Exposed finishes compared
Polished Concrete vs Liquid Screed Finish
Both give you a hard, seamless, industrial-look floor with no covering needed. They're built and finished very differently, and the wrong choice is expensive to unpick.
Considering an exposed floor finish?
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Exposed concrete floors have become a popular self-build and renovation finish — no tile, no carpet, just a ground and sealed hard surface. There are two routes to that look: a purpose-poured and polished structural slab, or a liquid screed finished and sealed to look similar.
They are not interchangeable products dressed up differently — a structural polished concrete slab and a liquid screed have different depths, mixes and finishing processes, and one is considerably more involved than the other.
This comparison sets out what each actually is, what you get for the money, and which suits a typical Devon self-build or renovation.
Polished concrete vs screed as a finish
Polished concrete
- Ground back to expose aggregate for a true 'polished concrete' look
- Needs a purpose-designed structural mix and reinforcement
- Multi-stage grind and polish process, several passes
- Higher cost, longer programme
Liquid screed, sealed/finished
- Smooth, consistent colour rather than exposed aggregate
- Uses standard liquid screed mix, sealed or micro-topped
- Faster and cheaper route to a similar visual effect
- Not as abrasion-resistant as a true polished slab long-term
How a finished-screed floor is achieved
- 1
Pour
Standard liquid screed pumped and levelled as normal.
- 2
Cure & dry
Screed dries to target moisture content before any surface treatment.
- 3
Grind or burnish
Light mechanical grind or high-speed burnish to even the surface sheen.
- 4
Seal
Penetrating sealer or micro-topping applied for durability and colour consistency.
Considering an exposed floor finish?
Tell us your usage and budget and we'll advise honestly on finished screed versus a structural polished slab.
Typical comparison numbers
100mm+ structural slab
Polished concrete depth
50–75mm over insulation
Finished screed depth
Several days minimum
Programme add for polishing
Polished concrete costs more per m²
Relative cost
If you want the true exposed-aggregate polished concrete look and abrasion resistance for heavy use, spec a structural slab. If you want a similar seamless, sealed appearance at lower cost and with UFH built in, a finished liquid screed gets you most of the way there.
— Exeter Liquid Screeders
Polished Concrete vs Screed Finish — questions we get asked
Keep reading across the site
Considering an exposed floor finish?
Tell us your usage and budget and we'll advise honestly on finished screed versus a structural polished slab.