Is Polished Concrete Worth your Money?
How much is a polished concrete floor in the Philippines? What is the polished concrete price per sqm? How much should I invest in a polished concrete floor?
The Average Cost of Polished Concrete
For starters, the average price of concrete polishing in the Philippines is Php650. This means if you have a 200sqm property, you may need to prepare at least PHp130,000 (Note: This does not include the cost for concrete placement). But this price estimate can increase further. Aside from area, there are other important factors involved in the overall price of your polished concrete floor. These include:
- The amount of preparation needed to ready your concrete floor
- The kind of sheen level you want for your concrete floor
- The location of your project
A floor with wide areas of soft and damaged concrete, for example, may require you to place a new layer of concrete. Also, a high-gloss finish is more expensive than matter finish because it needs much finer diamond grits and more time for grinding and polishing.
The price of polished concrete is expensive compared to other flooring materials in the Philippine market. But because long-term savings matter for your project, the cost of maintaining polished concrete overtime is significantly lower that its counterparts. For more accurate figures, we can prepare you a customized quotation for FREE. Send us a request for free estimate through the link below.
Polished concrete flooring for home and business
Polished concrete is one of the best flooring options in the Philippines. Yes, you’ll see it in large warehouses, hotels, and malls. In the metropolitan centers like NCR, Iloilo, Cebu, and Davao, many establishments are choosing polished concrete for their flooring. Here is an example of a completed project for CitiHardware’s warehouse in Bahada, Davao City.
Many homeowners today are also choosing polished concrete. Residential polished concrete floors are on the rise due to the durability and aesthetics they provide. The variety of polished concrete texture and polished concrete finish in the market is also increasing. Thus, many are getting interested in having polished concrete for their property. The question is how much does polished concrete cost in the Philippines and is it worthwhile to have one?
How much polished concrete floor cost?
Since polishing concrete floors are a big investment, property owners should know how much to prepare before engaging with . Before going for polished concrete flooring, it is wise to ask how much does it cost to get polished concrete floors?
The cost of concrete polishing varies per project. In the Philippines, the average cost of concrete polishing is at Php650 per square meter of concrete flooring, which of course depends on how much pre-work is needed and the difficulty of the structure, and the gloss you want to achieve for your floor.
The total cost of concrete polished floors often gets lower when the concrete slab is already hard enough to be polished (i.e. A hardness of 3500 psi or higher is ideal for polishing a concrete floor). This means there is less need for the polished concrete contractor to do large repairs on the concrete slab.
But the hardness of your concrete floor or concrete slab is not the only factor. Before polishing a concrete floor, contractors also check for surface damages such as cracks, crazing, and holes.
Can I DIY my polished concrete floor?
Because the cost of a polished concrete floor is high, many think of the possibility of a DIY concrete floor. In a world where almost everything is learnable through online tutorials and video demonstrations, one question is whether or not polished concrete is doable as a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) project for the sake of saving money. Technically, it is possible to polish your concrete floor on your own provided you have the concrete polishing machine or machines needed for this kind of project. You also need to have the knowledge and time to do the rigorous processes need to complete a high-quality polished concrete floor. But acquiring both the equipment and the knowledge is costly as well.
The best way for you to have a polished concrete floor is working with a polished concrete contractor. DARIV, for instance, has multiple concrete polishing projects around the Philippines, with completed projects ranging from residential polished concrete floors to industrial polished concrete floors. Check out our concrete polishing projects in DAVAO region.
Frankly, polished concrete floors do not come at a low expense. Avoid contractors who offer to work on your concrete floor at very low prices. These low prices often come at the expense of the quality of your project. In many cases, low prices may also mean the workers who will do much of the physical labor are being paid well. To know how much we offer for concrete polishing per square meter, request for a quote through this button.
Long-term Cost of Polished Concrete
When talking about the cost of polished concrete, you will always ask how much money you need to shell out to complete the project. But the cost of polished concrete is not all about your initial cost. You should also consider its long-term benefits to your personal or business Here are key benefits of polished concrete to consider when talking about cost.
Benefits of Polished Concrete
When calculating cost, you also need to see the benefits of concrete polishing in the long run. Here are key benefit you need to consider when asking “how much is polished concrete?”
Durability
Concrete is the most durable flooring material on the planet. Tiles can easily break and crack. Wood is weak and prone to pest and mold. Vinyl is toxic and highly flammable and can easily wear off.
But polished concrete can withstand heavy traffic from people or light vehicles that pass on it every day. It is not vulnerable to pest and mold, and not flammable. Plus, a polished concrete floor can last for decades or more when properly sealed and maintained!
Design
At DARIV Concrete Polishing, we have a wide variety of color and sheen levels for polished concrete floors. You’ll have enough versatility in terms of architectural design and aesthetics. Here’s an example of a rest house floor with high-gloss sheen and exposed aggregate finish.
Ease of maintenance
Most flooring materials require delicate care when cleaning. Polished concrete floors, on the other hand, only needs neutral pH cleaners to maintain its luster and durability. It does not need waxing and regular replacement. Here is one example of polished concrete flooring we completed for a school building.
Cost-efficiency
As a property owner, you should consider both short term and long term effects of your flooring strategy. In the short-term, concrete polishing can add to your upfront expenses. But because of its low-maintenance and durability, you’ll spend less on your flooring and more on other important costs.
Long-lasting and shiny concrete floors do not come without cost. Many property owners make the mistake of sacrificing quality for price, and often end up working with contractors with no proven record of completing quality polished concrete projects. Because your floor is foundational to your property’s overall strength and appeal, you will save a lot more when you get a contractor who can really give you value-for-money results.
Customized polished concrete floor projects
To help our clients with their concrete polishing needs, DARIV offers customized polished concrete solutions. Here is an example. When we visited Citihardware’s store in Marbel, Koronadal City, their manager showed us a rough and soft concrete floor prone to extreme dusting, cracks, and surface damage. Several contractors tried restoring and polishing the concrete floor. But because of poor floor conditions, these contractors were unable to solve Citihardware’s flooring problem.
Citihardware tried putting wax to seal their concrete floor. Yet the floor remained dusty because of regular usage by clients, suppliers, and staff. The movement of stocks and shelves, machinery, and other heavy items also made their floor dull, rough, and cracked.
Citihardware approached DARIV to give them a good-looking and durable concrete floor. At the same time, they wanted to keep their store open to keep serving their customers.
DARIV crafted a customized method to address both Citihardware’s concerns. We began the concrete polishing process by testing the compressive strength of their concrete slab. With a rebound testing hammer, we got a result of less than 20R (2000 psi) which meant the concrete floor was weak and soft. Since Citihardware would still serve their clients during daytime, we scheduled our operations from 7 pm to 7 am. We isolated the sections we would work on by placing dust protection covers on their product racks, walls, and other items that dust and debris can damage.
Having secured the areas and items that cannot get damaged by the concrete polishing process, we proceeded with grinding and repairing the weak and soft concrete floor. We used a #30 grit diamond to remove unnecessary surface materials. Afterwards, we patched up cracks and pin holes, and placed grout on large cracks in the concrete floor.
After repairing the floor, we treated the concrete surface using special hardeners and densifiers. Our concrete surface treatment hardened the soft and worn out sections, and gave the floor a polished look.
Once the densifiers seeped through the concrete and dried up, we continued polishing the concrete floor up to Citihardware’s desired finish. Lines from grouting works remained visible on the polished floor, which is normal because of repairs done on weak and damaged concrete. The large aggregates, exposed through deep grinding, also helped beautify the final finish.
What's your Verdict?
Polished concrete is one the best flooring options for your home or business. Once dusty, rough, and cracked, your concrete floor can become clean, sturdy, and stunning.
Of course, polished concrete is not the perfect solution for all establishments. But when durability, design, ease of maintenance, and cost-efficiency are primary considerations for your property, concrete polishing is definitely worth your money.
Request a quote to know how much you need to spend on your concrete polishing project.