Polished Concrete – Melbourne & Mornington Peninsula

Raw Surfaces specialises in premium polished concrete for high-end residential and commercial projects across Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula.

We don’t just polish floors – we plan, specify and and work as a part of a team to give you architectural concrete finishes designed to perform, look exceptional and last for decades.

Every project begins with a detailed assessment. Slab condition, understanding of what stone exposure level, gloss level, you want to achieve and that the environment and intended use are suitable before any work begins.

This process-first approach is what separates our work from our competitors.

Polished Concrete Floors Microcement Walls

What Polished Concrete Really is.

Polished concrete is not a single finish, and no we don't put a polish on the concrete. It is a controlled process of grinding, refining and hardening a concrete slab to create a durable, seamless architectural surface with no sealers that wear off the surface

The final result depends on a combination of factors:

The type of concrete we are grinding, new or old
The chosen level of aggregate exposure
The desired gloss level
The environment and the intended of the floor will change the polished concrete system we use
the preparation and polishing methodology

Understanding these variables is essential to selecting the right finish for your project and making sure you will be happy with the outcome before we even start the project

Design Options & Finishes

Polished concrete can be tailored to achieve very different design styles when the concrete is poured in specific ways, if you are building please reach out before your concrete is poured so we can get you the stone exposure you want

Nil Exposure (Cream Finish) – minimal stone, refined and subtle
Light Exposure – gentle texture and character
Medium Exposure – balanced architectural look
Full Exposure – bold aggregate feature finish

Each option requires a different grinding depth, preparation approach and concrete pour and quality requirments

Polished concrete Aggregate Exposure Levels

Polished concrete Gloss Levels

The sheen of a polished concrete floor doesn't have to be shiny! our systems allow you to choose the sheen that's right for your project

Low Sheen
Semi-Gloss
High Gloss

At Raw Surfaces we help you select a gloss level that suits your design intent, lighting conditions and maintenance expectations.

Grinding & Polishing

New Concrete
vs
Existing concrete

Lets get one thing straight, you can polish both new and old concrete and get great results. Can you pick the difference between the photos?

Polishing new concrete.

When you polish new concrete, you have many more options and choices to the floor you are going to get because we can plan for every detail of your project! You can pick the colour we can choose the grade of concrete and we can guide the concreter on how the floor need to be finished so you can see as much or as little stone as you want!

Polishing old/existing concrete.

When you polish old concrete, you can still get the same glassy smoothness and longevity as new concrete.

Howevery our process needs to change, introducing more steps and chemicals to give you the same result.

You can not pick or choose the colour of the concrete or stone & you will be limited by how much or how little stone we can show, depending on the concrete we have to start with. As polishers, our job is to refine strenghthen and enhance the concrete you already have.

Raw Surfaces Project process

Initial consult

After you enquire, we get to know each other and see if we can offer the right finishes for your project. After this call, we can give you an estimated budget range and organise a site consult if we are the right fit.

For long term projects, we can write a setup plan where we cover all the required preparation and substrates for your project for a small cost.

Site Consult

We come to your project

measure and assess the surfaces we are working with or over.
complete moisture testing
Show or create project samples
gather all the required information for a fixed price contract

This is a paid consult you will get a project plan and contract after the meeting

Project completion

Now we have a clear plan. Raw Surfaces creates the surfaces you want and need with precision attention to detail. We work with you throughout the project, keeping you informed along the way. When you work with raw surfaces, there are no unexpected surprises.

Risks & How We Manage Them

Its no secret Polished Concrete is not perfect or predictable!

Unless you work with raw surfaces

We pride ourselves on education and transperancy we will teach you about polished concrete so you fully understand

cracking
colour and tonal changes and variations
marks & imperfections

Our process is to help you understand the possibilities, but also give you a plan to avoid these issues. The earlier we work together, the more we can help.

Good Polished concrete isn't cheap & polsihed concrete isnt right for every project.