Co. Cork · polished concrete
Polished concrete floors in Cork
Polished concrete costs €90 to €150 a m² on PMAC's published range. Selfbuild Ireland adds about €20 to €30 a m² for rural jobs, and 29% of people in Cork live outside a town (Selfbuild Ireland, CSO Census 2022).
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, who rings you back to look and price it.
- €90 to €150 a m²PMAC's published range for a polished concrete floor
- €20,000two quotes for 190 m² of mid-range polished concrete in a city new build, about €105 a m² (Selfbuild Ireland)
- 28 daysthe least time a new slab cures before it can be polished (PMAC)
- from €55a m² for a standard finish on floors over 100 m² (Selfbuild Ireland)
FreeNo obligationOne contractor rings you, not fiveNothing agreed until you accept a written price
New houses
One-off houses in Cork
685 one-off houses were finished in Cork in 2025, the most of any county, and 536 in the first nine months of 2026 (CSO NDQ06). From 2011 to 2025 the county finished 8,481.
One-off houses finished in 2025: Cork and the four counties that built the most others (CSO NDQ06). A one-off house is when most people decide on polished concrete: the slab goes in anyway, and polishing it can be the floor.
Cork in numbers
Homes and heating in Cork
29% of people in Cork live outside any town, against 29% nationally (CSO Census 2022). In Cork city, expect city prices. For rural jobs or jobs far from the contractor's base, Selfbuild Ireland says about €20 to €30 a m² more.
The largest towns, Census 2022 (CSO): Cork city and suburbs (222,526), Carrigaline (18,239), Cobh (14,148), Midleton (13,906), Mallow (13,456).
Heating degree days measure how much heating a place needs: our calculation from Met Éireann's 1991–2020 grid at Cork, base 15.5°C. Ireland's figure is 2,079. A slab with pipes in it, run low and steady, is built for exactly this. See underfloor heating.
Prices
What it costs in Cork
| Job | Published price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Polished concrete, the usual range | €90 to €150 a m² | PMAC |
| Standard finish, floors over 100 m² | from €55 to €60 a m² | Selfbuild Ireland |
| Floors under 100 m² | over €120 a m² | Selfbuild Ireland |
| Higher-end finishes | over €120 to €130 a m² | Selfbuild Ireland |
| Rural or away from the specialist's base: extra a m² | €20 to €30 a m² | Selfbuild Ireland |
| Two quotes, 190 m² new build, mid-range finish, city | €20,000 | Selfbuild Ireland |
None of these sources says whether its prices include VAT. Ask for every written price to say.
Ask how the price splits between the grinding, the polish, the sealer and the edges, so you compare the same job.
Compared
Cork and the other counties
| County | One-off houses finished, 2025 | People outside towns | Homes detached | Homes with renewables |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlow | 69 | 38% | 51% | 27% |
| Cavan | 137 | 58% | 67% | 26% |
| Clare | 264 | 45% | 60% | 31% |
| Cork | 685 | 29% | 44% | 27% |
| Donegal | 451 | 51% | 70% | 20% |
| Dublin | 283 | 2% | 10% | 13% |
| Galway | 536 | 47% | 59% | 25% |
| Kerry | 291 | 55% | 66% | 30% |
| Kildare | 178 | 23% | 38% | 26% |
| Kilkenny | 128 | 48% | 59% | 32% |
| Laois | 118 | 41% | 55% | 27% |
| Leitrim | 58 | 59% | 73% | 30% |
| Limerick | 283 | 35% | 45% | 24% |
| Longford | 77 | 56% | 63% | 23% |
| Louth | 127 | 27% | 39% | 21% |
| Mayo | 281 | 59% | 70% | 26% |
| Meath | 342 | 34% | 50% | 29% |
| Monaghan | 149 | 61% | 65% | 25% |
| Offaly | 157 | 43% | 58% | 26% |
| Roscommon | 115 | 62% | 74% | 26% |
| Sligo | 102 | 46% | 56% | 25% |
| Tipperary | 227 | 49% | 59% | 32% |
| Waterford | 155 | 29% | 42% | 26% |
| Westmeath | 155 | 40% | 53% | 27% |
| Wexford | 309 | 51% | 61% | 31% |
| Wicklow | 197 | 24% | 44% | 31% |
One-off houses: CSO new dwelling completions, single houses, 2025 (CSO NDQ06). People outside towns: Census 2022, outside any census town (CSO Census 2022). Detached: share of private households in a detached house (CSO Census 2022). Renewables: households with a renewable energy source such as solar panels or a heat pump (CSO Census 2022). Our shares.
Cost check
What a polished floor costs for your size
Three taps: the size of the floor, the finish and where you are. The answer is a published Irish rate times your area.
Published rate × your floor area
€10,800 to €18,000
120 m² at PMAC's published €90 to €150 a m². Our multiplication, not a quote. Selfbuild Ireland's starting rate for this size and finish is €55 to €60 a m², so from €6,600.
- Selfbuild Ireland reports two quotes of €20,000 for 190 m² of mid-range polished concrete in a city new build, about €105 a m².
- On a new build, the slab is poured anyway. The polish is the extra; on an existing slab, the grinding and polishing is the whole cost (PMAC).
- None of the published rates says whether VAT is in. Ask.
How this is worked out
The floor area you pick, times PMAC's published €90 to €150 a m². Selfbuild Ireland's starting rates for the size and finish are shown under it, with its €20 to €30 a m² extra for rural jobs. The multiplication is ours. Rates read on 3 November 2026. 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.
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.
FAQ
Cork questions
How much do polished concrete floors cost in Cork?
PMAC publishes €90 to €150 a m²; Selfbuild Ireland gives from €55 to €60 a m² on standard floors over 100 m², and about €20 to €30 a m² more for rural jobs.
Do you cover all of Cork?
Yes. Requests from anywhere in Co. Cork, including Cork city and suburbs, 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 (PMAC). See new floors.
Nearby
Similar counties, and the cost guide
Where these numbers come from (7 public sources, checked 3 November 2026)
- CSO, New Dwelling Completions NDQ06 (updated 29 October 2026)
- CSO Census 2022, table F1010 (population in and outside towns)
- Selfbuild Ireland, How much does polished concrete cost in Ireland? (Keith Kelliher, 16 May 2024, updated 2 July 2025)
- CSO Census 2022, table F2007A (housing by type and year built)
- CSO Census 2022, households with a renewable energy source (SAP2022T6T10CTY)
- Met Éireann 1991–2020 monthly mean temperature, 1 km grid (degree days: our calculation)
- CSO Census 2022, table F1015 (population of towns)