Polishing an existing concrete floor in Mallorca costs between €12 and €25/m² in 2026, compared to €25-€45/m² for laying a polished concrete floor from scratch. Polishing is done with diamond discs on the existing concrete, without adding layers or lifting the floor, and leaves a matte, satin, or mirror-like finish. In community garages, warehouses, and basements, it's the cheapest way to refurbish a floor without demolition.
A concrete floor doesn't deteriorate: it gets dirty, scratched, and loses what little shine it had. And that difference changes everything, because a pavement that withstands the weight of cars for twenty years almost never needs replacing. It just needs someone to remove the top layer.
That's what we do. At Projectes Sastre, we've been polishing floors all over the island for over 50 years, and concrete is, of all the materials we work with, the most underestimated: many people ask for quotes to replace their garage flooring when what's underneath is perfectly intact.
What is polished concrete and how does it differ from polished cement and microcement?
Polished concrete, as understood by Technical Building Code when talking about seamless flooring, is a concrete floor whose surface is ground down with diamond discs until it is smooth and closed. It is not a coating: it is the concrete itself, polished. Polished cement and microcement, by contrast, are thin layers applied on top of another floor, 2 to 3 millimetres thick.
The confusion is constant and has financial consequences. If you're quoted microcement when what you really need is polishing, you're paying for a new material that could peel over time. If you're quoted polished concrete when they're actually going to apply a new layer, you won't get the durability you expect.
There's a quick test: if the floor was laid during construction and you can see the aggregate, it's concrete. If it has a smooth, velvety appearance and was recently laid over another floor, it's microcement. We explain this in more detail in our article on the rise of microcement and polished cement.
Can you polish a concrete floor that's already been laid?
Yes, and it's the most common practice. A troweled concrete surface that's years old is polished just like a freshly poured one, provided it's thick enough and not deeply cracked. The machine removes between one and three millimeters, taking away the worn surface laitance and exposing the aggregate, which is the hardest part of the material.
Here's the key to why it's worth it: the concrete in an 1980s garage is typically between 10 and 15 centimeters thick. Removing two millimeters doesn't affect it. What's being removed is the layer that has oxidized, become stained with oil, and worn down by the wheels.
Polishing doesn't fix structural cracks, subsidence due to ground settlement, and areas where the concrete has disintegrated and sounds hollow. These need to be repaired beforehand, and sometimes we have to accept that the repair will be visible. We prefer to mention it during the site visit rather than discover it halfway through the job.
How much does it cost to polish a concrete floor in Mallorca?
Polishing a concrete floor in Mallorca costs between €12 and €25/m² in 2026, depending on the condition of the pavement, the surface, and the finish. Laying a new polished concrete floor ranges from €25 to €45/m², as this includes the material, pouring, and curing. For technical reference, the CYPE construction price generator puts the mechanical on-site polishing of a hardened concrete surface at around €11/m² in execution cost, not including repairs or sealing.
| Job | What's included | Estimated price 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Polished concrete in good condition | Light grinding, polishing and matte sealing | 12-16 €/m² |
| Polishing over oil stains or heavy wear | Coarse grit grinding, several passes and sealing | 17-25 €/m² |
| Large surface area (warehouse, communal garage) | Polishing by volume, over 300 m² | From €10-12/m² |
| Mirror gloss finish | Additional fine-grain passes | +3-6 €/m² |
| New polished concrete pavement | Material, pouring, troweling and polishing | 25-45 €/m² |
In large areas, the price per square meter drops significantly because the installation time is spread over a larger area. A 600-square-meter communal garage is considerably cheaper per square meter than the basement of a detached house.
In what spaces does polished concrete work well and in which does it not?
It works very well where there is heavy traffic and cleanliness matters: communal garages, industrial units, warehouses, basements, box rooms, workshops and commercial premises. It also works in industrial-style homes, although there the result depends heavily on how the concrete was laid in its day.
Where it becomes problematic is in wet outdoor areas. Polished concrete with a glossy finish, exposed to the elements and water, becomes slippery. The Technical Building Code requires specific slip resistance ratings for wet and outdoor areas, and a polished finish does not meet them: you can consult the Basic Document on Safety of Use and Accessibility from the Ministry. For terraces, ramps, and pool edges, the solution is not polishing, but adding texture with bush hammering of floors.
We also don't recommend it for floors with rising damp and no barrier. The concrete absorbs the moisture, the salt crystallizes on the surface, and the sealant peels off after a few months.
How to polish a concrete floor, step by step
- We visit the site and measure the actual hardness of the concrete with a test in one corner.
- We repair cracks, voids and joints with repair mortar of the same tone.
- We roughed it out with coarse grit diamond discs until we left a regular surface.
- We work up through finer grits in successive passes, from 50 to 400 or higher, depending on the shine required.
- We apply silicate hardener, which penetrates and seals the pore from within.
- We apply the final seal, matte, satin or gloss, and leave the area ready to walk on.
A 200-metre garage takes us three to four days, with the exception of areas with ingrained oil, which need an extra pass. We work with continuous extraction, so the dust stays in the machine and not in the rest of the building. Silica dust from cutting concrete is classified as an occupational carcinogen, which is why containment is not a convenience for the client but a safety requirement set out in the state building regulations. It's the same criterion we apply when we have to polish the floor without dust while the house is occupied.
What are the disadvantages of polished concrete?
It has three drawbacks, and it's worth knowing them before deciding. It's a cold floor to the touch because it conducts heat well and doesn't insulate; it's hard, so anything dropped on it will break; and it shows the history of the material, meaning that if the concrete was poured on two different days, the polishing may reveal the joints.
Furthermore, the aggregate that appears during polishing isn't chosen; it's simply what's already in the concrete. In Mallorca, the usual aggregate is light-colored limestone from the island, but in old industrial pavements, you'll find a wide variety. We always show a polished sample of about half a meter before proceeding, so no one is surprised by the final color.
Frequently asked questions about polished concrete in Mallorca
What is the price per square meter of polished concrete in Mallorca in 2026?
Polishing existing concrete costs between €12 and €25/m² in 2026, while laying new polished concrete costs between €25 and €45/m². The difference lies in the fact that polishing only treats the existing surface, whereas new paving includes materials, pouring, and curing. For surfaces larger than 300 square meters, the unit price drops to €10-€12/m².
Can you polish a concrete garage floor with oil stains?
Yes, although it increases the cost. The oil penetrates the pores of the concrete and must be removed with degreaser and a more aggressive grinding pass before polishing can begin. Very old stains can leave a shadow that doesn't completely disappear. In a garage with scattered stains, we estimate between €17 and €25/m², compared to €12-16/m² for a clean floor.
How long does a polished concrete floor last before needing maintenance?
The polish itself doesn't wear down, because the shine is inherent in the material, not in a coating. What wears down is the sealant, which lasts between three and five years in a garage with heavy car traffic, and somewhat less in an industrial building. Renewing the sealant is quick and inexpensive compared to repolishing, and it prevents dirt from re-entering the pores.
Is polished concrete the same as troweled concrete?
No. Troweling is the smoothing process done with a power trowel while the concrete is still fresh, leaving a smooth but matte and porous surface. Polishing is done later, on hardened concrete, using diamond discs. Almost all garages and warehouses in Mallorca have troweled concrete that has never been polished, and that's precisely the ideal candidate.
When NOT to polish concrete
We don't recommend it in three cases. First, if the pavement has cracks that are shifting, because they will reopen no matter how much they are filled. Second, if there is rising damp without a membrane, because the sealant won't hold. And third, if the surface is an exterior that gets wet and is walked on, where the best option is to add texture, not shine.
There is also a fourth case, less technical: when the concrete was laid very thin over an uneven slab. There the grinding can reach the mesh, and that has no fix. We see it during the visit, and if we see it we say so.
Request a quote for polishing your concrete floor
Let's take a look, measure, and do a free, polished sample so you can see the actual finish before making any decisions. We work throughout Mallorca from our workshop in Inca, serving individuals, communities, hotels, and industry. Call us at 971 503 936, write to us at info@projectessastre.com or stop by our floor polishing service in Mallorca to see the rest of the materials we cover. We are a floor polishing company in Mallorca with more than 50 years of experience.
