$12,000 Concrete Floor MISTAKE – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

$12,000 Concrete Floor MISTAKE – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

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My first project on the desert house is finally done! And I’m not going to lie, it was almost a complete disaster. We ran into some serious issues with our contractor and our floor guy, and a job that was supposed to take 14 days took over 2 months, but we FINALLY made it. Sadly, they did not turn out the way I wanted them to and I am still trying to decide if I can live with them? Or if I have to come up with the budget to do something else. $12,000 is a LOT of money to ultimately not be happy at the end of it. What would you do? Would you keep the new concrete floors as is? Or would you invest in new flooring? HELP!!!!

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50 Comments

  1. Adam Bogan ♪ on January 5, 2023 at 4:21 am

    It looks sooo much better than before! Wow, what a deal.

  2. farzad hamid on January 5, 2023 at 4:23 am

    sorry to hear your frustration. Thats why I repair everything myself, I mean evrything.. I do not trust the unproffesional workers that lie and lie to make a doller more of what they qouted you at the first place. Erin if I was you I do report them to the police

  3. Blue Gym on January 5, 2023 at 4:24 am

    Wow, I’m sorry this happened to you. I wouldn’t pay for those floors. At the first sight of those unsightly cracks you should have cut your loses and covered them up with polyaspartic coating.

  4. Zednix 55 on January 5, 2023 at 4:26 am

    the mouth sounds over mic while talking RIP

  5. Colleen Marin on January 5, 2023 at 4:26 am

    What was wrong with the old floors?

  6. Ms Williams on January 5, 2023 at 4:28 am

    We did stained concrete to make it look like grey marble. Why not do that?

  7. lquint1 on January 5, 2023 at 4:28 am

    Should not complicate and lay nice vinyl flooring instead. simple and cheaper

  8. Kristina on January 5, 2023 at 4:29 am

    Hate to say it, but it was sooo much better in the before state. I hate it when you try so hard to do everything right, and the outcome turns out badly. Life bites sometimes.

  9. Richard Comeau on January 5, 2023 at 4:30 am

    Epoxy the concrete

  10. Olivia Krauss on January 5, 2023 at 4:31 am

    I really you had a written contract with these people and hope you didnt pay the first floor guys. They ripped you off.

  11. unamor on January 5, 2023 at 4:32 am

    Why not SLC the whole place to begin with, before the whole "polishing"? SLC and some microtopping would make this look even and amazing.

  12. Brad Butterfield on January 5, 2023 at 4:32 am

    You must hire only 1 company that does all of the work removal and polish. They need real equipment not a floor buffer. You 100 percent got hosed and hired the wrong company. Sorry for your loss.

  13. Adam Bogan ♪ on January 5, 2023 at 4:34 am

    I have some land for sale in Atlantis if you’re interested.

  14. Tane on January 5, 2023 at 4:37 am

    Hi, I’m from australia and I’ve removed tile, grinder and sealed my floors my question is after the thi set was removed was the concrete floor then grinder down to show some aggregate? To me it seems this step was missed, Also seems like the contractor you used wasn’t very professional. Prep work should have been done properly I.E cracks all sealed correctly edges should’ve been the first part of the floor polished, I would never have co to use with the polish if the old thinset squares were still very visible as they are.

  15. James O'Brien on January 5, 2023 at 4:37 am

    There’s also the option to stain, and there are methods to get it looking close to natural. That’s what I’d recommend (besides epoxy).

  16. Rhino Skin on January 5, 2023 at 4:41 am

    Self levelling underlaminate then an epoxy finish..??

  17. g o on January 5, 2023 at 4:41 am

    A concrete floor seems cold to the feet…or am I wrong? Might be nice in the summer, I guess?

  18. Nakano Takeko on January 5, 2023 at 4:41 am

    I am a concrete coating contractor and the number 1 rule about removing tile is that THE GROUT JOINTS WILL SHOW THROUGH! Because tile and grout are two different materials, moisture will dissipate at different rates and always leave what is called "Ghosting" of the grout lines. This can also happen with hardwood floors (although not as much). The ONLY way to get rid of ghosting is to apply an additional 1/2"-3/4" of self leveling product (i.e. ARDEX or SCHONOX) (about 80% effective) or to install a metallic epoxy floor. The black base coat of metallic epoxy will hide ghosting (100% effective). Metallic epoxy is unique, beautiful and decorative (but not cheap).  
    Polished concrete is probably the WORST choice for replacing tiled floors because there is nothing being done to the concrete except making it harder and shinier (Think of polishing rocks when you were a kid….same rock, only shinier). I LOVE polished concrete floors! They’re beautiful in their imperfection. HOWEVER, I would never recommend (and always warn my clients) that polished concrete will show EVERY imperfection–cracks and all.
    Sorry you had such a horrible experience with your concrete flooring guy. There are a LOT of contractors who SAY they can coat concrete, but my advise to anyone looking to have your floors polished or epoxied…..STAY AWAY FROM PAINTERS, CONCRETE INSTALLERS (concrete "finishing" is not the same as concrete "coating"), HANDYMEN, FLOORING INSTALLERS (Carpet, hardwood, tile, LVT, VCT, etc…). Find a contractor whose ONLY job is to coat concrete. And, added tip, STAY AWAY FROM THE BIG BOX STORES AND DIYers. Coating concrete is NOT something most (95%) homeowners can do themselves. Even skilled concrete coating contractors do not always understand how to prepare floors and install certain products. There are myriad variables that cause coatings to fail or turn out poorly. This is one job best left to the pros.

  19. A3777 on January 5, 2023 at 4:43 am

    I feel bad and this sucks ! However, it’s always important for a homeowner to do there due diligence when it comes to remodels or any kind of work . Sad to say but out there with contractors it’s a dog eat dog world .

  20. Nico 333 on January 5, 2023 at 4:43 am

    You should have just painted the tiles 😅

  21. W.W. W. on January 5, 2023 at 4:44 am

    You are so positive despite the set backs. Did you think you could be a life coach for my girlfriend? We have 3 home projects going on and she is not just rolling with the changes. Great Video! 👍 I never trust a contractor they all have a gimmick be it floors, drywall etc. but their real job is to take your money!

  22. Eric Syre on January 5, 2023 at 4:47 am

    You could have a self-levelling concrete poured over this one. It would fill the cracks and help out with a more uniform texture:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TcWBUMb8nM&ab_channel=ModernBuilds

  23. petedogg369 on January 5, 2023 at 4:49 am

    You should have just had epoxy floors done. You can can pick the colors and it looks like marble when it’s done. The concrete doesn’t have to all be a consistent color since it’s going to be covered with epoxy.

  24. Andrea De Bei on January 5, 2023 at 4:50 am

    I’m sorry for this disgusting work.. In Italy I have never seen such a job done, ever.. Why didn’t you use microcement? It could have been spread over the tiles without demolishing it and you could have chosen the color.. Sue whoever made you this disgusting job

  25. Ruby Red on January 5, 2023 at 4:50 am

    Don’t understand why not just time. A cheap $1 per sqf would be less problematic than all the rugs with renters in & out 😮

  26. Historic Home Plans on January 5, 2023 at 4:52 am

    A few thousand dollars paid to a local architect, to make recommendations and keep an eye on the work, probably would have avoided that $12,000 dollar mistake as well as any other mistakes that arise.
    A good set of contract documents (plans and specifications) can avoid a lot of these problems.

  27. All Natural Homesteaders on January 5, 2023 at 4:53 am

    Why didn’t you just lay a new layer of brand new concrete on top of the old? Then you wouldn’t of had all of those problems. If you would have just put an 1/8-1/4 inch of brand new concrete down, it would have been a LOT cheaper. Like only a grand cheap! Idk why you tried ripping up the concrete to begin with. Just put new down, hopefully you are least learned a lesson while remodeling the house!

    I hope you got your money back, or didn’t pay the 1st concrete guys at all!

  28. Hammad Shabbir on January 5, 2023 at 4:53 am

    Check this video to get more information about 5 Ways To Prevent Your Basement Floor From Moisture? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl1JEM_CNJU

  29. mattgotsskill on January 5, 2023 at 4:54 am

    ummm…… you got ripped off big time, concrete is grindable…… they could have kept grinding it down until the entire floor had a fresh layer of concrete….. to me it looks like all they did was clean it

  30. Historic Home Plans on January 5, 2023 at 4:55 am

    To get a really good looking finished concrete floor, you need to use techniques and materials specific to that purpose.
    A standard concrete slab that was put in with the intention of being tiled over will not have gone through those steps. So trying to turn it into something that looks good after the face is probably going to fail.
    An alternative would have been to take up the tile, as you did, then lay down a thin terrazzo floor over the concrete. That would have avoided all the labor that went into trying to make bad concrete look good. And there are a huge range of appearances available for terrazzo. Traditionally it was done using white cement and mineral aggregates, which still requires a lot of polishing (labor). But there are now epoxy based terrazzos that don’t require anywhere near as much labor.
    If I were going the terrazzo route, I’d check with materials suppliers and specialist contractors because it might be possible to do it right over the existing tile and thus save yet more labor. But I’m not sure about that. That’s why it’s good to confer with specialists.

  31. hardkore360 on January 5, 2023 at 4:56 am

    an epoxy job would’ve been easier and cheaper on that floor. You can’t polish a turd and expect something else 🤣

  32. Davon Carr on January 5, 2023 at 4:57 am

    Hi there Erin! I’m a local contractor in the area that actually specializes in concrete polishing. I hate that you had to go through that entire process cause it gives the rest of us actual professionals that actually know what we’re doing a bad rap. The equipment those guys were using should have spoke volumes that they had no idea what they were doing. You could have ground down that floor WAY more and could have come out with an AMAZING finish. There are other options as well. If you wanna make a video and call it something like ( Floors around 2 ), please message me. I wanna help. It’s actually really irritating me lol

  33. Leo Lion on January 5, 2023 at 4:58 am

    Your learning the basic rules of remodeling. Making similar mistakes over 30 years ago, it’s costly, but because of that you won’t make them twice. Hope the rest of the remodeling adventure was a success.
    PS. Watch out for those aliens 👽.

  34. Frank Gonzalez on January 5, 2023 at 5:04 am

    You be surprised it happens to many homeowners.. I mean you know interior contractor.. anytime I give an estimate I always let them know that sometimes just the preparation itself is not included on the installation… That’s when you know you’re dealing with the right person… You need someone that guides you exposes and shows everything and the reasons behind the cost.. in this case your tile guys all they do is tile installation nothing more nothing less… What you have there they’re called mules.. they know how to get something done but they need to be guided… You can pause a project for a moment and ask questions and this is for any homeowner.. real contractors like questions..

  35. Regular Stan on January 5, 2023 at 5:04 am

    12,000 is your 1st mistake

  36. DOG NATIOUS on January 5, 2023 at 5:05 am

    Residential concrete indoor slabs were never intended to be exposed, polished floors. Polishing to high grits (400-3000) ENHANCES tile shadow etching, patching, etc., that we call "remnants" and "character". It also requires burnishing for maintenance over time. You cannot get a perfect floor out of a slab that has carpet glue etching, tile shadows, coke stain etching, etc. Concrete is PERMEABLE and POROUS, so anything with chemical liquid flows right into the concrete resulting in permanent staining. The best option we have used after 700 floor projects is "hybrid floors": basically you diamond grind them to less than polished grits ( 18, 30, 70, 120, transitional pads, up to 200 grit resins, depending…). Then you stain or dye them ARTISTICALLY in iterations with various grey or earth tones that work WITH the slab color to create flow with the natural color. This is an artistic process that few contractors amd diy’ers have the aptitude or experience for. Then you clean the floor perfectly and seal it (with a breatheable sealer) in two iterations with drying time between them. And then you wax over the sealer in two cycles for more dimension, but mostly to protect the sealer, so that you never have to reseal. The wax is super gloss or matte. So the finish in the hybrid floor is derived from the sealer and the wax, and slightly from the smooth floor finish. The smoothness from the true polished concrete floor is derived solely from the polishing, not from a sealer and wax. The staining we do mitigates and softens the remnants and character in the concrete making it more like natural stone (which is always heterogeneous). The ENTIRE idea behind concrete exposed floors IS the rustic, heteorgeneous look. If you don’t like character, forget it and go to tile or wood and pay 3x or more as much. Overlays and microtoppings are also a huge waste of money in my opinion. At that point use gorgeous simulated concrete tile. BTW, epoxy floors are just too plasticky and artificial looking — and despite what they claim, they are hard to repair, if not impossible. If you do not have a moisture barrier, they WILL delaminate. Expensive to fix too. Summary: The best option for the exposed concrete residential floor (cost-wise and look-wise) is the hybrid floor. Maintenance is waxing and it is fast, DIY, and easy. One more note: if you have pets, forget the polished concrete floors (400 grit and finer). The animals simply cannot get any traction and that is bad on their hips. Concretetransformed@gmail.

  37. Jason keju on January 5, 2023 at 5:06 am

    Should have just screed or pour self leveling concrete after they dispose your tiles. Probably done in couple of days.

  38. Diablo8900 on January 5, 2023 at 5:06 am

    Lesson learned for 12k

  39. TheRedPIll on January 5, 2023 at 5:07 am

    Oh no, no, no! It’s ugly! There are wonderful epoxy solutions. You need to find one and fix it. It’s unacceptable as is. When the before is better than the after, it’s a problem.

  40. Sam Jenkins on January 5, 2023 at 5:09 am

    You are insufferable

  41. Avril Miller on January 5, 2023 at 5:11 am

    I’ve heard of people feathering technique of concrete. It’s a shallow painting of any surface using concrete. WHY didn’t they do that? just to even varying tones of the stone.

  42. Sunchild Styles on January 5, 2023 at 5:12 am

    I learned from an old mentor that you’re supposed to stand over their shoulder the entire time because you can a. Learn a thing or two and b. Make sure they aren’t screwing stuff up. Overall I think the floors are fine lol rugs will go over them anyways and it is concrete so paint is always an option

  43. Brian Mac on January 5, 2023 at 5:15 am

    FLOOR👎👎👎

  44. David Edwards on January 5, 2023 at 5:16 am

    Who even knew polished concrete was a thing, seems a waste of effort and money to me, but what do I know!

  45. Shaun Boyce on January 5, 2023 at 5:17 am

    had a similar project but new concrete, was not a fan of gloss finish has floor guy redo in a matte, glare was gone and the floor was so much better. They should have patched the crack as well.

  46. zvczvcvzxcv on January 5, 2023 at 5:17 am

    Way too much production value to take seriously, in my opinion. This should be on HGTV.

  47. joe fitness on January 5, 2023 at 5:18 am

    Just do an epoxy floor

  48. Splintershield on January 5, 2023 at 5:19 am

    I bet aliens abducted your 1st floor contractors 😎

  49. FelMar G on January 5, 2023 at 5:19 am

    I can’t help but ask why the floor is visible at all, or why the concrete? In principle, there should be insulation and then some kind of covering, such as parquet or carpet, so that the feet of those living there are not cold. If there is a basement, it is generally necessary to put a primer for concrete, which absorbs and kind of solders, that’s why there are also white spots. I guess they didn’t understand that the floor will not be covered, but varnished, which is strange since there are already granite tiles, and that’s why they did it that way. I just don’t know how something like that would cost so much money. You just take rubber boots, a broom and a few tubes of penetrating concrete primer, directly pour and spread thickly everywhere and with stable puddles and then wait for it to dry. Work for an hour, maybe 3 if you also have to putty cracks.

  50. RBoto77 on January 5, 2023 at 5:21 am

    We had the exact same experience including the exact same ugly tile. We hate our polished concrete floors. Sorry you went through the same misery we went through but it’s kinda nice to have company😂

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