Concrete Floor Cost Calculator
A concrete floor costs $6–12 per square foot as a new poured slab with a basic troweled finish and $8–14 per square foot poured and polished. Finishing a slab you already have is cheaper: $2–4 per sq ft for a pro stain and seal, $3–8 to grind and polish, or $0.30–0.60 per sq ft in materials to stain and seal it yourself. A 1,000 sq ft polished floor over an existing slab runs $3,000–8,000.
Pro Tips
- →A new poured concrete floor costs $6-12 per sq ft; polishing it adds roughly $2 per sq ft, for $8-14 total
- →Polishing an existing slab costs $3-8 per sq ft - no new concrete, subgrade, or placement labor needed
- →DIY stain and seal runs $0.30-0.60 per sq ft in materials, versus $2-4 per sq ft for a pro
- →Test slab moisture (ASTM F1869 or F2170) before staining, sealing, or coating an interior floor
- →Replacing an old floor adds $2-4 per sq ft for demolition and haul-off
Estimated concrete cost (materials + delivery) · For projects over 1 cubic yard, ready-mix is typically more economical and easier to work with.
306 bags × 80lb
6.79 cubic yards + delivery
500 sq ft × $3.00–$8.00/sq ft
Based on 2026 U.S. national pricing. Prices vary by location and time — contact local suppliers for accurate quotes.
That's typically a professional pour. See volume ↓
4 short emails from Dave: what a fair quote should land at for your slab, the scope changes that swing it ±$500, and whether DIY is actually cheaper at your volume. Reply anytime — he'll review your real quote.
Includes 10% waste factor
For general step-by-step instructions, read our complete Concrete Finish Type Cost Comparison and Stained Concrete Guide.
Concrete Floor Cost Per Square Foot
A concrete floor costs $6–12 per square foot as a new 4-inch poured slab with a basic troweled finish, $8–14 per square foot poured and polished, and $3–8 per square foot to grind and polish a slab you already have. The biggest decision is whether you are pouring new concrete or finishing an existing slab — finishing alone skips the concrete, subgrade, and placement labor entirely.
| Concrete Floor Option | Existing Slab (finish only) | New Pour (slab + finish) |
|---|---|---|
| Troweled or broom finish, unsealed | — | $6–12/sq ft |
| Sealed (penetrating or acrylic sealer) | $2–4/sq ft pro · $0.15–0.75 DIY | $6.15–12.75/sq ft (DIY seal) |
| Stained and sealed (acid or water-based) | $2–4/sq ft basic · $4–8 multi-color | $8–16/sq ft |
| Epoxy coating | $2–5/sq ft pro | $8–17/sq ft |
| Ground and polished | $3–8/sq ft | $8–14/sq ft |
| Overlay or micro-topping | $3–8/sq ft | — (overlays go over old slabs) |
New-pour rows add the finish to the $6–12 base slab. Replacing an old floor instead of pouring on bare subgrade adds $2–4/sq ft for demolition and haul-off. Enter your room size in the calculator above for the concrete volume and slab cost, then add the finish line from this table.
Concrete Floor Cost by Room Size
| Floor Area | New Poured Floor ($6–12) | Polish Existing Slab ($3–8) | Pro Stain + Seal ($2–4) | DIY Stain + Seal ($0.30–0.60) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 sq ft | $3,000–6,000 | $1,500–4,000 | $1,000–2,000 | $150–300 |
| 1,000 sq ft | $6,000–12,000 | $3,000–8,000 | $2,000–4,000 | $300–600 |
| 1,500 sq ft | $9,000–18,000 | $4,500–12,000 | $3,000–6,000 | $450–900 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $12,000–24,000 | $6,000–16,000 | $4,000–8,000 | $600–1,200 |
DIY figures are materials only; add $50–100 for sprayers, brushes, and rollers. Small rooms price above these per-foot rates because polishing and staining crews carry fixed mobilization costs, while very large open floors price toward the low end.
DIY Cement Floor Finishing Cost
Finishing an existing cement floor yourself is where the savings are largest, because professional finishing labor runs $2–6 per square foot while most finish materials cost well under $1.
| DIY Floor Finish | Materials Per Sq Ft | 500 sq ft Floor | Extra Equipment | DIY Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penetrating sealer (silane/siloxane) | $0.15–0.40 | $75–200 | Pump sprayer | Easy |
| Acrylic sealer | $0.15–0.30 | $75–150 | Roller or sprayer | Easy |
| Acid or water-based stain + sealer | $0.30–0.60 | $150–300 | $50–100 supplies | Moderate |
| 2-part epoxy coating | $0.50–2.50 | $250–1,250 | Grinder rental $100–200/day | Moderate–Hard |
| Polymer-modified overlay | $3–5 | $1,500–2,500 | Mixing drill, squeegee | Moderate |
| Grind and polish | — | Not recommended DIY | Planetary grinder + diamond tooling | Very Hard |
Prep is the real cost driver. A stain or coating only bonds to clean, open concrete, so plan on degreasing, patching cracks, and either acid-etching ($20–40 in materials) or diamond-grinding the surface. If you are finishing freshly poured concrete yourself, finishing tools add $75–200 in purchases or rentals. See our stained concrete guide for the application steps and the sealer comparison to pick the right product.
Polished vs. Stained vs. Epoxy vs. Overlay
| Finish | Look | Expected Lifespan | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polished | Gloss from the concrete itself, no coating | 25–30+ years | Dust mop; burnish every 3–5 years |
| Stained + sealed | Translucent marbled or solid color | 15–25 years | Reseal every 1–3 years (acrylic) |
| Epoxy (100% solids) | Solid color, high gloss, optional flakes | 10–15 years | Recoat topcoat as it wears |
| Micro-topping overlay | New smooth surface, hides stains and patches | 10–15 years | Seal like stained concrete |
Polishing has the lowest lifetime cost for an interior floor because there is no film to wear through — the surface is ground with progressively finer diamonds and hardened with a silicate densifier ($0.10–0.20/sq ft in material). Staining is cheapest up front but depends on the sealer. An overlay is the fix when the existing slab is sound but badly stained, patched, or uneven; it will not hide active cracks. Compare all finish types side by side in the finish type cost estimator.
Slab and Moisture Requirements for an Interior Floor
A concrete floor that will stay exposed as the finished surface needs a better slab than one hidden under carpet:
- Thickness: IRC R506.1 sets a 3.5-inch minimum for residential slabs on grade; 4 inches is standard.
- Vapor retarder: IRC R506.2.3 requires a 6-mil polyethylene (or approved) vapor retarder with joints lapped at least 6 inches under slabs in living space. Stain, epoxy, and sealers all fail when moisture pushes up through the slab.
- Moisture testing: Test before any coating or overlay — ASTM F1869 (calcium chloride, commonly limited to 3 lb per 1,000 sq ft per 24 hours) or ASTM F2170 (in-slab relative humidity), against the product manufacturer's published limit.
- Flatness and finish: ACI 302.1R (Guide to Concrete Floor and Slab Construction) covers finishing and flatness for floors; a hard steel-troweled finish is the usual base for stain or polish.
Our vapor barrier guide covers material grades, and concrete floor problems explains what goes wrong when moisture is skipped.
What Changes the Price
Labor market. Finishing is mostly labor, so region moves the number more than materials do. BLS wages for cement masons and concrete finishers run from about $23/hour in San Antonio to $40/hour in San Francisco — see concrete labor cost for the full metro table.
Slab condition. Cracks, old adhesive, paint, and uneven patches all add grinding and repair time before any finish goes down.
Metric pricing. One square meter is 10.76 square feet, so $6–12/sq ft is about $65–129 per m² for a new poured floor and $3–8/sq ft is about $32–86 per m² to polish an existing slab.
For the raw slab below a basement or garage, use the basement floor cost calculator or garage floor cost calculator.