We’re looking to pour a floor screed throughout the new self-build to conceal holding down bolts around the perimeter walls and achieve the necessary falls in the wet room etc. Whilst we had intended to lay lineoleum and ceramic tiles originally, we’re now leaning towards a polished finish where we can afford to so this will effectively be a wearing screed/structural topping. A fairly local polishing firm has suggested a concrete pumping contractor that they often use and I’ll be calling them soon to discuss everything. In the meantime I’m hoping for any pearls of wisdom the forum may have in this regard.

I have to confess that whilst I’ve specified and inspected a few of these before, I’m not that familiar with the actual laying process itself, especially in a domestic context. I understand that we’ll need to fit a compressible strip around the edges but if we want to, say have a zone with a deeper floor finish (in this case parquet, probably on a separate levelling screed), can we expect the pumping team to provide the necessary temporary formwork (screed rails?) to stop the flow in this area or would we, as contractor, need to buy/hire this stuff in before they turn up?

It’s likely to be a bonded screed, mainly because it doesn’t need to be anything else (we have a DPM and insulation below the structural slab) and we have a zone of around 50mm to play with.

No underfloor heating although we might run some floor ducts in key rooms (these would be full depth with a lid, so no concerns about depth of cover)

Thanks VE,

Yes I was quoted around £55/m² for polishing 25 sqm. I'd expect yours to be slightly cheaper but this does seem to be the going rate.

Decent ceramic tile is probably £35-45 (installed) so it's not a significant uplift for the relatively small area we are looking at.

One of our end users has a poured resin finish and has said is a nightmare to keep clean.

What about hiring or buying a machine? Any idea on costs?

We've got polished concrete. Not sure i'd have it again - it's not as tough as you'd expect. We've had some small stones come out of the surface and even when sealed it will stain. Despite a "mottled" finish is looks dirty quickly.

I'd thought resin might be better. Ceramic/Porcelain probably tougher and smarter.

We also polished our slab with a grinder and polisher, sealed and looks great. Was very cheap (circa £400 for 100m2) but labour intensive and messy. Some variations in shades and colours where our two pours met, but it is character. We did get a crack but it really does blend in and isn't noticeable. If you want an even/perfect polished Italian floor then a DIY wont do it for you. Our house is modern but the variations don't look out of place.