Polished concrete and cracks

We are exploring polished concrete for our new home and have been through a number of homes with this.

All of the examples I have seen do have some cracking. Is this inevitable? Does it get a lot worse over time?

We want a fairly industrial look with variable aggregate exposure and our builder has a display home with this exact look. We don't feel that the minor cracks detract from the appearance of this, but I have seen some highly polished floors where the cracking looks pretty awful (especially one where hey tried to patch it).

I suppose I just want to know what our floors will look like in 10 years and also whether the cracking is a problem.

You really cant do much about concrete cracking. Internal corners will probably be the most likely place that you will see them. You just ahve to live with them and try to resist the urge to fill them as they will look worse.

Cheers
TheEstimator

No ....and no.

BUT you won’t get anyone to give you an iron clad guarantee lol.

All will describe concrete as a natural product with inherent unpredictability. We have had over 50 sqm of concrete laid and polished without a crack to be seen. Go with a company that both lays and polishes their own product. That way you won’t be caught between either blaming each other if something goes awry.

Our guys were great and laid expansion joints at all outside corners (they are the ones most likely to run and crack). The expansion joints are aluminium angle and really add to the floor, we had them placed to define space in our open plan.
Go for it, polished concrete is an awesome surface to live with, we are glad we splurged.