What polished concrete finish is right for me

This is a loaded question and ever house is different. So we thought we might put together a small list of pro's and con's to the major types.

First big difference is diamond polished or grind and seal.

• Pro Diamond polished:
  • hard to scratch as no topical coating to scratch off
  • able to achieve a variety of non-slip levels easily
  • eco-friendly greener flooring option
  • low lifetime cost
  • easy to refurbish
• Con Diamond Polished:
  • susceptible to acid etching
  • susceptible to staining
  • level of exposure and artefacts determined by the concreter who installs
• Pro Grind and Seal:
  • often cheaper option
  • very good staining resistance
  • can achieve "wet look" polished concrete
• Con Grind and Seal:
  • topical coating that can scratch
  • achieving non-slip requires an additive that can detract from aesthetics or cause floor to wear prematurely
  • harder to refurbish

The next major question to answer is the exposure of aggregate level

Burnished concrete/cream polish Class O and A):

• Pro: 
  • clean seamless finish
  • natural looking and easier to colour match between different pours. 
  • cheapest and fastest diamond polished concrete floor
• Con:
  • staining that occurs before polishing can be difficult to impossible to remove
  • pattern and finish dictated by the quality of helicopter work when installed
  • acid etching can be much more noticeable compared to floors with exposed aggregate.
  • can really only be achieved on new builds
  • small aggregate and fines can be exposed during the polishing process
  • level of finish dictated by levelness of floor

Hit n Miss/partial aggregate exposure (Class B):

• Pro: 
  • industrial look
  • works on most floors (sometimes due to installation majority of aggregate will need to be exposed)
  • can sometimes hide artefacts from pouring.
• Con:
  • level of exposure dictated by levelness of floor

Full exposure/platinum (Class C/D):

•  Pro:
  • will always level the floor out
  • can grind out high spots and to allow for doors without affecting the look and finish
  • terrazzo look to floor
  • very high end finish
• Con:
  • quality of exposure dictated by installation of concrete
  • artefacts such as boot prints and screed marks can be seen.
  • Cold joints in pour can be obvious