Not too long ago, I was called by this person who wanted to inquire about concrete polishing. He seemed welcome to the idea, but had reservations just the same. He wasn't sure if the concrete at his home was fit for polishing.
So there's the question. Are all concrete floors capable of being polished? The short answer is yes, they can. The more elaborate answer is, they can, but they won't always be optimal.
Let me elaborate. The process of concrete polishing is a way to cure the surface material of concrete. The end result of such an endeavor is a concrete surface that is shiny and more durable. But you need a smooth surface first before you can perform polishing. This is what coarse grinding process is, and is is essential before polishing.
Now almost all concrete will be shined, but there are concrete types that won't produce optimal results. The most obvious of these are the ones with as lot of patchwork done to them. Even if it were fixed beforehand, the marks of the patchwork will remain, and the concrete will not look as good as you want it to be.
On the other hand, porous concrete makes very poor polished concrete. There would simply be too many holes, and the concrete will not close properly post-polishing. When you are in the process of applying new concrete, then, talk to your contractor to avoid it becoming porous.
Since it has been mentioned, there is also a special rule regarding newly laid concrete and polishing it. Simply put, you should wait for about 30 days, letting the concrete set, before you attempt any polishing operations.
There you go. Practically every piece of concrete can be polished. The only exceptions would be those that are not properly placed to begin with, and those that are too new to be touched.