Polished Concrete Floor – lets take a look at the pros and cons.
A polished concrete floor isn’t the perfect solution. However, there are good reasons for considering it for your home.
Polished Concrete Floor
The Pros and Cons of a Polished Concrete Floor
In this article, we cover the pros and cons of installing a polished concrete floor.
Pro – Long Life and Better Durability
When using reliable concrete suppliers with a ready mix concrete that’s up to spec, a polished concrete surface can be expected to last for decades. Its durability is virtually unmatched. As such, it provides excellent value for money.
You can find a reliable solution through MixIt can deliver within London and Essex to support the creation of a polished concrete floor. They know exactly what type of cement to deliver too, so you can leave everything to them to save you the hassle of any research.
Con – Strong, Hard Surface
One drawback of it being so strong and hard is that there’s no give under the feet when walking around. It’s truly a hard surface and behaves that way. So, it’s not like walking on hardwood flooring with a little bounce to it or over plush carpeting either.
Mats can be added to areas where you might be standing or kneeling for long stretches, i.e. for a floor being used to service your vehicle in a home garage.
Pro – Minimal Maintenance Required
There next to no maintenance required with a polished concrete floor.
Only running a broom over it to pick up collected debris and dust is worthwhile. When marks accumulate on the surface, using a mop to run over it will fix that right up.
Some specialised polished concrete has other maintenance needs. Check with the supplier beforehand to confirm what they may be.
The Pros and Cons of a Polished Concrete Floor
More Pros and Cons of a Polished Concrete Floor
Con – An Unheated Polished Concrete Floor is Cold
Polished concrete isn’t effective at retaining much warmth, so the space is likely to be warmer than the floor itself.
It is possible to add radiant floor heating within the concrete to plan for this. This is one of the most reasonable heating options.
Pro – A Polished Concrete Floor is a Cost Effective Flooring Solutions
For floors that don’t require a comfy carpet underfoot or wooden flooring, polished concrete provides a very affordable, long-lasting solution to your flooring needs.
The cost for polished concrete varies widely depending on quality, brand, and the mix itself, so it’s important to get a type that will match your requirements. But even so, it compares well to alternative flooring concepts especially over the life of the floor.
Con – Audible Sound (no- ne wants that!)
Polished concrete is not quiet. It does echo sound around because it doesn’t absorb it like carpeting.
A solution to this is to use it in places where that’s not an issue, such as a garage. Alternatively, consider adding rugs for parts of the floor, both for warmth (as previously mentioned) and to act as sound absorbers. There are other sound-absorbing materials like foam, which can be added to rooms to dampen the sound and ensure it doesn’t travel elsewhere in the home.
Pro –Anti-microbial Properties
When polished concrete is finished the right way and sealed correctly, it is close to impermeable. This particularly applies to water. It may also have a coating added too. This will make it waterproof as it acts to stop outside contaminants from entering the concrete and bacteria forming within it or above it.
The better-quality polished surfaces also don’t have cracks where moisture or food remnants can find a safe harbour and be a place where bacteria can develop. The anti-microbial feature of polished concrete floors is also useful when using it in a garage, where you might be getting under the vehicle to fix something. When the floor is cleaned regularly, it won’t have some of the nasties that can lurk there.
Con –Risk of Moisture When Improperly Installed
There’s also a flipside to that coin.
When not using a reliable concrete supplier where the mix isn’t as it should be or the flooring isn’t installed and finished perfectly, there’s the potential for cracks to appear. These represent the worst potential outcome because with any crevice or crack, water, oil, and other liquids can find their way inside them.
A lingering issue of excess moisture leads to potential problems with a mildew build-up and other bacteria too.
The Pros and Cons of a Polished Concrete Floor
Pro –Resistant to Chemical Intrusion (this is really important)
While traditional concrete is porous, the sealed and polished variety is designed to act oppositely.
There is the option to add an epoxy coating to a concrete floor. This has chemical resistant properties. It depends on the use case as to whether this is beneficial to you. Certainly, it might be very practical as an addition to a polished concrete floor in a garage. However, it’s likely to be less useful in other settings where chemical substances are little seen or used other than perhaps by accident.
The Pros and Cons of a Polished Concrete Floor – final thoughts
A polished concrete floor is an extremely useful surface that’s ideal for many situations. Just like with any other floor type, it’s not a catch-all solution to every flooring need. Therefore, homeowners must consider where it’s best utilised to get the most from it.
Do you have a floor like this and what are your thoughts? Do drop me a note below I love to hear from you in regard to your interiors!
For further reading ideas
The Pros and Cons of a Polished Concrete Floor is a featured post – you might also like my post on a concrete shed
