Microcement Flooring vs Polished Concrete: Key Differences

You’re standing in your space—where it’s a warehouse, retail shop, garage, or office—looking down at tired concrete flooring that’s seen better days. You’ve heard about two modern concrete finishes that look incredible and last for decades: microcement flooring and polished concrete. But now you’re stuck trying to figure out which option makes sense for your project. Let’s explore the key differences so you can decide.

What Is Microcement Flooring?

Microcement goes by several names. You might hear it called microtopping, microconcrete, or thin cement overlay, but it’s all the same. It is a polymer-modified cement coating that gets applied in ultra-thin layers over your existing substrate.

How Microcement Installation Works

First, you prepare the existing surface by cleaning it thoroughly, repairing any damage, and applying a primer coat. Next, you trowel on the microcement in multiple thin layers, waiting for each one to cure before adding the next. The material itself contains cement particles, polymers, additives, and pigments all mixed together into a paste that spreads like butter. Finally, you seal the entire surface with a protective topcoat—usually polyurethane or epoxy—that gives it resistance to water, stains, and daily wear.

Where Microcement Shines

This system really excels in its versatility with application surfaces—walls, stairs, countertops, bathroom floors, pool surrounds, and just about any substrate you can imagine. The material adapts to existing tiles, wood, drywall, and metal without requiring demolition.

Plus, you can color microcement to get everything from charcoal grays to warm earth tones. Moreover, microcement weighs almost nothing compared to full-on concrete, which makes it perfect for second-floor applications, lightweight renovations, and buildings where you can’t add significant dead weight. And lastly, the thin profile means you won’t mess up door clearances, transitions between rooms, or built-in fixtures that could need adjusting with a thicker flooring system.

What Is Polished Concrete?

With polished concrete, instead of adding material on top, you work with what’s already there. You take your existing concrete slab and grind it down mechanically until you expose a smooth, glossy surface that looks almost glass-like.

How Concrete Polishing Happens

The polishing process uses progressively finer diamond abrasives to refine the concrete surface. You start with coarse-grit metal-bond diamonds that remove the top layer of the slab, eliminate imperfections, and expose the aggregate beneath the surface. Then you move through medium-grit resin-bond diamonds that smooth out the scratch patterns left by the previous pass. Next comes the application of a chemical hardener—typically lithium silicate—that densifies the concrete and makes it resistant to dusting and wear. You finish with fine-grit resin diamonds that create the polished sheen everyone associates with this floor type.

The level of shine depends on how far you take the process. Some people stop at a honed finish that looks more matte and natural. Others push through to a high-gloss polish that reflects overhead lights like a mirror. Either way, you’re working with the actual concrete, revealing its inherent character rather than covering it up.

Where Polished Concrete Excels

Polished concrete makes the most sense when you need strength. Industrial facilities love it because the densified surface resists tire marks, chemical spills, forklift traffic, and the kind of abuse that would destroy other flooring in months. Likewise, retail spaces appreciate the low maintenance requirements—you just dust mop daily and damp mop weekly without stripping, waxing, or refinishing year after year.

Plus, if you have aggregate in your concrete, then polishing exposes it in a beautiful way. Every slab tells its own story once you grind away the surface paste.

Key Differences To Consider

Now that you understand the basics of microcement flooring and polished concrete, let’s examine the key differences that matter when you’re trying to decide.

Substrate Compatibility

Substrate requirements separate these two right out of the gate. Microcement goes over almost anything stable, including cracked concrete, old tile, plywood, and existing VCT.

Polished concrete, on the other hand, requires a structural concrete slab. If you don’t have one already, you need to pour it first, which adds substantial cost and complexity to your project.

Completion Timeline

The installation timeline varies dramatically between the systems. Microcement takes several days because you’re building up thin layers with curing time between each application.

Polished concrete typically gets completed faster since you’re working with an already cured surface. However, if you don’t already have a concrete floor, then polishing would take longer.

Thickness and Weight

Microcement adds maybe 3 millimeters of height to your floors and negligible weight, making it ideal for upper floors, historic buildings with load restrictions, and renovations where you can’t raise the floor height.

Polished concrete removes material rather than adding it, but you need that initial slab thickness—typically at least 4 inches—to work with in the first place.

Aesthetic Appeal

Microcement gives you control over color, smooth or textured finishes, decorative patterns, and the ability to create custom looks that match specific design visions.

On the other hand, polished concrete reveals whatever’s in the slab, such as aggregate color and size, natural variations, and slight imperfections. As a result, polished concrete can provide a more authentic industrial aesthetic that some people love and others find too unpredictable.

Maintenance Needs

Microcement needs resealing every few years depending on traffic levels, and the surface can scratch or wear through in high-traffic areas if you don’t maintain it properly.

Polished concrete basically takes care of itself once you’ve completed the densification process. The hardened surface resists almost everything if you keep up with annual coatings, and it can actually get harder over time as the silicate continues to react with calcium in the concrete.

Cost

Microcement often costs more per square foot because of the material expense and labor-intensive application, but you save money by avoiding demolition and slab pouring.

Polished concrete has lower material costs but requires specialized equipment and trained operators. Plus, you need that concrete slab already in place, or you’re looking at significant additional expense.

Making the Right Choice for Your Property

Both microcement and polished concrete deliver stunning, durable floors that outperform traditional options like VCT, carpet, or basic epoxy coatings. Neither choice is inherently better—they solve different problems and suit different circumstances. You just need to match the system to your specific situation, budget, and aesthetic goals.

And once you know the direction you want to go, give us a call. At Rescrete, we are a concrete resurfacing company that specializes in both microcement flooring and polished concrete across residential, commercial, and industrial properties throughout Los Angeles and Orange County. And thanks to our trained installers who handle the entire process in-house—no subcontracting—you get consistent quality from start to finish.

If you’re ready to transform your floors with either system, reach out to us for a free consultation. We will answer your questions, provide realistic timelines and budgets, and help you move forward with confidence. It’s time to give your property the durable, beautiful flooring it deserves.