On a construction site, floors are polished at two distinct stages: a leveling polish immediately after laying the flooring and before erecting partitions, and a final polish at the end, when no other trades will be working on the site. Confusing these two stages is the most expensive mistake on a construction project, as it requires redoing the work. On-site floor polishing in Mallorca costs between €10 and €22/m². We work with construction companies, architectural firms, renovation companies, and private individuals.
There is one call we get several times a month and it always comes too late: "we've finished the renovation and the floor is a mess".
It is not a mess. It is unpolished, or polished at the wrong moment. Floor polishing on a new build is not a final cleaning service: it is a construction phase with its own place in the programme, and when it goes where it belongs it comes out better and it comes out cheaper.
At what stage of the construction work should the floor be polished?
In a well-planned job the floor is polished twice. The first polish, the levelling one, is done as soon as the continuous floor is laid and before the partition walls go up: it evens out the levels between pieces and leaves a flat surface. The second polish, the finishing one, is done at the end, once every trade has been through, and it is the one that gives the final shine.
Between the first and second polishing, the floor is protected with cardboard, a blanket, or film, and it's assumed that it will be subjected to impacts, mortar stains, paint residue, and dragging. That's expected: that's what the second polishing is for.
In home renovations with existing flooring, the approach changes, and there's only one polishing, always at the very end. But the principle is the same: the polisher is the last trade to enter, along with the cleaning crew.
What is the difference between polishing on-site and polishing an old floor?
They are different jobs even though the machine is the same. On a new construction site, you work on virgin material, with the house empty, without furniture, and with high productivity: you can polish nonstop and without protecting anything beyond the woodwork. On an old, inhabited floor, you have to remove waxes, make repairs, work room by room, and protect everything.
| Polishing on site | Polishing an old floor | |
|---|---|---|
| Material condition | Virgin, untreated | With waxes, stains and wear |
| Daily output | 60-100 m² | 25-40 m² |
| Previous repairs | Occasional | Frequent |
| Necessary protection | Joinery | All the furniture |
| Price per m² | Lower | Higher |
| Who hires | Construction company or renovation company | Owner |
The practical upshot is that the square metre on site works out cheaper. Using the works to leave the floor finished is always more efficient than doing it two years later with the house full.
Which new build floors need polishing and which do not?
| Floor covering | Is it polished on site? | Observations |
|---|---|---|
| Continuous in-situ terrazzo | Yes, mandatory | It is laid in one mass and polished to reveal the aggregate |
| Tiled terrazzo | Yes, advisable | Evens out the levels between pieces and removes the lip |
| Marble and natural stone | Yes | Joint levelling and final finish |
| Polished concrete | Yes, it is the finish itself | Needs the setting times kept under control |
| Microcement | Not in the classical sense | It has its own sealer |
| Porcelain stoneware | It is not polished | If there is a lip, it is diamond-ground |
| Baked clay | Yes, followed by a water-repellent treatment | Very porous, it cannot be left untreated |
Porcelain stoneware is the case people get wrong most often. It does not take traditional polishing because its surface is glazed, but it can be diamond-ground to remove differences in height between pieces, which is the real problem with a lipped installation. We explain it in diamond grinding of floors in Mallorca.
There is also a restriction that on a new build is not optional. The finish given to the floor determines its slip resistance class, and the supporting document DA DB-SUA/3 of the Spanish Technical Building Code requires Class 1 in wet interior areas, Class 2 in accesses from outside and Class 3 in pool areas. A high-gloss polish in a building entrance with direct access from the street can leave the works outside the regulations, and that is picked up at handover, when it is already too late.
How does the polisher coordinate with the other trades?
The correct order for a complete renovation is this, and skipping it costs money:
- Demolition, masonry and installations.
- Laying the floor covering.
- First levelling polish, if it is continuous terrazzo or stone in a new build.
- Partition walls, false ceilings and plastering.
- Joinery, painting and fitting the kitchen and bathrooms.
- Finishing polishing and final treatment.
- Post-construction cleaning and handover.
Point 6 comes after painting, not before. This is the most common mistake: the floor is polished, it looks spectacular, then the following week the painter comes in and covers it in drips and masking tape. Then it has to be polished again, or the owner ends up with a brand new house with a marked floor.
The opposite is also not advisable: if it is polished before the grouts or mortars have cured, efflorescence and salt stains appear on the surface weeks later.
How much does floor polishing on a new build cost in Mallorca?
Floor polishing on site in Mallorca costs between €10 and €22/m² depending on the material and the number of passes, a lower price than the same work in an occupied home because the output is far higher. Vitrification, when it is booked, adds a further €8 to €15/m².
| Job on site | Indicative price |
|---|---|
| Terrazzo levelling polish | 8-14 €/m² |
| Finish polishing (marble or terrazzo) | 10-22 €/m² |
| Polishing concrete | 15-28 €/m² |
| Diamond grinding of stoneware to remove the lip | 12-20 €/m² |
| Vitrification afterwards | +8-15 €/m² |
| Water-repellent treatment of terracotta or stone | +5-10 €/m² |
On complete jobs and developments we work to a fixed price per project rather than by the odd square metre. If you are a builder or a renovation company with several units, the price per home comes down noticeably.
There is a market for it: the College of Technical Architects of Mallorca approved 1,296 new homes in the first half of 2026, 28.7% more than the previous year, and 1,771 renovation projects, the best figures in five years. Every one of those projects ends up needing a floor finished.
What happens if you polish too early or too late?
Too soon means polishing before the mortars and grouts have cured, or before the rest of the trades have been through. The first case gives white efflorescence weeks later; the second, a finished floor that takes every knock on the site.
Too late means leaving it until after the home has been handed over. Then you have to work around furniture, room by room, with the client in the house and at half the output. The same job costs between 30 and 50% more.
There's a third, less obvious mistake: polishing without having decided on the final finish. If the owner wants a vitrified finish and it's been polished to a high gloss, the floor must be returned to a matte finish before applying the resin. Half a day wasted over a five-minute conversation that never happened. The differences between finishes lie in differences between floor polishing and vitrification.
Do you work with construction companies, architects, and renovation companies?
Yes, and it is a good part of what we do. With companies we work to a closed plan by phases, we give a window of dates in advance and we fit in with the site programme, which is what a site manager actually needs. We issue partial certificates if the project calls for it and we give a price per unit on developments.
What we bring to a job is not just the machine. It is judgement about which treatment holds up in each case: which concrete takes polishing, which terrazzo calls for vitrification, when terracotta needs a water-repellent treatment before handover. On new multi-family housing, that judgement saves after-sales work. You can see it all on our page on polishing and vitrification.
And if the project includes exposed concrete, which is increasingly requested in Mallorca, we'll handle it separately polished concrete floors for homes.
Frequently asked questions about floor polishing on construction sites
When should the floor be polished during a home renovation?
In a renovation the floor is polished at the end, after the painting and after the kitchen, bathrooms and joinery have been fitted, and just before the handover clean. The polisher should be the last trade to set foot on site. Polishing before the painters and fitters have been through means doing the job twice, because paint drips, tape and dragged material mark a freshly finished floor.
Can a newly laid terrazzo floor be polished?
Yes, and in continuous terrazzo laid in situ, polishing is mandatory: it's what reveals the aggregate and creates the final surface. What must be respected is the mortar's curing time before starting, typically 21 to 28 days depending on the system. Polishing before the substrate has cured causes efflorescence and salt stains that appear weeks later.
How much does it cost to polish the floor of a 100 m² new build home?
Polishing 100 m² of flooring in a new build in Mallorca costs between €1,000 and €2,200 depending on the materials and the number of passes required. This price is lower than for the same property already occupied because the work is done without furniture and with a daily productivity rate of 60 to 100 m². Adding vitrification increases the cost by between €800 and €1,500 for the same area.
Does the porcelain stoneware floor of a new build need polishing?
Porcelain stoneware is not polished, because its surface already comes finished from the factory and grinding it down would ruin the glaze. What is done, when the installation has left differences in height between pieces, is diamond grinding that evens out the levels and removes the lip. It is a different job from polishing and it is quoted separately, at between €12 and €20/m².
Can you adhere to the schedule of a project with a fixed delivery date?
Yes. We work regularly with builders and architecture practices in Mallorca, with a window of dates agreed in advance and a commitment to the deadline. We need to know with some margin when the site will be ready for us, because we are the last trade and every earlier delay piles up on our phase. With planning, polishing is never what holds up a handover.
When NOT to polish the floor in a construction project
- Before mortars and grouts cure. Efflorescence will appear.
- With trades still to come in. A finished floor does not survive a painter.
- Without having decided on the final finish. Polishing for a matte finish or for a glossy finish is not the same.
- If the floor has unresolved rising damp from the slab. No finish will hold on top, and the Basic Document HS of the Technical Code requires damp from the ground to be dealt with in the substrate, not in the finish.
Do you have a project underway?
Tell us what stage your project is at, what type of flooring it has, and when you need the floor finished. We'll come and take a look, fit our phase into your schedule, and give you a fixed price in writing, free of charge. Call us at 971 503 936 or write to info@projectessastre.com. We have been on sites all over the island for over 50 years as a floor polishing and vitrification company in Mallorca, and we know how to come in and out of a site without being the trade that holds it up.
