Polished concrete is the slab itself, ground, hardened, and refined to a sheen. It is not a coating, which is exactly why it behaves differently from everything else on this page.
What is polished concrete, and how is it made?
The existing concrete slab is ground with progressively finer diamond tooling, treated with a chemical densifier that reacts with the concrete and hardens the surface, then polished to the sheen level chosen, from flat matte to a reflective gloss. Because the finish is the concrete itself, there is no coating layer to peel or wear through. The grinding steps also decide how much aggregate shows in the finished floor.
Polished concrete or a coating, which fits your floor?
Polished concrete handles heavy rolling traffic well and never delaminates, but it offers limited resistance to chemicals and shows the character of the slab underneath, including old repairs and stains. A coating such as epoxy adds a protective, chemical resistant layer, but its life depends on surface preparation and moisture conditions in the slab. The honest answer starts with what hits your floor every day, not with which finish looks better in a photo.
Read the full guide: Polished Concrete vs. Epoxy Flooring
How do you maintain polished concrete?
Daily dust mopping, wet cleaning with a neutral pH cleaner, prompt cleanup of spills, and mats at entry points to keep grit off the floor. Acidic cleaners etch the surface and should be avoided. Densified concrete resists dusting and wear, but it is not sealed against everything, so oil and grease left sitting can still stain. Traffic lanes that dull over time can usually be restored with a burnish or a light re-polish.
Wondering if your slab is a good candidate for polishing?
Slab condition decides it. Get a free consultation and talk through what your concrete can and cannot do.