Mel, can you recommend a polished concrete omlany who will do just polishing not grinding? We didn't see that kind of finish any where without the aggregate. Thank you.

I'm Sydney-based. We used Diamond Polish. Check out their website, it's fairly informative. You need to ask for either 'burnished concrete' or 'no exposure polish'. They all should do it- it is the same process, just less grinding (ie- less work for them!).

Hi there, before installing underfloor heating, please do your research into the cost of running it, as it can be very expensive indeed, unless you're considering solar panels and in-house battery storage to use off-grid electricity. There are much more efficient ways of heating a home, which are also way more environmentally friendly, if you are not considering solar/battery option.

Mel, I checked out diamond polish but see they show aggregate. We want plain look. Is it possible at all?

Look through their jobs- Ashfield no exposure.....is that what you want?

Similar Mel. We also want the even look. Anyway, we have finalized on polished concrete as. When we retire and spend more time at home, we want the floor heating, even distribution of heat. Though some responses were tgatits expensiveto run, we hope to minimize with use of solar panels. We are planning to have ducted heating too as it's good to have it installed and use it during the season when you have odd days that are cold. Thank you for all your help. One thing I find is that you need to have quality workmanship. Then it lllook good.

Concrete is really tricky. Lots of variables almost out of builders control.

There are lots of builders out there reading who might comment- it made our builder as nervous as anything!- to minimise risk of cracking he poured a base slab, let it cure, got the roof on, then heating on top, then poured a topping slab. It's the topping slab we paid to have white concrete and white agragate and then obviously polished. I think if you are committed to concrete you need to respect the nature of it- it can dry and shrink and get hairline cracks. We love ours, but it isn't perfect.

We connected our electric floor heat to off-peak. I'm in bare feet now (it hasn't run since 6.30am today) and it's still warm. We supplement with AC or gas. Our electricity bill has been fine, but there is a huge difference between kW/hr rate from peak to off-peak.

Thanks Mel. Can you please post a pic of your floor? We are planning to have Grey tone. Also we ll have hydronic heating as melbourne is cold through the winter. I don't think they have off peak electricity anymore in melbourne.

looking forward to your picture, thanks for your help,

As N.B. Interiors says, do your research if considering underfloor heating. Though they are talking about electric underfloor heating, which is frightfully expensive. The cost of running a hydronic underfloor system will be dependent on the heat source. A heat pump is 4 to 5 times more efficient than standard electric heating. Same technology as an air conditioner, though for the hydronic it's air to water, not air to air.

Along with the heat source, there are other things that will effect the running costs. In slab hydronics has very high thermal mass, to very slow reaction times. Also, if the slab is not fully insulated, heat will be lost into the ground. In cool climates, a poorly insulated underfloor system can be very expensive to run.

Another option is an in-screen hydronic system. This is where the top of the slab is insulated, hydronic tubing is laid, & a thin screed is poured on top. This system has a lower thermal mass, so faster reaction time. It's also much better insulated, so less susceptible to heat losses. This would be my preferred option. This is what you see on Grand Designs.

Looks very nice. Thank you so much Mel for your help.

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