Concrete Floor Finishes
Concrete floor finishes come in two groups: wet finishes worked into fresh concrete before it sets, such as steel trowel, broom and stamped, and finishes applied to a cured slab, such as sealer, stain, polish, epoxy and overlays. On an existing floor, installed prices run from about $1.35 a square foot for a sealer to $20 or more for custom decorative work.
Every floor type, finished or not, is compared in the concrete floor guide.
The two families of concrete floor finish
Timing decides which finishes you can still choose.
Wet finishes
Before it sets
Mostly labor and technique. Miss the window and they're gone.
Cured finishes
Any time after
Material and prep on top of labor, on a slab of any age.
Finishes done while the concrete is wet
Your crew applies these during the pour. Repeated steel troweling makes a floor "slippery when wet," per NRMCA.
Steel trowel
Smooth
Interior slabs and anything getting a coating later.
Broom
Grip
Driveways, walks and exterior slabs.
Swirl
Arcs
A float worked in overlapping circles, for patios.
Rock salt
Pitted
Salt pressed in and washed out after set, for pool surrounds.
Exposed aggregate
Stone
Top paste removed to show the stone, rarely indoors.
Stamped
Pattern
Mats pressed in for stone or brick looks. See stamped concrete cost.
Tell the crew what goes on top. Stain makers such as Butterfield say a hard-troweled or burnished slab must be mechanically prepared, ground or abraded, to remove the shine so the stain can penetrate.
Integral color is mixed in at the truck and goes with any texture. Indoors, a stamped look is built with a stampable overlay 1/8 to 1/2 inch thick on a cured slab, such as Butterfield T1000; the looks are in stamped concrete patterns and colors.
Finishes applied to a cured slab
Whether a finish can peel depends on where it sits.
Sealer
Cheapest
Acrylic lasts two to three years or more, per Angi. See concrete floor sealing.
Grind and seal
Film shine
Honed, then sealed. The shine wears in traffic lanes.
Mechanical polish
Shine in the slab
Ground past 400 grit with a densifier. See polished concrete.
Paint
Easiest redo
Least durable film. See painting a concrete floor.
Stain and dye
Permanent color
Acid stain mottles; dye adds colors acid can't. See stained concrete.
Epoxy
Chemical resistant
Yellows in prolonged sunlight. See epoxy and coatings.
Polyaspartic
UV stable
Back in service much faster than epoxy.
Overlay
New surface
For an ugly but sound slab, including microcement.
Polishing starts above 400 grit and gets shinier as the grits get finer; 400 and below is honed, per Prosoco's technical notes. Sherwin-Williams rates its polyaspartic for foot traffic in six hours with "excellent UV stability." Every overlay type is compared in the concrete resurfacing guide.
Every concrete floor finish compared by cost
These are installed prices from the cost guides Angi, HomeGuide and Concrete Network, which don't publish their methods.
Where each price comes from
| Finish | Cost per sq ft | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal | $1.35 to $2.50 | Angi |
| Stain | $3 to $11 | Concrete Network |
| Epoxy | $4 to $10 | HomeGuide |
| Polyaspartic | $5 to $12 | HomeGuide |
| Overlay | $4 to $15 | Concrete Network |
| Mechanical polish | $3 to $12+ | Concrete Network polishing costs |
The design sets the price more than the finish does. Concrete Network prices interior floors at $3 to $7 for simple work, $8 to $12 with scoring and multiple colors, and $13 to $20 or more for custom patterns.
Measure the room with the concrete floor calculator, then see the concrete floor cost breakdown for what pushes the number up.
Choosing a finish by room
The room sets what the floor has to survive.
Living room
Polish or stain
Neither peels. Pouring new? Plan radiant heat under it.
Kitchen
Polish
No film to chip; add a stain guard for spills.
Basement
Test first
Moisture decides it. See basement concrete floors.
Garage
Epoxy or polyaspartic
Polyaspartic if the open door lets in sun.
Entry and mudroom
Satin, not gloss
Wet traction drops a little as gloss rises.
Patio and drive
Wet finish
Broom, swirl, salt or exposed aggregate for grip.
In a Tile Council of North America test, every polished sample averaged above the 0.42 wet DCOF that ANSI A137.1 sets for tile, though readings fell as gloss rose. Fix dips and cracks first with floor leveling and concrete floor repair, because every finish shows what's underneath, polish most.
Can you change a concrete floor finish later?
Yes. Moving from a sealer to stain or polish is easy; removing paint or epoxy means grinding.
- Sealer to stain or polish. Remove a film sealer first, because stain has to penetrate the slab.
- Stain to darker stain, polish or overlay. Acid stain reacts with the slab's lime, so it can't be stripped, only ground off or covered.
- Paint or epoxy to anything else. Grind the coating off first, often the biggest line on a refinishing quote.
Undecided? Seal now. It's the cheapest finish to move on from.
Frequently asked questions
What are the different types of concrete floor finishes?
Wet finishes worked in before the slab sets: steel trowel, broom, swirl, rock salt, exposed aggregate, stamped and integral color. Cured finishes applied later: sealer, grind and seal, mechanical polish, paint, stain and dye, epoxy, polyaspartic and overlays such as microcement.
What is the cheapest concrete floor finish?
A sealer on bare concrete, which Angi puts at $1.35 to $2.50 a square foot installed. Angi says an acrylic sealer lasts two to three years or more before it needs redoing.
What is the most durable concrete floor finish?
Mechanical polish, because the shine is in the slab and there is no film to peel or chip. Against oil and chemicals, a polyaspartic or thick epoxy coating holds up better.
Can you put a new finish over an old concrete floor?
Yes, on a sound slab. Paint and epoxy have to be ground off before stain or polish, a burnished slab needs grinding before stain can soak in, and an overlay can cover a slab that is too worn to show.
Which concrete finishes work outdoors?
Textured wet finishes: broom, swirl, rock salt, exposed aggregate and stamped, which give grip when wet. Keep standard epoxy indoors, since it yellows in prolonged sunlight.