Polished Concrete Floors

[33 RPM]

We are in the process of finalizing the deign etc of a new house that will be built in Chiang Mai soon

polished concrete has kept appearing as an option for the main floor area inside the house

Any experiences from you, who may have used it, or know someone who has, as to its performance, durability, possible cracking etc.

i guess a fair bit has to do with the competence of the installation team as well.

Thanks

[Dante99]

very slippery

[n00dle]

3 minutes ago, Dante99 said:

very slippery

I have polished concrete at a beach house i built. i love it. It also looks better after 10 years of use. it being slippery has never been an issue even in the bathrooms.

 

 its is certainly no more dangerous than the hideous tiles commonly used in lower end construction.

Edited September 29, 2022 by n00dle

[MaiDong]

We've got polished cement floors in our rental, and whilst they got damaged in the 2011 floods, they still look a million times better than most other floors in the land.

 

I had a hose detach itself from our pressure washer yesterday, the hose sprayed water absolutely everywhere, our polished cement stairs turned into a waterfall, the water half flooded downstairs too, and after a little mopping the water had almost vanished, with no damage whatsoever.

 

We use non-slip mats from makro in the bathrooms just to be on the safe side. But even whilst mopping up the floor never got slippery enough to bother me.

 

So yes, use polished cement flooring, it's nice to the touch, it's durable and it looks lovely, and any damage it does get will just give it character.

Edited September 29, 2022 by MaiDong

[bluejets]

A lot depends on the area of each section.

Concrete moves, especially in the clay based soils of Thailand.

To allow for this, expansion joints need to be added during construction.

If not done, the floor will crack in all kinds of unexpected places and any "patch up" job would look terrible.

Then there is the continuous re-applying of the protective coating.

A right pain in the butt overall if you ask me.

[unheard]

@33 RPM

Are you sure your builder offers it as an option? And at what cost?

I mean the "real" polished concrete, not some imitation coating which is so common in Thailand.

The real polished concrete is virtually non-existent in the non-commercial housing sector due to the high cost disadvantage vs tile.

Polished concrete floors are fantastic - super durable, can be made super beautiful, with various levels of grip for sleep protection (flat, satin, semi-polished, highly-polished).

But they must be done right, by experienced crews with appropriate tools and machinery.

Edited September 30, 2022 by unheard

[unheard]

18 hours ago, bluejets said:

Then there is the continuous re-applying of the protective coating.

What continuous re-applying?

[Don Chance]

Polished floors is the best option if you don't like mold in your house.  One thing to watch out for is the floors will be slightly damp. So don't put any thing wood directly on to it or it will rot. You can cover with metal or plastic.

 

There is a guesthouse in Krabi i stay in with cement floors that just smoothed concrete with coloring and some inlays. looks great, maybe 10 years old, no cracks. Same in the shower and bathroom.

If there is a crack just fill it in a paint over it!

 

Edited October 1, 2022 by Don Chance