Expect to pay roughly £225 per m² for a polished concrete floor. However, this can vary depending on the design, reinforcement requirements, excavations and other factors.
Cost Per m²
Below is a breakdown of the costs that make up a typical polished concrete floor. The rates are for South East/Outer London regions.
| Item | Cost per m² Labour | Cost per m² Materials | Cost per m² Plant | Total Cost Per m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excavation | £14 | – | £14 | £28 |
| Disposal of Excavated Material | £7 | – | £22 | £26 |
| Blinding Layer | £5 | £5 | – | £10 |
| Hardcore | £9 | £16 | – | £25 |
| Concrete Floor – 150mm thick | £8 | £50 | – | £58 |
| Insulation 100mm thick | £5 | £15 | – | £20 |
| Damp proof membrane | £1 | £2 | – | £3 |
| Polished Screed – 100mm thick | £27 | £20 | £6 | £53 |
| Total | £76 | £108 | £42 | £226 |
Factors Affecting the Cost
There are a couple of factors that may affect the cost.
Reinforcement Requirements
Reinforcement may be needed in slab depending on loading requirements. If this is the case, expect to pay am additional £19/m².
Depth of Excavations Required
This will also impact disposal and hardcore costs
Design of the Floor Structure
- The specification or dimensions of items such as insulation, concrete, screed and floor finish are all impacted by design, therefore impacting cost. Some examples include:
- Larger buildings need a thicker concrete base, more support and reinforcement.
- High-performance insulation like Kingspan Thermafloor may only need to be 100mm thick to reach a certain U-Value. Lower-grade mineral wool insulation may need 200mm/300mm thick.
- Different hardcore depths may be used to make-up levels where excavations have had to be particularly deep to find good ground.
Benefits
Low Maintenance
Polished concrete flooring is simple to clean and maintain. It’s an ideal choice for anyone who doesn’t have the time or energy to clean it.
There are no messy waxes or coatings needed and the corresponding costs of labour to apply them. A damp mop or daily broom sweep is all you need to prevent dirt accumulating.
Very Durable
Polished concrete flooring is ideal for places there is a lot of foot traffic. The material is strong and resilient. It is also very difficult to damage and is unlikely to get chipped or scratched.
Polished concrete floor don’t become discoloured unlike wood or carpeted floors.
Long Life Span
When properly installed and sealed, polished concrete can last more than a 100 years, even in harsh commercial environments. It has a longer expectancy than other flooring methods like wood laminates or vinyl tiles.
You’ll save money long-term because you’ll never to need to remove and replace worn or damaged flooring.
Why You Can Trust This Data
We worked directly with a Quantity Surveyor of 7+ years involved in £600M capital expenditure works for a large hotel chain to develop these costs back in 2020. If you see similar cost values and breakdowns on other websites, then you can probably assume they have taken them from this article and Quantity Surveyor.
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