One of the most common questions I get asked is about grout less bathrooms and the question of whether can I have polished concrete in my bathroom comes almost straight after. The answer to the questions is this of course you can use polished concrete in your bathroom but it does come with its pros and cons.

Below we will cover all the pros and cons of using polished concrete in your bathroom as well as some quick questions to help you cover all your bases.

Pros Of Polished Concrete In Your Bathroom?

Tough Mother
When it comes to polished concrete flooring is highly durable and very resilient.

Polished concrete in your bathroom is able to withstand the pressure from very heavy foot traffic and very difficult to damage and is pretty impossible to chip or scratch.

Looks The Same
Polished concrete floors always look the same after they have been sealed properly. Honestly, all you need to do is give it a mop and prevent that daily dust from collecting.

Cleanliness Is King
At its best-polished concrete in bathrooms is resistant to fluids, especially water.

The coating can provide a pretty impenetrable waterproofing barrier that seals the concrete and prevent contaminants from actually getting to the concrete.

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Cons Of Polished Concrete In Your Bathroom?

Cold As Hell
In winter this bad boy will be colder than the winter that came in game of thrones. People in Australia still can’t handle the cold when it comes to tiled surfaces. Polished concrete is one of the coldest surfaces you can apply to a bathroom floor and probably one of the biggest drawbacks.

Sealing and Finishing Is Crucial
The biggest cons of putting polished concrete in your bathroom are the need to seal and seal often.

If concrete flooring is not properly finished and sealed, it will be very susceptible to penetration by moisture. 

If liquid does manage to make its way into the pores of a concrete floor, it can sit there and lead to the growth of mold or mildew. Trust me it’s the biggest reason people do not use polished concrete in bathrooms in Australia.

Lack Of Trust
We often struggle to install new items like Venetian plastering or polished concrete as we have a lack of understanding of the product.

If a potential renovator has a lack of experience with a certain product they often will not go the extra mile to install it.

The other con that polished concrete and Venetian plastering has is they photograph very poorly so it’s hard to convince someone to have something that A does not photograph well and B they don’t really trust it.

Australian Standard For Polished Concrete In Bathrooms

When it comes to the Australian Standard guidelines for installing polished concrete in wet areas there remains a lot of uncertainty and ambiguity about what meets the requirements of the standards.

This also means that whether or not polished concrete will be approved for a particular wet area is often up to the discretion of individual building inspectors let alone if you are lucky enough to find a bathroom renovator who has actually used it before.

What it means is that if you think about polished concrete in your bathroom,

It means you need to take your time and do your research when installing so a product into your bathroom as water can be brutal and unforgiving as that bad boy will find any weakness it can.

Are polished concrete floors slippery in a bathroom?

When it comes to polished concrete floors yes they are smooth but my friend yes you are more likely to slip when the surface is wet.

The key though is to apply an anti-slip layer. The anti-slip layer allows you to have a stunning sleek but uniform surface, without any disadvantages. The look of the Anti Slip coating?

Well, it pretty much looks invisible so you don’t need to worry about slipping over or it looking horrible on your polished concrete.

Will a polished concrete floor crack?

From my expertise, the biggest question people will ask is if polished concrete will crack. The answer in my opinion is yes. Often polished concrete if not installed correctly will crack over time or immediately.

The key to this is to understand is often it can be sorted or fixed over if this occurs at any point during the renovation or after.

Can I have polished concrete in the bathroom?

We have pretty much covered every aspect of polished concrete in bathrooms but let me summarise if you can use polished concrete in your bathroom. Yes, you can baby, polished concrete can be used in a bathroom.

There are many pros and cons which we have covered about it but what I will say is you need to actually work out why you want to use it in your bathroom and if the cost is worth it.

How do you waterproof a polished concrete bathroom?

The best way to waterproof polished concrete in your bathroom is most commonly achieved by curing two separate slabs and placing a waterproof membrane in between. The foundation slab is poured first, and once cured is coated with a waterproof membrane.

The key after this is the sealer used for allowing polished concrete to be installed into showers directly which is the most important part of the whole polished concrete process.

How Much Does Polished Concrete Cost In A Bathroom?

This is a tricky question as working out the cost of polished concrete in a bathroom can really vary from job to job. My specialty is renovations which is a completely different animal but what I have been charged and the actual cost it ended up being can vary.

If you worked out the worst can scenario I would say polished concreting in your bathroom will cost you around $150 to $250 a square meter cheap right? It works out to be around the same as a good bathroom tiler.

Can You Use Polished Concrete In The Shower Area?

The most difficult part of using polished concrete in a bathroom renovation is using it in the shower. The reason for this is because of the porous nature of the product. So can you use polished concrete in the shower area?

The answer is yes but you need to take all the steps mentioned above about being extra careful with the sealing process. Showers are the most water-heavy area of a bathroom so waterproofing is key

I know you don’t want to hear this but often polished concrete in shower areas will require contact sealing which is a big no-no for me.

What goes on the walls when you use polished concrete?

The perfect pairing to concrete bathroom floors is using Venetian plastering on the walls.

Venetian plastering works in a similar manner to polished concrete on the floor as they have a similar texture and both will work on your groutless bathroom dreams. We offer a complete guide on Venetian plastering below to help with your next bathroom renovation. Click Here or the image below to get all that helpful information.

So final thoughts on using polished concrete in your bathroom are these. Yes, you can do it, yes it can look so stunning as so many people are going for the Terrazzo style look in the 2020s that when done correctly it can be a game changer.

I think cost and expertise are real factors when looking to get polished concrete installed into wet rooms so this going to take real planning on your behalf when doing it.

My personal opinion is I am not the biggest fan. I find it cold and can look fake to me in a way that shopping centre floors have a strange look to them.

I really am not a fan of sealing products in bathrooms and I have seen enough items destroyed by water over time that it just provides a fear factor to me that I don’t feel comfortable with but hey it’s your space so make it how you want it to be.

It’s important to note that all our advice is general in nature and all bathrooms are unique so always speak to your local qualified tradesman for the best advice. If you are looking for a bathroom renovation quote and live in Perth, Western Australia just email us at smallbathroomrenovations@gmail.com

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Have any questions about using polished concrete in your bathroom? Drop us a comment below we reply within 24 hours and we will be able to answer any issues or questions you may have about the style of bathroom renovation.

Polished Concrete Bathrooms Perth

Are you looking to do polished concrete bathrooms in Perth? Well, we are here to help with advice to get that bathroom renovation done for you.

We are specialists in bathrooms involving polished concrete through Perth WA and if you are looking for a team who can make that happen without the issues you have heard above look no further. Shower areas and bathroom floors are the biggest concrete and polished concrete specialty we do.

If you are worried about installing polished concrete in your Perth bathroom and are not sure what to do next. Drop us an email or a comment below and we will help with any bathroom concreting needs in Perth.