Granite can be polished to restore its original shine, but it requires more time and a higher diamond polishing compound than marble or terrazzo because it is much harder: a 6 or 7 on the Mohs scale compared to marble's 3. In Mallorca, granite polishing costs between €12 and €25/m² in 2026. It removes surface scratches, rings, and dullness, and can be applied to floors, stairs, countertops, and thresholds.
There's a recurring scene. Someone calls us because their granite floor "doesn't shine like it used to" and assumes the material is damaged. That's almost never the case. Granite is one of the hardest floors you can install in a home, and what's been lost isn't the material itself: it's the factory polish, which has worn away over the years.
And that comes back around.
Can a granite floor be polished or does it need to be replaced?
Polishing granite floors is possible and, in practice, is almost always the best option. Restoring granite doesn't involve applying anything: the shine of granite doesn't come from any coating or product; it comes from the stone being polished to a very fine grain. When that polish wears down, it's redone with diamond discs, and the floor looks as good as new.
The advantage over other materials is that granite doesn't have a limited footprint. It's solid stone throughout its thickness, typically between one and three centimeters, so the margin for polishing is enormous: it can be repeated many times over decades without compromising the tile.
What does change is the effort. Where terrazzo can be finished in two passes, granite needs four or five, and diamonds wear down much faster. That's why the price per square meter is higher, even though the process is similar.
Why does a granite floor lose its shine and what can be done?
Granite loses its shine due to accumulated micro-scratches. Sand that gets into shoes scratches the surface in thousands of marks invisible to the naked eye, and the sum of all these scratches scatters light instead of reflecting it. The result is a floor that looks dull, especially in high-traffic areas.
The second cause is limescale. Mallorca's water is hard, and in kitchens and bathrooms it leaves a whitish film that a mop will not remove. On top of that film people apply supermarket shine products, which form a coating and dull the result even further.
We covered it in depth in why my granite floor doesn't shine, and the practical conclusion is simple: if the floor has scratches, it gets polished; if it only has a film of limescale and products, sometimes a technical clean and a buffing is enough, which works out considerably cheaper.
What is the difference between polishing granite, polishing marble, or terrazzo?
Granite is an igneous rock composed of quartz and feldspar, and these minerals have a hardness of 6 to 7 on the Mohs scale. Marble is calcium carbonate, with a hardness of 3. There is a huge difference in abrasive resistance between the two, and this affects the entire process.
| Appearance | Granite | Marble | Terrazzo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardness (Mohs) | 6-7 | 3 | 3-4 depending on the aggregate |
| Necessary passes | 4-6 | 3-4 | 3-4 |
| Reacts to crystallisation | No | Yes | Yes |
| It scratches easily | Bit | A lot | Medium |
| Price in Mallorca in 2026 | 12-25 €/m² | 10-25 €/m² | 10-20 €/m² |
The least known consequence is in the last row of the table: granite does not crystallise. Crystallisation works because the product reacts chemically with the lime in the material, and granite has none. Anyone offering to crystallise granite either does not know what they are doing or is going to apply a wax to you. On granite the shine is achieved with mechanical buffing of the granite, with very fine grits, and optionally with an impregnation that closes the pore.
If you have both materials at home, which is common in Mallorca, each requires its own treatment. You can see ours at marble polishing in Mallorca for comparison.
What else can be polished besides granite floors?
Almost anything made of the same material and of sufficient thickness:
- Stairs and steps, step by step with a hand-held machine.
- Kitchen countertops, including the edge and the sink recess.
- Thresholds, jambs and window sills.
- Skirting boards and baseboards, with a diamond grinder.
- Benches, ledges and outdoor tables.
- Porch and entrance flooring, with a matte finish for safety.
Granite staircases are a common feature in apartment building entrances in Palma and Inca. They are often cleaned incorrectly because people believe they need to be scrubbed vigorously, and that's where the scratches appear: we explain it in how to clean a very dirty granite floor.
How much does it cost to polish a granite floor in Mallorca?
Polishing a granite floor in Mallorca costs between €12 and €25/m² in 2026. The range depends mainly on the condition: a granite that is simply dull is addressed at the lower end, and one with deep scratches or rust rings goes to the upper end because it requires starting with a coarser grit.
| Situation | Necessary work | Estimated price 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Matte granite, without streaks | Fine mechanical buffing | 8-12 €/m² |
| Normal wear and tear from use | Complete polishing and buffing | 12-18 €/m² |
| Deep scratches or rust stains | Rough grinding and full polishing | 19-25 €/m² |
| Countertops and stairs | Manual labor, per linear meter | Quoted separately |
| Large area (hotel, community) | Volume Polished | From €10-12/m² |
| Stain-resistant impregnation | Pore sealing | +3-8 €/m² |
As a national benchmark, the sector sets the price of natural stone polishing from €10/m², a figure you can verify in the CYPE construction price generator. The trend in labour and building material costs is published every month by the National Institute of Statistics. In Mallorca granite is charged slightly above that, because almost all of it comes in small jobs and with travel involved.
Frequently asked questions about granite polishing in Mallorca
How much does it cost to polish a granite floor in Mallorca in 2026?
Between €12 and €25/m² depending on the condition of the floor and the surface area. A granite floor that is merely dull, with no scratches, can be sorted out with a mechanical buffing for €8-12/m². One with deep scratches or rust stains needs coarse-grit grinding and goes up to €19-25/m². In hotels and residents' associations with a lot of surface area the unit price drops from €10-12/m².
Can a granite floor be crystallised to make it shine more?
No. Crystallisation needs to react with the lime in the material and granite does not contain any, so the product does not take hold: what is left is a film that wears away in patches and leaves the floor uneven. On granite the shine is obtained by polishing with very fine grits and, if extra protection is wanted, with an impregnation that closes the pore without forming a layer.
How long does it take to polish a 100-meter granite floor?
Between three and four days, compared to the two or three it would take for terrazzo of the same size. The difference lies in the hardness: granite requires more passes and moves more slowly under the machine. If there are stairs, countertops, or baseboards made of the same material, each element is worked by hand, adding time beyond the flooring itself.
Is it possible to polish the granite countertop in the kitchen without removing it?
Yes, it is polished in place with a hand machine and extraction, protecting furniture and appliances with plastic sheeting. The edge and the perimeter of the sink are done with a small head. What cannot be sorted out this way are the silicone joints, which have to be removed beforehand and replaced at the end, and deep burns, which can leave a shadow even after taking material down.
When NOT to polish a granite
If you have flamed or bush-hammered granite for outdoor use, don't polish it: you'll lose the texture that prevents slipping, and in wet areas that's a safety issue addressed in the Basic Document on Safety of Use and Accessibility of the Technical Code. It also makes no sense for tiles that are loose or hollow, where they must first be fixed.
And there's one case we see a lot in Mallorca: faux granite. Some porcelain stoneware imitates stone and can't be polished the same way because the glaze is only a few tenths of a millimeter thick. Distinguishing it takes about half a minute during a visit, by looking at the edge of a single piece or a threshold.
Request a quote for polishing your granite floor
We'll come and see it, measure it, and prepare a sample so you can compare the before and after on your own floor, free of charge and without obligation. We work all over the island, starting in Inca, in homes, apartment buildings, hotels, and commercial premises. Call us at 971 503 936 or write to info@projectessastre.com. We are floor polishers in Mallorca for more than half a century, and you can see the rest of the materials in our floor polishing service.
