Hi Chris The cheapest option is Grind & Seal, but we usually recommend Mechanically Polished Concrete for inside of a home. This is by far a better option, if you were to go for a Matte or Satin finish it is less expensive than a higher gloss finish. Mechanically Polished Concrete does not have a top coat sealer requiring drying and curing time and does not need re-applying in the future which will save time and money in the long run. Because Polished Concrete does not require drying or curing time it can be used as soon as the process is completed unlike the Grind & Seal option. All floors are slippery when wet, a non slip agent can be added to a top coat sealer which would be the Grind & Seal method which we do apply in a shower area if there is not a shower base. Polished Concrete in Matte and Satin finish does have a very good slip rating, has no grout lines as with tiled floors where dust can get trapped therefore it is a wonderful easy to clean flooring solution. Hope this helps, I have provided some details regarding the 2 main processes below There are 2 different finishing processes / methods that are commonly called Polished Concrete, they are very different so it is important that you know the difference & which process/method you want and which is being used on your concrete Polished Concrete - 12 to 17+ step process During this process the concrete is ground to the desired level of stone exposure. After grinding the concrete surface, the Polished Concrete process begins. This process has a densifier applied in multiple stages that is absorbed into the concrete which hardens and strengthens the concrete. A Polished Concrete Floor is Polished in Multiple stages in a Refining Process using diamond tooling & resin pads. A penetrating sealer is applied in the final buffing stage to complete the process The "Polished Concrete" process has "NO TOP COAT SEALER" applied therefore there is no drying or curing time required so your space can be used as soon as the process is completed Grind & Seal (a 3 to 4 step process) This is NOT Polished Concrete. Grind & Seal is often referred to as Polished Concrete, this is the cheaper substitute that gives a "Polished Concrete Look" With the Grind & Seal method the concrete is ground to the desired level of stone exposure and a TOP Coat Sealer is applied such as water based, solvent based, urethane, acrylic or epoxy requiring 5-7 days to dry & cure

Hi Emma X - they’re Dunlop Heartridge Sahara Dune. We have them laid through our house on both stumps and a slab in the new build. They feel great underfoot and are very easy to clean and maintain (so far)! A friend of mine who lives in QLD chose them for her new build, and I fell in love with them when I saw them in her professional builders photos. I did not see them ‘in the flesh’ before committing to them, but have been 100% happy with them in our house. I am having trouble posting photos but if anyone is after a few snaps, shoot me your email address and I will forward them along.

I’m so frustrated. I have the exact same problem except my rep says HE HAS NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM BEFORE. I’m just heartsick I wasted so much money on this floor. It started with big gapping problems right away, and what seemed like the finish coming off, and it looking dirty and footprints etc. It took about 14 months to get the claim back and Karndean said the installer “misrepresented” what underpayment was used. I also found out -14 months after my initial claim-that the dirty scuff marks was not part of my original claim. They say I have to make a new claim even though Jeremy the Karndean rep discussed the appearance with the distributor, Tri States flooring. No one let me look at the claim to make sure it has all the information. I am also not allowed to see any factory test results or any other type of information pertinent to my claim. They just tell me everything checked out on their end and it is my housekeeping skills that have caused a film to develop on my floor. I have only used their products or water and Norwex cloths. It is very disheartening to constantly have a dirty scruffy looking floor in a beautiful new kitchen I have waited my whole life floor. I truly regret not reading the reviews , I regret not using a real wood or ceramic product. For buying top of the line products I got factory seconds.

Not going with black kickboards, but will be doing black smeg - have seen a similar kitchen & it looks great.