Polished concrete · Co. Cork
Polished concrete floors in Cork
Polished concrete floors in Co. Cork cost €90 to €150 a m² for most floors, from €55 to €60 a m² on large ones. Outside Cork city, add about €20 to €30 a m² for the travel.
Building in Cork, or polishing a floor you have? Send it in 4 taps and it goes to one polished concrete contractor that covers Co. Cork.
Free, no obligation. One local polished concrete contractor prices it, not five.
- 685one-off houses finished in Co. Cork in 2025 (CSO)
- 44%of homes are detached (Census 2022)
- 29%of people live outside any town
- 1,755heating degree days a year at Cork
New houses
One-off houses in Cork
685 one-off houses were finished in Co. Cork in 2025, 1st of the 26 counties, and 536 from January to September 2026. From 2011 to 2025 the county finished 8,481. A one-off house is when most people decide on polished concrete: the slab goes in anyway, and polishing it can be the floor.
One-off houses finished in 2025: Cork and the four counties that built the most others.
Cork homes
Homes and heating in Cork
44% of homes in Cork are detached, against 41% nationally, and 7,738 detached houses were built from 2011 on. 27% had a renewable energy source such as solar panels or a heat pump at the 2022 census, against 23% nationally.
Cork has about 1,755 heating degree days a year, our calculation from Met Éireann's 1991 to 2020 averages (25th coldest of 26).
A slab with pipes in it, run low and steady, is built for a long heating season. See underfloor heating.
The largest towns, Census 2022: Cork city (222,526), Carrigaline (18,239), Cobh (14,148), Midleton (13,906), Mallow (13,456), Youghal (8,564).
Prices
What it costs in Cork
| Job | Typical price | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Polished concrete, most floors | €90 to €150 a m² | The finish, how much stone shows, the edges and joints, and the size of the floor. |
| A large floor, standard finish (over 100 m²) | from €55 to €60 a m² | Bigger floors cost less a m²: the machines and the set-up are the same. |
| A small floor (under 100 m²) or a high-end finish | from €120 a m² | More grinding passes, more stone showing, a higher gloss. |
| Unusual work | over €200 a m² | Colour, inlays, steps and awkward access. |
| Rural jobs, far from the contractor | add €20 to €30 a m² | The travel with heavy machines. |
29% of people in Cork live outside any town. Polishing contractors travel with heavy machines, so ask how travel is priced, and whether two jobs nearby share it.
Cost check
What a polished floor costs for your size
Three taps: the size of the floor, the finish and where you are.
Your floor area × the usual rate
€10,800 to €18,000
120 m² at the usual €90 to €150 a m². Our multiplication, not a quote. For this size and finish the rate starts at €55 to €60 a m², so from €6,600.
- A 190 m² city new build with a mid-range finish comes in at about €20,000, about €105 a m².
- On a new build the slab is poured anyway, so the polish is the extra. On an existing slab, the grinding and polishing is the whole cost.
- Ask for VAT to be stated on every written price.
How this is worked out
The floor area you pick, times the usual €90 to €150 a m². The starting rate for the size and finish is under it, with the €20 to €30 a m² extra for rural jobs. The multiplication is ours. Edges, joints, steps, colour, the sealer, cracks to fill and access all move the price, and so does how far the contractor travels. It's an estimate, never a quote.
See it first
Polished concrete in your own room
Take a photo of the room, pick a finish and a sheen, and see the floor polished before anyone quotes. Free, in under a minute.
- Upload a photo, or answer 4 questions.
- We pass it to one contractor that covers your county.
- They ring you with a written price.
Preview of your photo, not a guarantee. Your photo goes to Google's Gemini service to make the picture and isn't kept.
A photo that works
- Daylight, lights on if it's dull.
- From the doorway, so most of the floor is in the shot.
- A building site is fine: the slab, the plaster, the lot.
- Hold the phone level, not pointed at your feet.
FAQ
Cork questions
How much do polished concrete floors cost in Cork?
€90 to €150 a m² for most floors, from €55 to €60 a m² on large floors with a standard finish. Outside Cork city, add about €20 to €30 a m² for the travel.
Do you cover all of Cork?
Yes. Requests from anywhere in Co. Cork, including Cork city, Carrigaline, Cobh, go to one polished concrete contractor that covers your county.
Can my existing floor in Cork be polished?
Often, if it's a sound concrete slab. A test grind shows how it'll look. See polishing an existing floor.
I'm building a house in Cork. When do I book?
Before the concrete is ordered. The slab is poured to be polished and cures for at least 28 days. See new floors.
Free quote
Get a price in 4 taps
Tap what you need and leave your number. It goes to one polished concrete contractor that covers your county, and they ring you back to look at the floor and give you a written price.
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