A guide to aggregate exposure

Start with your space

Understanding Aggregate Exposure in Polished Concrete

Aggregate exposure is often mistaken for a colour choice, when it’s really a question of how deep the grinding goes into your existing slab. A light, minimal exposure keeps more of the surface character intact, while deeper grinding reveals progressively more of the stone within the concrete mix — and how much variation you get depends on what was actually placed in that slab, not a catalogue sample. That’s true for existing floors and new pours alike, though a new pour gives you more control if the finish is planned before concrete is ordered. Either way, a representative sample is the only honest way to set expectations before grinding begins.

An approximate area is fine. The right system starts with an assessment.