Polished Concrete Floor Costs UK — What It Costs to Supply and Install in 2026

The Main Types of Polished Concrete

"Polished concrete" is used loosely to describe several very different products. The method you specify changes the cost base, the lead time and the look — and getting the customer to understand which one they actually want is half the job. Here are the three main routes used in UK residential and commercial work.

Mechanically Ground-and-Polished Structural Concrete

This is the "true" polished concrete: a structural slab — either a freshly poured one or an existing slab — that is densified with a chemical hardener and then refined through multiple stages of diamond grinding and polishing until it reaches the desired sheen. The aggregate (the stones in the mix) can be exposed to varying degrees, giving you a cream/salt-and-pepper finish at one end and a full terrazzo-like exposed-aggregate look at the other.

It is the hardest-wearing option and the most expensive, because the finish is created by working the actual slab rather than applying a separate topping. The result lasts decades and is the genuine article that architects specify on drawings.

• Supply-and-install, full mechanical polish: £120–£200+/m²
• New slab (if required), separate cost: £60–£120/m²

Power-Floated / Burnished Concrete

A power-floated or burnished finish is created while the concrete is still curing, using a ride-on or pedestrian power trowel to compact and smooth the surface to a tight, semi-reflective sheen. There is little or no diamond grinding, so the aggregate stays hidden and you get a more uniform, monolithic look. It's common in garages, workshops, warehouses and industrial units, and increasingly chosen for homes where the owner wants a flat, low-cost concrete look without exposed stone.

It is cheaper than full mechanical polishing because the finish is achieved during the pour rather than through a separate multi-stage process, but it relies entirely on getting the pour right — there is no second chance once the slab has set.

• Power-floated / burnished slab, supply-and-install: £70–£130/m²

Thin Polished Concrete Overlays / Microtoppings

Where the existing slab isn't suitable for grinding — too thin, too damaged, cracked, or simply not flat enough — a polished concrete overlay is laid on top. These are cementitious toppings, typically 6–25mm depending on the system, that are trowelled or poured over a prepared base, then ground and polished or sealed to give a polished-concrete look on floors that could never be mechanically polished in situ.

This is a distinct product from a thin decorative microcement coating: an overlay is a structural cementitious topping with body to it, ground and finished much like a slab, rather than a 2–3mm hand-applied skim. Overlays are the go-to for retrofit and renovation because they don't depend on the condition or thickness of what's underneath in the same way a ground slab does.

• Polished concrete overlay, supply-and-install: £100–£180+/m²

Price toward the top of these ranges for small areas, complex shapes, heavy aggregate exposure or premium specifications. The per-m² rate falls on larger, simpler floors where you can spread set-up and machine mobilisation over more square metres.

Where Polished Concrete Is Used

Knowing the typical settings helps you read the enquiry and pitch the right product. The most common applications in UK work are:

• Kitchens and extensions: The single biggest residential driver. Polished concrete in a rear kitchen extension gives a hard, hygienic, seamless surface that runs out into the garden through bi-fold doors.
• Open-plan living: Large continuous areas across kitchen, dining and living space where a jointless floor and consistent finish are the whole point.
• Commercial and retail: Shops, showrooms, cafes, galleries and offices choose it for the industrial-chic look and its ability to take heavy footfall.
• Garages and workshops: Usually power-floated or burnished, sometimes lightly ground, for a tough, easy-clean, oil-resistant surface.

The Process — New Slab vs Grinding an Existing Slab

The biggest single variable in your quote is whether you are working with a new slab, an existing slab, or laying an overlay. Each route has a different sequence and a different cost.

New Slab Pour

On new-build and extension projects you're often pouring the slab specifically to be polished. The concrete mix, aggregate choice and curing are all controlled with the final finish in mind — get the mix and the flatness right at the pour stage and the polishing goes smoothly. The slab needs to cure adequately (typically a minimum of 28 days for full strength, though grinding can sometimes start earlier) before grinding begins. A new slab is a separate cost on top of the polishing, and is one of the main reasons a polished concrete kitchen floor lands where it does.

Grinding an Existing Slab

Where a sound, thick, reasonably flat slab already exists, you can grind and polish it in place — the most cost-effective route because there's no new concrete. The catch is that you take what's there: old slabs can hold surprises such as cracks, pipe chases, patches, power-float burns or variable aggregate, all of which show in the finish. Always survey an existing slab before quoting and set expectations about what the final look will realistically be.

The Polishing Sequence

Whichever slab you start from, the mechanical polishing process follows a broadly similar order:

• Coarse diamond grinding to flatten the surface and expose aggregate to the chosen level (cream, light salt-and-pepper, or full aggregate).
• Densifying with a chemical hardener (typically a lithium or sodium silicate) that reacts with the concrete to make it denser, harder and more dust-proof.
• Multi-stage diamond polishing through progressively finer grits, refining the surface from matte to satin to high gloss depending on the specified sheen.
• Sealing / impregnation with a penetrating sealer to resist staining, water and oils, finished with a guard or burnish coat where specified.

Where the existing slab isn't suitable for grinding, you skip the in-situ grind and instead lay a poured or trowelled overlay onto a prepared base, then densify, polish and seal the topping in much the same way. The overlay route adds the cost of the topping material and its preparation but removes the risk of fighting a poor base slab.

Polished Concrete and Underfloor Heating

Polished concrete and underfloor heating are an excellent pairing — arguably one of the strongest selling points of the finish. Concrete's high thermal mass stores and radiates heat evenly, and a solid floor with no carpet or thick underlay lets the heat through efficiently. Wet (water-based) underfloor heating cast into or screeded over the slab is the most common arrangement on extensions and new-builds.

The practical point for quoting: the heating must be installed, tested and (for a new slab or screed) given a proper commissioning heat-up and cool-down cycle before you grind and polish. Coordinate with the heating installer so the slab is fully cured and conditioned first — and make clear to the client that polished concrete works best over UFH when the build sequence is planned around it, not bolted on at the end.

Worked Example — Kitchen Extension

A typical single-storey rear kitchen extension with around 25m² of floor, polished concrete laid as an overlay over a new screed with wet underfloor heating already in place. Light salt-and-pepper finish, satin sheen.

• Polished concrete overlay, supply-and-install at ~£150/m²: £3,750
• Edges, threshold detail to bi-fold doors and a column: £300–£500
• Typical total: £4,000–£4,500 (excluding the slab/screed and UFH, supplied by others)

On a small floor like this the per-m² rate sits high because mobilising machinery and protecting the rest of the property costs roughly the same whether the room is 15m² or 30m².

Worked Example — Larger Open-Plan Floor

A new-build open-plan kitchen, dining and living area of around 80m², full mechanical grind-and-polish of a newly poured structural slab. Medium aggregate exposure, high-satin sheen, densified and sealed.

• New slab pour at ~£90/m²: £7,200
• Full mechanical polish at ~£150/m²: £12,000
• Columns, edges and a kitchen-island plinth detail: £600–£900
• Typical total: £19,800–£20,100 for slab plus polish

Note how the per-m² polishing rate eases on the larger area, but the new slab roughly doubles the headline figure. If a sound existing slab were available to grind instead, you'd strike out most of that slab cost and the project would land far lower.

What Drives the Cost

Two polished concrete floors of the same size can quote thousands of pounds apart. These are the factors that move the number:

• Area: The single biggest lever on the per-m² rate. Small rooms carry a high rate because set-up and machine mobilisation are fixed; large floors spread those costs and come down per square metre.
• New slab vs existing: Grinding a sound existing slab is the cheapest route. Needing a new slab or screed adds a substantial separate cost.
• Condition of the existing slab: Cracks, patches, pipe chases, contamination and poor flatness all add preparation time — or push the job toward an overlay, which costs more than a straight grind.
• Aggregate exposure level: A cream/no-aggregate finish needs less aggressive grinding than a full exposed-aggregate terrazzo look, which takes more passes and more refined polishing.
• Edges, columns and detailing: Machines can't reach perimeters, columns, islands and thresholds. Hand-grinding and detailing these is slow, skilled work and adds cost on any floor with a lot of edge length relative to area.
• Access: Stairs, tight doorways, upper floors and occupied properties all slow down moving heavy grinding equipment in and out and add to the day rate.

Quick Reference: Polished Concrete Prices UK 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Is polished concrete the same as microcement?

No. Microcement is a thin (typically 2–3mm) decorative coating hand-applied over almost any sound substrate. Polished concrete is either an actual structural slab that's been ground and polished, or a thicker cementitious overlay finished in a similar way. They look related but are different products with different costs, thicknesses and durability.

Can I polish my existing concrete floor?

Often yes, if the slab is sound, thick enough and reasonably flat. A survey is essential first — cracks, contamination and variable aggregate all affect the result. Where the slab isn't suitable, an overlay gives the same look without grinding the original.

Does polished concrete work with underfloor heating?

Yes — it's one of the best floor finishes for UFH thanks to concrete's thermal mass and the lack of insulating coverings. The heating should be installed and the slab fully cured and conditioned before polishing.

Why does a small floor cost so much per m²?

Because mobilising machinery, protecting the property and detailing edges cost roughly the same regardless of room size. On small floors those fixed costs are spread over fewer square metres, pushing the per-m² rate up.

How long does polished concrete last?

A properly densified, sealed and maintained polished slab can last for decades — it's one of the most durable floor finishes available. Periodic re-sealing or re-burnishing keeps it performing in high-traffic settings.