Microcement Versus Polished Concrete Versus Resin
We install all three, so this is not a pitch for one of them. They fail in different ways, cost different amounts and suit different buildings, and picking wrongly is expensive to undo.
Where this works
- Choosing a floor for a large open plan extension
- Specifying a showroom or gallery floor
- Deciding between refinishing an existing slab and overlaying it
- Industrial units weighing downtime against durability
- New builds where the slab could become the finished floor
How we install it
- 1Choose microcement for interiors and detail
It is the only one of the three that wraps up walls, over stairs and onto worktops at 2 mm, so it suits homes and interiors where the finish has to travel across surfaces.
- 2Choose polishing when the slab is good
If the concrete is sound, flat enough and you can live with the aggregate it exposes, polishing gives the hardest wearing surface with no coating to delaminate and effectively no downtime.
- 3Choose resin for chemicals and load
Forklifts, wash down, thermal shock, oils and solvents all point to resin. Polyurethane concrete handles conditions that would destroy the other two.
- 4Where people get it wrong
Microcement in a forklift aisle, polished concrete on a slab nobody trial ground first, and thin roller applied resin in a workshop that needed a 6 mm screed.
Common pitfalls we prevent
Frequently asked
Which is the most durable?+
Polished concrete on abrasion because you are wearing the slab itself, and polyurethane concrete resin on chemical and thermal attack. Microcement is durable for interior use but is not an industrial duty floor.
Which is cheapest?+
Polishing an existing sound slab, because there is no material to buy in volume. Resin is next, and microcement is the highest per metre because it is entirely hand applied.
Which has the least downtime?+
Polishing, since each bay is back in service as soon as the machines leave it. Resin needs one to three days depending on the system, and microcement needs the full sealer schedule before traffic.
Can any of them go over underfloor heating?+
Microcement and resin both can, with the heating commissioned and cycled beforehand. Polishing depends on the slab construction and the depth of the pipes, which we check before quoting.
Can they be mixed in one building?+
Regularly, and it is often the right answer. Polished concrete in the workshop, resin in the wash bay, microcement in the office and showroom, all detailed to meet cleanly at the thresholds.
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