Why scheduling matters as much as the finish
We work with commercial property managers, warehouse operators, and general contractors across Austin and Central Texas. On a commercial job, the finish is only half the work. The other half is the schedule. We plan who works where and when around your staff and the other trades, and we plan dust control to fit the space.
Polished concrete can hold up well to heavy traffic when it's set up and cared for the right way. That's why so much Austin retail, office, and distribution space runs on it, from Downtown and the Domain to East Austin warehouses. And it's why commercial concrete floors in Austin are a big part of our work. Set it up wrong and it gets expensive: the wrong finish for the traffic, open joints under forklift wheels, or a cleaning plan nobody follows.
We tell you up front how we expect the floor to hold up and what upkeep it will likely need, based on how you use the space. That could be a retail floor in South Congress, an office lobby in Mueller, a restaurant dining room, or a distribution warehouse near the Austin airport.
What types of commercial floors do we polish?
Retail and showroom floors. Looks matter here, and so do your store hours, so we usually work overnight or one department at a time. When the job calls for one, your designer signs off on a sample patch before we touch the full floor.
Office and lobby floors. Everyone sees them, traffic is moderate, and there's often a tenant build out going on with several trades in the building. Getting the order of work right matters more than how fast we grind.
Restaurant and hospitality floors. When we pick the finish, we talk through traction, easy cleaning, and the way the floor handles spills. And the dining room often needs a different answer than the back of house.
Warehouse and distribution floors. From Round Rock logistics parks to East Austin industrial space, the whole conversation is forklift and pallet jack traffic, joint condition, and hardening the surface. How the floor holds up under wheels matters more than how it looks, and you'll find the details in our warehouse concrete polishing guide.
How we spell out a polished concrete floor
A grit number alone doesn't tell you what floor you're getting, so here's what we write down instead:
| Element | What we put in writing |
|---|---|
| Stone exposure | Cream (almost no stone), fine (a salt and pepper look), or coarse (larger stone showing) |
| Shine level | The shine level we're aiming for, checked against a sample patch when the job has one |
| Hardener | Whether the job calls for a lithium silicate hardener, which one, and how much |
| Joint treatment | Whether joints get filled where wheels cross them, and with what filler |
| Protective coat | Whether the floor gets a protective coat, and which one |
| Sign off terms | How clear the reflection has to be, how much haze is OK, and who makes the call |
With all of that on paper, a general contractor can compare bids fairly instead of guessing why one number is lower. Our quote comparison guide covers the same idea from the buyer’s side.
Planning around an Austin building that's open for business
Before we start, we talk through access, power, where the water and waste go, and which areas have to stay open. We also plan how to protect nearby finishes, then put it all in a written plan with target dates and reopening times for each zone.
If the building is still under construction, the risk flips: the trades that come after us can damage the finished floor. Before the first grinder shows up, we agree on how the floor gets covered, who works when, and who's responsible for it. We lay out the full process in our guide to commercial polishing project planning.
We walk you through floor care when we finish
Mop a commercial polished floor with the wrong cleaner for two years, and it usually won't look the way it did when we finished. When the job is done, we walk you through care, cure times, and upkeep in person. For most busy floors, that means daily dust mopping or auto scrubbing, weekly neutral pH cleaning, and regular high speed buffing. We also point out the signs that the floor may need more hardener or a professional repolish, and we're available after the job if you have questions or concerns. Our commercial maintenance schedule guide goes into more detail.
What drives cost on a commercial floor?
As of 2026, commercial quotes vary more than residential ones, because working around an open business adds labor and setup time.
Prep work. Old coatings, glue left from past build outs, and damage from racking all add time before polishing starts.
Joint treatment. Where wheels cross the saw cut joints in the slab, we often fill them with a firm polyurea filler, depending on the slab and the traffic. The more joints you have, the more that line on the quote costs.
Phasing. When we work an open building in zones, we set up again and again, close off each zone, and work to blend the edges where zones meet. That's often the biggest price difference between an empty build out and an open building of the same size.
Working hours. Nights and weekends usually cost more than weekday work, but they can save you more than that in lost sales.
Finish choice. The stone exposure and shine level you pick affect how many passes we make, and on a big floor those small differences add up fast.
We list each of these on its own line in our quote, so you can see where the money goes. It's the same idea as our quote comparison checklist.
How we compare
| Feature | Typical provider | Austin Polished Concrete Floors |
|---|---|---|
| How the finish is spelled out | “Polished to 800 grit” | Stone exposure, shine level, any hardener, and how we check the finished floor, all in writing |
| Work zone plan | Often worked out on the day | Written before we show up, with target dates and reopening times for each zone |
| Dust containment | Often sold as an extra | Dust control planned for your building, often with HEPA dust collection |
| Cleaning plan | Often a few care tips on the way out | We walk you through daily, weekly, and periodic care in person when we finish |
Paperwork ready for your contractor's submittal
For general contractors and the people who write specs, we can put together what a submittal package usually needs. That can cover how much stone shows (the aggregate exposure class), the shine level, and any hardener, joint filler, or protective coat. It can also cover any sample patch, who approves it, and how we'll check the finished floor.
If a designer or architect has already written a spec, we look at it against what we think the slab can do and flag problems before we price it. We'd rather raise it now than price a spec nobody can hit and argue about it later.
When a different floor fits better
Some spaces need a floor that resists chemicals, has no seams, curves up the wall, or lets nothing soak in. Think of certain kitchens, labs, and wash down areas, where an epoxy or other resin coating may be the better pick. If the slab is weak, heavily patched, or cut up by past build outs, a polishable overlay may give you a better floor than grinding what's there. We'll tell you which one we think fits your building before you commit.
Every project starts with an on-site evaluation. Actual scope, pricing, and expected results depend on your specific substrate condition, environment, and project requirements. The website describes our services in general terms. Your signed proposal governs the actual work.
