Can an old warehouse floor in Bells Corners be polished?

Polishing an old warehouse floor in Bells Corners is possible, but whether the slab can actually be polished depends on its condition, its concrete mix, and what has been done to it over the years.

The two factors a contractor will look at first are the slab's hardness and its surface history. A soft or heavily contaminated slab, one soaked with oils, coated with old adhesive or mastic, or patched with materials that differ from the original pour, may not polish evenly or hold a consistent sheen. Old tile or black mastic may contain asbestos; have any of that material tested before any grinding begins. The contractor should assess the slab before quoting, because the amount of grinding needed to reach sound, consistent concrete drives both the cost and the result.

On cost, published 2025-2026 contractor ranges put polished concrete on an existing slab at about $3 to $15 per square foot, with most commercial jobs falling in the $5 to $12 per square foot range. Surface prep, when it is not already included in the quote, runs about $1 to $3 per square foot extra. Heavy resurfacing of damaged concrete costs more, and we found too few published prices to give a range for crack repair, moisture testing, or any moisture-mitigation primer the slab may need. Multiply the per-square-foot figure by your floor area to estimate the total; your quote will differ.

A few things worth confirming with the contractor before work begins:

• What surface profile they are targeting, and how they will assess the slab's hardness and contamination before committing to a price
• Whether moisture testing is included, which standard they will use (ASTM F2170 or ASTM F1869), and what happens to the scope and price if the slab reads high
• How crack repairs and any uneven patches will be handled, and whether those areas will show differently in the finished floor
• Whether the quote includes all grinding passes from coarse to fine, and what sheen level the final pass is expected to reach
• A WSIB clearance certificate and proof of liability insurance before work starts; under WSIB policy 14-02-19, a business that retains a contractor for construction work must obtain a clearance certificate before the work begins and keep it current throughout the job

Polished concrete has no coating to cure, so return-to-service timing is a question for the contractor based on the specific work planned; we found no published source on that timing.

Local floor coating contractors listed in the Ottawa Construction Network directory can be reached through the request form on this page and will reply by email.

Before signing, ask the contractor to spell out exactly what the quote includes for grinding and crack repair, since those two line items are where the scope on a job like this can shift after work starts.