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Concrete Polishing in Vancouver
Concrete Polishing Services in Vancouver
Epoxy Experts grinds, densifies and polishes concrete floors for warehouses, retail stores, offices, breweries and homes across Metro Vancouver. Polished concrete turns the slab you already have into the finished floor, with no coating on top that can peel, scratch through or lift under hot tires. Our own crews have installed floors since 2019 for clients including BC Ferries, Trafa Pharmaceutical and Herbaland, and we carry $5 million in commercial general liability insurance with full WorkSafeBC coverage.
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What Is Polished Concrete?
Polished concrete is a concrete slab that’s been mechanically ground with diamond tooling, hardened with a chemical densifier, and refined through finer and finer grits until the surface reflects light. Nothing is applied on top as a film. The finish is the concrete itself, so there’s no layer to delaminate, and the floor can be repolished in place years later instead of stripped and recoated.
The densifier is what makes it last. A lithium silicate densifier soaks into the ground slab and reacts with the free lime in the concrete, hardening the top of the slab from the inside. Grinding a slab without densifying it gives you a floor that looks good for a few months, then dusts and wears in the traffic lanes.
Grind and Seal vs Densified Polish
Two different floors get called “polished concrete,” and your quote should make clear which one you’re getting.
Grind and seal
Ground to a smooth profile and finished with a topical sealer that provides the sheen. It costs less, installs quickly and looks great on day one. The sealer is a surface layer, so it wears in traffic lanes and needs to be maintained or recoated over time.
Densified polish
Gets its shine from the concrete surface itself after densifying and multi step resin polishing, with only a penetrating guard on top. It costs more upfront, holds up longer under forklifts and heavy foot traffic, and is maintained with cleaning and periodic burnishing rather than recoating.
We install both and will recommend whichever fits the space and budget. A grind and seal is often the right answer for a basement, a storage area or a tight budget. A densified polish is usually the right answer for a warehouse or a busy retail floor. You can see a recent example in our Strong Pilates grind and seal project in Surrey.
Where Polished Concrete Works Best
Warehouses and distribution centres
Handles forklift and pallet jack traffic without a coating to chip or wear through, and the bright surface reflects overhead light across the racking aisles. Need striping or a coated zone too? See our warehouse floor coatings.
Retail, showrooms and offices
A salt and pepper or high gloss finish gives a clean architectural look that stays good under daily foot traffic and is easy for janitorial crews to keep up.
Breweries, restaurants and light manufacturing
Works for front of house and dry areas. For wet production floors and washdown zones we recommend urethane cement flooring, because a polished slab stays porous to acids and sugars.
Homes, basements and garages
A durable, low maintenance floor with nothing on top to lift from hot tires. Want colour or flake in the garage? See our garage epoxy flooring options.
Polished Concrete Finishes We Offer
Every polished floor is specified by two things: how deep we grind, which decides how much stone shows, and how far we polish, which decides how much it shines.
Cream
We stay in the top layer of cement paste, so you see little or no sand or stone. The most uniform look and the lowest cost, best on newer, flat slabs.
Salt and pepper
A slightly deeper grind exposes the fine sand in the mix for an even speckled look. The most popular choice for retail, offices and homes.
Exposed aggregate
We grind deeper to reveal the stone in the mix. Older slabs often give the most striking results once they’re opened up.
Honed
A matte, low sheen finish for warehouses, garages and anywhere slip resistance matters more than shine.
Satin
A medium sheen and the common choice for offices, retail and residential main floors.
High gloss
A reflective finish for showrooms, lobbies and feature floors. Mirror gloss goes past 1500.
Our Concrete Polishing Process
Six steps on every job, whether it’s a 400 sq ft basement or a warehouse floor.
Site visit and slab assessment
We measure the floor, check the slab for cracks, old coatings, adhesives and moisture, and talk through finishes. You get a fixed price quote once we’ve seen the concrete.
Grinding
Metal bond diamonds remove laitance, old sealers, glue and coatings at 30, 80 and 200 grit, connected to dust extraction the whole time so occupied buildings stay clean.
Crack and joint repair
Cracks are filled or stitched, control joints get a semi rigid filler that grinds flush, and pits are patched with a polishable repair compound.
Densifying
A lithium silicate densifier goes onto the open slab to harden the surface and lock in the dust.
Polishing
Resin bond diamonds step up through 400, 800 and 1500 grit until the floor reaches the gloss level you specified.
Guard and handover
A penetrating guard or sealer goes on last to resist oil, coffee, salt and water. Foot traffic returns 24 hours later, and you get a care sheet.
Polished Concrete vs Epoxy
Here’s how we decide what to recommend.
Choose polished concrete
- The slab is in decent condition
- The space gets heavy foot or forklift traffic
- You want the lowest long term maintenance
- You like the look of natural concrete
Choose a coating
- The slab is badly damaged or patched
- You want colour, flake or a metallic look
- The floor must be fully sealed against liquids
- You need line markings built into the floor
Plenty of facilities end up with both, such as polished concrete in the warehouse and office areas with a coated system in the battery charging room, shipping dock or wash bay. We quote both on one site visit. Compare our epoxy and polyaspartic coatings.
Concrete Polishing Services
Polished concrete by building type, finish and service. Pick the one closest to your project.
Polished Concrete Questions, Answered
Costs, comparisons and care guides to help you choose the right floor.
How Much Does Concrete Polishing Cost in Vancouver?
The biggest factor is how far we take the grit. A honed, low sheen floor sits at the bottom of the range, and each extra step up to high gloss adds time and diamond tooling.
What else moves the price
- Removing an existing coating, tile adhesive or paint
- The number of cracks and joints to fill
- How deep we grind for aggregate exposure
- Access, such as working around racking or after hours
Every quote is a fixed price once we’ve seen the floor.
Concrete Polishing Across Metro Vancouver
Our crews polish concrete across the Lower Mainland. Commercial work can be scheduled at night or on weekends to keep your operation running.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does concrete polishing cost in Vancouver?
Concrete polishing runs $5 to $20 per square foot, depending mostly on the grit level and how much shine you want. Slab condition, coating removal and crack repair also affect the price, and we give a fixed quote after a free site visit.
Can you polish an existing concrete floor, or only new slabs?
We polish existing slabs all the time. Old coatings, paint, tile adhesive and sealers come off during the grinding stage, and cracks and joints are repaired before polishing. Slabs with heavy damage or deep patching may be better suited to a coating, and we’ll tell you that at the site visit.
Is polished concrete slippery?
A clean, dry polished floor meets typical slip resistance expectations for commercial and residential spaces. Water, oil and dust are what make any hard floor slippery. For entries, ramps and wet areas we recommend a honed finish or a slip resistant treatment.
How long does concrete polishing take?
Most projects take 1 to 5 days, depending on size. A small basement or garage can be finished in a day, and large commercial or warehouse floors take closer to 5. The floor is ready for foot traffic 24 hours after the guard or sealer goes on.
How long does a polished concrete floor last?
A densified polished floor can last decades with routine cleaning, because the finish is part of the slab. High traffic lanes may need burnishing or a light repolish every few years to bring the gloss back, which is far less disruptive than stripping and recoating.
How do I maintain polished concrete?
Dust mop or auto scrub with a pH neutral cleaner and clean up spills promptly, especially acidic ones like wine, vinegar or citrus. Avoid harsh acidic or alkaline cleaners. We leave a care sheet with every floor.
What is the difference between polished concrete and a grind and seal?
A grind and seal gets its shine from a topical sealer that wears over time and needs recoating. A densified polish gets its shine from the concrete surface itself and is maintained by cleaning and burnishing. See the grind and seal comparison above.
Book Your Free Site Visit
Send us the address, the approximate square footage and the finish you have in mind. We’ll come out to look at the slab, check it for moisture and damage, and give you a fixed price quote.