Hi, I'm building a home with polished concrete throughout. I've noticed this post is a month old, so have you decided yet? I didnt' go with the usual aggregate as I felt it was too "busy". The concrete had charcoal dye added to the mix. I've seen pictures of it done with light colours as well and it looks good.

Hi Rachael and rhjaai Regarding batch numbers................I have not heard that one before, wondering who advised you of that, and which product. Quickstep, Godfrey Hirst, and other quality manufacturers do not have batches, as such, that require matching. You can replace a plank with another batch and it will make no difference. Rachael, I agree you have perfectly matched the floor with cabinet sample, and will look great, but if you haven't already purchased, I'd recommend you look at http://www.karndean.com/en-nz/floors/easy-fit-ranges/karndean-looselay These vinyl planks are amazing and are quickly becoming a best seller here in NZ, soft underfoot, easy to keep clean, R10 slip rating ( R11 is required behind bars/clubs etc, so very high), lifetime residential warranty, and look great.

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

Thanks for your reply! It will be a cool, pure white on the bottom (the photo makes it look warm, but it's not). This is my inspiration, but the stone bench they have used is Topus which is darker than Ceasarstone. Their grey is also darker. We would have a timber bench installed in the return of our island bench instead of a waterfall edge to bring in some natural warmth. The upper grey cabinets will have vertical grooves as per the inspiration photo above. So the panel between fridge cavity and cabinetry will be white and plain to match, like the bottom drawers. Here is our floorplan: As mentioned, my vision is that it's a light grey benchtop on top of white bottom cabinets, with a contrasting grey upper cabinet. So I'm just not sure the Cloudburst will have enough interesting contrast against the white cabinetry, or will it just look dirty/cream. Any help would be appreciated!