Can I have burnished concrete flooring in a family home?

The quality of a burnished floor comes down to the quality of the concrete contractor. The contractor will typically run a powered trowel or "helicopter" over the wet concrete slab and with experience and care can achieve quite a smooth finish. It is not easy and any imperfection, gouge or non-level area or dip will be very visible in the final concrete floor.

Does polished concrete save on lighting costs?

Our potential builder has said they don't offer polished concrete flooring and if we want it - we'd have to organise after handover - is that a possible option?

Yes it is! As long as your new house is built on a concrete slab it can be polished.

What is the difference between a sealed floor and a polished floor?

A sealed floor (also known as a Grind and Seal) is machine grinding to the desired exposure followed by a Surface or Topical Sealer just like a timber floor.

Can grout lines be removed from concrete floors when polishing an old slab

It depends on how deep the grout lines are. We usually grind 3 – 5mm off the surface but can grind up to 10mm off so if they are deeper than that then they may still be visible in the finish.

What sorts of questions should people ask before choosing a polished concrete floor?

The home owner should consulate with a professional concrete polisher to decide on how much aggregate/stone should be visible.

At what stage should we polish?

Do I need to advise the concreter and or supplier that the concrete will be polished?

Yes, this will avoid the concrete supplier from sending truck deliveries from different depots and using different batches of concrete. The concreter can then also take special care to avoid screed marks and aggregate inconsistency.