How Much Do Concrete Floors Cost?
Finishing an existing concrete floor costs $2.25 to $2.55 per square foot to prep and seal it, and $5.30 to $5.80 to prep it and apply an epoxy finish, on the State of Iowa's current floor-finishing contract. A new floor adds the slab: a 4 inch pour takes 1.23 cubic yards of concrete per 100 square feet, about $1.98 a square foot at our default of $160 a yard delivered, before forms, labor and finishing. Most of the concrete floor cost is labor and setup, so room size and the finish you pick move it more than the material does.
Cost per square foot by job
Prep and seal existing slab
$2.25 to $2.55
per sq ft, installed
- Source
- Iowa contract
Prep and epoxy one coat
$5.30 to $5.80
per sq ft, installed
- Source
- Iowa contract
Resurface cement-based
$6.90
per sq ft, installed
- Source
- Iowa contract
New 4 in slab concrete only
$1.98
per sq ft, concrete delivered
- Source
- Our default price
The first three are unit prices the State of Iowa pays under Master Agreement MA 005 21379E for hard surface floor finishes, which runs June 4, 2026 to June 3, 2027. It's one contractor's bid on public work, so treat it as a real price point, not a national average. The slab figure is worked out in pouring a new floor below.
Polished and stained floors aren't on that contract, and we found no public price for them. See polished and stained floors for what sets their price.
Bigger floors cost less per square foot
The Iowa contract prices each job in size bands, which shows how much setup is built into a small job:
| Work | 100 to 1,999 sq ft | 2,000 to 9,999 sq ft | Largest band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prep plus one coat of sealer | $2.55 | $2.40 | $2.25 |
| Each extra coat of sealer | $1.83 | $1.50 | $1.43 |
| Prep plus one coat of epoxy | $5.80 | $5.45 | $5.30 |
The contract labels some largest-band lines with the middle band's range; the lowest price in each set is shown here. It also prices the jobs that come before the finish: $0.79 a square foot to pull carpet, $2.39 to remove the carpet adhesive, $2.60 to fill cracks with self-leveling compound and $3.55 to grind and fill them. On a floor that's covered now, those can add more than the finish itself.
Prices also move from year to year. The same contractor's 2025 to 2026 agreement priced prep and seal at $1.05 to $1.35 and prep and epoxy at $3.25 to $3.75.
Pouring a new floor
If there's no slab yet, the concrete comes first. A 4 inch slab takes 1.23 cubic yards per 100 square feet (100 × 4/12 ÷ 27).
- Concrete, delivered
- $160/yd default
- Per sq ft at 4 in
- $1.98
- Per sq ft at 6 in
- $2.96
- Cement mason median wage
- $27.41/hr
- Concrete. A 400 sq ft floor at 4 inches is 4.94 cubic yards. At our default of $160 a yard delivered (change it in the cost calculator to your local quote), that's about $1.98 a square foot.
- Small pours cost more per yard. A 200 sq ft floor needs only 2.47 yards, less than a full truck, and small loads usually carry a short-load or minimum charge.
- Vapor retarder. The IRC (R506.2.3, as adopted in Oklahoma's code) requires 6 mil polyethylene or an approved retarder, lapped 6 inches, under a house floor slab. Garages and other unheated accessory buildings are exempt. Details are on the under-slab insulation page.
- Labor. Cement masons and concrete finishers earned a median of $27.41 an hour in 2025, per O*NET's summary of BLS wage data.
Thickness drives the concrete line most; see concrete floor thickness. To price your own pour, use the concrete cost calculator for the ready-mix and the concrete slab cost calculator for a finished slab with labor.
Polished and stained floors
These are almost all labor, and the labor depends on how many passes the job takes:
Grinding passes
A Newberry County, SC polishing spec calls for metal grits of 16, 25, 40 and 80, then 150 and/or 300, then resin grits of 100, 200, 400 and 800: up to ten passes for a "Level 2 Semi-polished; medium reflective sheen." Fewer passes means a lower price and less shine.
Densifier rate
Prosoco lists its Consolideck LS densifier at 500 to 1,000 sq ft per gallon, but the Newberry spec applies densifier at about 200 sq ft per gallon. Ask each bidder which rate they priced.
Color and design
One stain color is mostly prep and application time. Extra colors, scoring and stencils add labor, not much material. See stained concrete floors and polished concrete floors.
For a quote you can compare, ask for the grit sequence, the polish level and the densifier coverage in writing. Sealing alone is covered in how much sealer you need, and coatings in epoxy floor coating.
Are concrete floors expensive?
Not to finish, and they last a long time. Florida Housing's useful life tables give concrete, masonry and terrazzo floors 75 years. In apartments they give carpet 7 years (multifamily) to 10 (elderly housing), and resilient flooring 10 to 15.
For the other floors, the best installed prices we could find come from "Life-Cycle Costs for Flooring in Commercial Buildings," a 2023 study by Emily Lorenz, PE, run to ASTM E917 with 2020 RSMeans costs. It covers commercial buildings, was primarily funded by the Tile Council of North America, and does not itemize a concrete floor.
| Floor | Installed $/sq ft | Service life | $/sq ft per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| VCT | $3.09 | 15 yr | $0.21 |
| Luxury vinyl | $4.56 | 15 yr | $0.30 |
| Carpet tile | $5.25 | 5 yr | $1.05 |
| Broadloom carpet | $5.86 | 5 yr | $1.17 |
| Sheet vinyl | $7.10 | 15 yr | $0.47 |
| Engineered wood | $7.92 | 25 yr | $0.32 |
| Laminate | $8.49 | 20 yr | $0.42 |
| Solid wood | $8.92 | 75+ yr | $0.12 |
| Ceramic tile | $11.03 | 75+ yr | $0.15 |
Sealing an existing slab at $2.25 to $2.55 costs less up front than any floor in that table, even allowing that the Iowa prices are six years newer. A sealer does need recoating over time, which is why the contract prices extra coats at $1.43 to $1.83. Pouring a new slab just to use it as the finished floor is a different comparison: you're paying for the structure too.
What moves your price
- Room size. Setup and equipment cost the same on a small room as a big one, as the size bands above show.
- What's on the floor now. Carpet, adhesive, tile or an old coating has to come off first.
- Slab condition. Cracks, patches and an uneven surface add grinding and filling. See floor leveling and resurfacing.
- The finish. Sealer, paint, epoxy, stain, polish and overlay are different finishes with different labor. See painted concrete floors and microcement.
- A new slab. Ready-mix minimums, access for the truck and thickness. See basement floors and garage floors.
To size the pour, use the concrete floor calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to seal a concrete floor?
On the State of Iowa's 2026 to 2027 floor-finishing contract, preparing a concrete floor and applying one coat of sealer costs $2.25 to $2.55 per square foot, depending on the size of the job. Each extra coat is $1.43 to $1.83. Doing it yourself, the material is a small share of that; see how much sealer you need.
How much do polished concrete floors cost?
We found no public contract price for polishing. The price depends mostly on labor: how many grinding passes, the polish level and the size of the room. One county spec calls for up to ten passes for a semi-polished finish. Ask each contractor for the grit sequence, polish level and densifier coverage in writing so the quotes compare. See polished concrete floors.
How much does it cost to pour a concrete garage floor?
A 24 by 24 ft garage floor at 4 inches takes 7.11 cubic yards of concrete, before base, forms and finishing labor. Multiply that by your local delivered price per yard, or enter the size in a calculator. The concrete slab cost calculator adds labor and extras for your size.
Is it cheaper to finish the slab I have or pour a new floor?
Finishing what you have. Prepping and sealing an existing slab runs $2.25 to $2.55 per square foot on the Iowa contract, while a new slab adds the concrete itself, placement, finishing and any removal of the old floor on top of that. The concrete slab cost calculator prices a new floor for your size.
Are concrete floors cheaper than other flooring?
To finish an existing slab, usually yes. A 2023 life-cycle cost study of flooring in commercial buildings, using 2020 RSMeans costs, puts luxury vinyl at $4.56, carpet at $5.86 and ceramic tile at $11.03 per square foot installed, against $2.25 to $2.55 to prep and seal concrete on a 2026 state contract. Florida Housing's useful life tables also give concrete floors 75 years, against 7 years (multifamily) to 10 (elderly housing) for carpet in apartments.
Does a small room cost more per square foot?
Yes. The Iowa contract charges $2.55 per square foot to prep and seal under 2,000 square feet and $2.25 for the largest jobs, and $5.80 against $5.30 for epoxy. A small new slab is hit harder, because loads under a full truck usually carry a short-load or minimum charge.