to avoid last minute surprises. Next time you're looking to polish your concrete flooring gives us a call we can walk you through the process and offer a free quotation for your consideration.