Gallardía
Gallardía
An interior pedestrian polished concrete floor runs at B/. 12.50 per m² and the reinforced version for light vehicle traffic at B/. 20.00 per m². The difference is in the thickness and the reinforcement, not the finish.
Get your estimate in 2 minutes · Remodelling Cost Calculator| Activity | Unit | Installation price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polished concrete floor, interior pedestrian, minimum 10 cm thick | m² | B/. 12.50 | |
| Float-finished concrete floor, interior pedestrian, minimum 10 cm thick | m² | B/. 12.50 | |
| Float or broom-finished concrete floor, exterior pedestrian, minimum 10 cm thick | m² | B/. 12.50 | |
| Reinforced concrete floor for light vehicle traffic, 12–15 cm thick | m² | B/. 20.00 | |
| Reinforced concrete floor for carports, yards and workshop areas, per design (min. 12 cm) | m² | B/. 20.00 |
A dense, smooth surface with a sheen. It is the fashionable finish in lofts, commercial units, showrooms and industrial-style kitchens. Easy to clean and very durable.
Its drawback in Panama: wet, it is slippery. Do not put it in bathrooms, entrances where rain reaches, or pool surrounds. Anti-slip belongs there.
Smooth but matt, worked with a float. It is the standard in warehouses, stores and service areas. Less striking than polished, just as functional and with better grip.
A broom is drawn across the fresh concrete to leave a fine texture. That texture is what gives traction. It is the correct finish for outdoors: pavements, ramps, garage entrances and yards.
On a vehicle access ramp, the broom finish is not an aesthetic preference: it is safety. A polished ramp in Panamanian rain is an accident waiting to happen.
The B/. 7.50 per square metre difference — from B/. 12.50 to B/. 20.00 — is not about the finish. It is about what goes underneath:
If you are going to park vehicles, even "just one light car", use the reinforced version. A 10 cm pedestrian slab under the repeated weight of a vehicle cracks within months, and repairing it costs more than doing it right: demolishing a 10 to 20 cm topping slab is B/. 35.00 per m², nearly double what laying it cost.
| Activity | Unit | Installation price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demolition of reinforced concrete topping slabs, 10 to 20 cm thick | m² | B/. 35.00 | |
| Removal of anti-slip or industrial flooring | m² | B/. 10.00 | |
| Removal of interior ceramic or porcelain floor tile | m² | B/. 7.50 | |
| Demolition of concrete gutters or kerbs | m | B/. 10.00 | |
| Interior PVC skirting, 8–12 cm high, for vinyl or polished concrete floors | m | B/. 5.00 | |
| Floor gully with grating (foul or stormwater) | u | B/. 30.00 | |
| Haulage and final disposal of waste | m³ | B/. 45.00 | |
| Final clean-up and clearance of the work area | m² | B/. 5.00 |
The PVC skirting at B/. 5.00 per metre is the natural trim for polished concrete: it covers the wall junction, which is where the finish is always irregular.
| Activity | Quantity | Unit price | Line total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demolition of existing topping slab | 36 m² | B/. 35.00 / m² | B/. 1,260.00 |
| Final disposal of waste | 5 m³ | B/. 45.00 / m³ | B/. 225.00 |
| Reinforced concrete floor for carports and yards | 36 m² | B/. 20.00 / m² | B/. 720.00 |
| Floor gully with grating | 1 u | B/. 30.00 / u | B/. 30.00 |
| Final clean-up and clearance | 36 m² | B/. 5.00 / m² | B/. 180.00 |
| TOTAL LABOUR | B/. 2,415.00 |
If the ground is clear and there is nothing to demolish, the same job drops to B/. 930.00. Demolishing the old floor is by far the most expensive line item in this kind of work.
Pouring and finishing 36 m² takes 1 to 2 days. What cannot be rushed is the curing.
In the rainy season the pour has to be protected. A downpour on fresh concrete ruins the surface finish and there is no way to repair it without demolishing.
B/. 12.50 per m² in labour for an interior pedestrian polished concrete floor with a minimum thickness of 10 cm. The interior float finish and the exterior broom finish cost the same.
B/. 20.00 per m² for a reinforced concrete floor for light vehicle traffic, 12 to 15 cm thick. It is the same price as the reinforced floor for carports, yards and workshop areas.
More thickness, reinforcement with mesh or bar, better base preparation and compaction, and control joints executed properly. It is not about the finish.
Yes, when wet. It is unsuitable for bathrooms, entrances where rain reaches or pool surrounds. Outdoors the correct finish is the broom finish, whose fine texture gives traction.
Demolition of reinforced concrete topping slabs 10 to 20 cm thick is B/. 35.00 per m², plus B/. 45.00 per m³ for rubble disposal.
At 28 days, when it reaches design strength. You can walk on it carefully at 24 to 48 hours and normally at 7 days.
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