Polished concrete floor labour costs are a joke.

[flanagaj]

Maybe concrete floor contractors are earning Barrister rates, but I am trying to get my head around how anyone can think they can charge what equates to a labour cost of ~ £20 - £22k to pour and polish a 157m2 slab.   A team of four pouring and floating the slab (1 day), n men polishing the slab = ? days.

 

Even if these guys do earn £1000 / day, that is still 20 man days.  So that is 4 guys for 5 days.

There must be a lot of stupidly rich folk, who simply don't question the quotes.

[twice round the block]

Probably got loads of work on and they don't want the job so go in with a high price.

If the home owner accepts, you make the job a priority to earn the cream.

 

You would have never have found me doing that sort of thing 🤔,

All self employed do it now and again.

[MikeSharp01]

10 hours ago, flanagaj said:

Maybe concrete floor contractors are earning Barrister rates, but I am trying to get my head around how anyone can think they can charge what equates to a labour cost of ~ £20 - £22k to pour and polish a 157m2 slab.   A team of four pouring and floating the slab (1 day), n men polishing the slab = ? days.

Is it terrazzo surface you are going for? If so then a big chunk of the cost will be tooling for 157m2 you will get through a vast quantity of industrial diamonds and the associated pads.  

[flanagaj]

23 minutes ago, MikeSharp01 said:

Is it terrazzo surface you are going for? If so then a big chunk of the cost will be tooling for 157m2 you will get through a vast quantity of industrial diamonds and the associated pads.  

That's a fair point.  I wasn't asked whether I was after a deep grind or a 'salt and pepper' finish.   Regardless, it looks like it's going to be a conventional screed / tile finish.  I was trying to avoid having to lay floor tiles myself.

 

[Duncan62]

Have you considered DIY micro cement right at the end?

[Dreadnaught]

The owner of the team who poured my concrete raft was well known to be wealthy from his trade with properties owned abroad.

 

One of his team was originally a chippie. He eventually left to join a team of small-scale house builders. Within a a few months he had convinced his new colleagues to down tools and take up concrete pouring as a means to make much more money.

[flanagaj]

On 16/05/2024 at 08:51, Duncan62 said:

Have you considered DIY micro cement right at the end?

I think this is potentially the alternative option.  

[MariaD]

On 15/05/2024 at 20:39, flanagaj said:

Maybe concrete floor contractors are earning Barrister rates, but I am trying to get my head around how anyone can think they can charge what equates to a labour cost of ~ £20 - £22k to pour and polish a 157m2 slab.   A team of four pouring and floating the slab (1 day), n men polishing the slab = ? days.

 

Even if these guys do earn £1000 / day, that is still 20 man days.  So that is 4 guys for 5 days.

There must be a lot of stupidly rich folk, who simply don't question the quotes.

How much would it cost if you had already the slab and just wanted to have it polished at the lowest level of gloss ?