One of the top flooring trends is polished concrete floors. Not only are exposed concrete floors highly appealing, exposed concrete floors are durable, long-lasting, affordable, environmental friendly, and perfect for many applications – including business, warehouses, retail spaces, homes, restaurants, breweries, art galleries, and so much more. In addition, the desired finish of your refinished exposed concrete can vary from low sheen to high gloss that resembles glass.

If you are interested in exposed concrete flooring for your business or home, you may come across flooring companies that offer both polished concrete and sealed concrete. Clients are left wondering, “Is polished concrete or sealed concrete best for my project?” Both polished concrete and grind and sealed concrete are great flooring options and can look almost identical. Many consumers are not aware of the differences between polished concrete and grind/sealed concrete floors, which can result in confusion when requesting quotes or gathering information.

Polished concrete and sealed concrete visually look almost identical. Even some contractors may have trouble first distinguishing between the two systems. However, the shine/finish is achieved in completely different ways. Polished concrete is more labor intensive and involves more steps than grind/sealed concrete floors. Concrete polishing is the mechanical process of polishing the surface of an existing concrete slab using engineered floor grinders fitted with industrial diamonds. During this process, the concrete is polished using finer grits of diamond abrasives until the floor reaches the desired level of shine (level 1-4). However with sealed concrete, the high gloss is achieved from a high performance sealer. Both floors are durable, but polished concrete has a longer lifetime expectancy and is more durable in areas with high foot traffic. We typically recommend sealed concrete as a more affordable alternative to polished concrete.

Keep reading to learn about the key differences of concrete polishing vs grind and sealed concrete floors, including appearance, durability, and price difference, to help make your decision for your next decorative concrete flooring project.

Polished concrete floors are created using the mechanical process of polishing the surface of an existing concrete slab using engineered floor grinders fitted with industrial diamond abrasives. During this process, the concrete is polished using finer grits of diamond abrasives until the floor reaches the desired level of shine. With polished concrete, choose from 4 levels of shine.

LEVELS OF POLISHED CONCRETE

Level 1 – Matte, Flat: The floor has a matte finish and will appear somewhat hazy with minimal clarity or reflection.

Level 2 – Low Sheen: The floor has a very low luster sheen with a matte finish. At about a 100 feet distance, you can start to see slight overhead reflection.

Level 3 – Semi-Gloss: The floor will have a higher gloss than compared to a level 2. There will be good light reflectivity. At about a 30-50 ft distance, the floor will clearly reflect light.

Level 4 – High Gloss: The floor produces the highest level of shine, similar to glass with high light reflectivity. The floor almost appears wet from many vantage points.

1. The process involves grinding the concrete with engineered concrete floor surface grinders to remove any contaminants from the existing slab.
2. Next, cracks and divots in the floor are patched with patching material.
3. Depending on your floor goals (i.e. desired finish and durability requirements), the concrete may be ground again with finer diamonds to further smooth the floor. If the concrete is soft, porous or free of contaminants, a second pass may not be necessary.
4. Afterwards, the surface is properly cleaned.
5. If desired, at this step a stain color can be added to your grind and seal concrete project. Choose from a wide variety of colors, from neutral, earth tones to colorful concrete dyes.
6. Lastly, your sealed concrete floor is sealed with a high-performance sealer. Depending on your floor goals, requirements, and your space, your concrete flooring company will recommend the best type of sealer for your project.

Now that we’ve defined both polished concrete and sealed concrete floors, let’s breakdown the main factors of their differences, including appearance, durability, and cost.

APPEARANCE

Sometimes it may be hard to spot the difference between polished concrete and sealed concrete because they look almost identical. Both polished and grind/seal concrete floors can have a matte, satin, or gloss appearance. However, the finish (either matte, satin, or gloss) is achieved in different ways. For polished concrete, the concrete is polished using finer grits of diamond abrasives until the floor reaches the desired level of shine (level 1-4). However with sealed concrete, the finish is achieved from a high performance sealer.

One difference is grind/sealed concrete has a more consistent appearance from one concrete floor to the next. The reason is the high-performance sealer is consistent on each application because it is not reliant on the concrete’s profile, unlike polished concrete. This may be beneficial for those looking to match sealed concrete floors throughout their space. With polished concrete, the finished look can vary from concrete to concrete because a different canvas is presented and extraneous factors can affect the final finish, such as the level of hardness or imperfections.

Stains can be applied to both polished concrete and grind and seal concrete floors.

DURABILITY

When choosing between polished concrete and grind/seal concrete, it’s important for your flooring contractor to understand your desired level of durability. Is it an area with high foot traffic? Is the area prone to oil spills?
Polished concrete is great in high volume spaces because it has a scratch-resistant finish and requires little maintenance. It also lasts for decades if properly maintained. The later statement applies for grind and seal concrete as well – if properly maintained, an expert grind and seal floor should last for decades and decades.

In areas with high foot traffic:

Polished concrete is ideal for environments with high foot traffic because they require minimal maintenance and have long lifetime expectancies.
In areas with stains, oils, grease, animal urine etc.

Grind and seal floors have a chemical-resistant polyurethane sealer, allowing the floor to easily be cleaned away of stains that could typically cause permanent damage to other flooring systems. Grind and seal floors help protect against grease, oil spills, stains, and animal urine.

Cost

Concrete polishing is more labor intensive and costs more than grind/seal or burnished concrete. If interested in polished concrete floor but would like a more affordable option, we recommend to choose from either grind and seal concrete or burnished polished concrete.

BENEFITS OF BURNISHED CONCRETE

Burnished polished concrete resembles polished concrete but does not require as many steps. This system is less labor intensive which makes it more affordable. The burnished concrete process involves utilizing a high-speed burnisher that spins at approximately 1,500 rpm to 2,500 rpm to fills the concrete’s pores with an applied chemical. The burnishing machinery heats and buffs the topical coating into a concrete surface. It’s important to note the finished floor is less durable than polished concrete and does require more maintenance.