Best for retail, restaurants and commercial interiors
POLISHED CONCRETE KELOWNA
Polished concrete is not a coating at all. There is no film on top to fail. We refine and harden the slab itself through a progression of diamond grits, chemically densify it, and finish with a penetrating guard. The result is the most durable and lowest-maintenance floor we install, and the only one that will outlive the building.
- Indicative cost
- $6–$14/sq ft
- Typical installation
- 3-5 days
- Lifespan
- 30+ years
What "Polished" Actually Means
True mechanical polishing is a multi-step grinding progression, typically 30, 50 and 100 grit metal-bond diamonds to cut, a lithium silicate densifier to harden the surface chemically, then 100 through 3000 grit resin diamonds to refine. Anything that skips the densifier or stops at 400 grit is a ground and sealed floor being sold as polished. It looks similar for a year and then dulls.
Choosing Your Aggregate Exposure
How deep we cut on the first pass decides the whole look. A cream finish stays in the top paste layer for a soft, cloudy, monolithic look. Salt-and-pepper cuts a millimetre or two down to expose fine sand. The most popular and most forgiving option. A full aggregate cut goes deep enough to expose the stone in the mix, which is stunning but only works if the slab was poured well and is dead flat.
Polished vs. Epoxy: Choosing Honestly
Polished concrete wins on lifespan, maintenance cost and the fact that it can never delaminate. Epoxy wins on colour freedom, on covering an ugly or patched slab, and on chemical resistance. If the existing slab is sound and reasonably flat, polish it. If it is patched, cracked, stained or you want a specific colour, coat it. We quote both and tell you which one your slab actually deserves.
Living With a Polished Floor
Day-to-day it is a damp mop with a neutral cleaner or an auto-scrubber in commercial spaces. There is no re-coat cycle. Every five to ten years in heavy traffic we can burnish and re-apply guard in a single visit to restore the gloss, at a fraction of what re-coating an epoxy floor costs.
System specification
| Process | Metal-bond grind → densify → resin polish |
|---|---|
| Grit progression | 30 → 3000 grit, 7-9 steps |
| Aggregate exposure | Cream, salt-and-pepper or full stone |
| Gloss levels | Matte, satin, semi-gloss, high-gloss |
| Densifier | Lithium silicate, penetrating |
| Maintenance | Auto-scrub or damp mop; no re-coating |
Finishes in this system
Polished Concrete. FAQ
How much does polished concrete cost in Kelowna?
Polished concrete runs $6-$14 per square foot in the Kelowna area. A basic cream-finish satin polish on a good slab is at the bottom of that range; a full aggregate exposure at high gloss with significant patching is at the top. Large commercial floors over 5,000 sq ft price lower per square foot.
Is polished concrete better than epoxy?
For durability and maintenance, yes, polished concrete has no film to peel and lasts 30+ years with no re-coating. For colour, coverage of a damaged slab, and chemical resistance, epoxy wins. The right answer depends on the condition of your slab, which we assess before quoting.
Can any concrete floor be polished?
Most can, but not all should. Slabs that are heavily cracked, badly patched, soft from a poor pour, or contaminated with old adhesive can be polished but will show every bit of that history. In those cases a coating is usually the better value. We core-test and grind a test patch before committing.
Is polished concrete slippery?
Dry, a polished floor has a similar slip rating to polished stone or tile. Wet, it gets slick at high gloss. For entries and commercial spaces we specify a satin finish and a traction-enhancing guard, which meets slip requirements without losing the look.