In these areas accessible by the public, the immediate impact is the variety of finishes applied to surfaces. Although the forms are simple, the finishes are luxurious. Many exotic materials from all parts of the world were used. Architectural Design made much of Scott's use of materials when it published an illustration of the completed design in 1947:
Michael Scott combs countries far and wide for suitable materials for this creation of his. Brass, bronze, copper, mosaics, timber, tiles - even perhaps, goat skins - all and more embellish the already fine structure.(Anon, July 1947, p. 198)
Bronze from Denmark, marbles from Ireland, terrazzo, various woods including African mahogany, Siamese teak and Canadian maple, mosaic tiles from Venice, leather and hand made bricks from Kingscourt, County Cavan. All of these materials and more combine to give Busáras an opulence that is in contrast to the simple forms of the furniture and building. The areas devoted exclusively to the Department of Social Welfare received a more restrained decorative scheme compared to the exuberance of the station concourse. The Government was sensitive to accusations of over-expenditure after all the controversy that had gone before and declined to fit out their accommodation to the standards of CIE. At the time of the concrete structure's completion, total expenditure on the building was a little over £250,000. A further £750,000 was spent in the fitting out stage of the project.
All of the materials used were selected for their durability as well as appearance. Floors and wall surfaces in the public areas were provided with low maintenance, easily cleaned finishes that would last a long time. That aim was certainly realised because after forty two years, the interior finishes are still as good as the day they were installed. In a letter to the resident engineer James Kelly, Scott wrote:
The important thing is the building. I would never feel happy with a job that probably would not gave the same lasting qualities and which invariably would mean maintenance.(Michael Scott, STW Archives, 1952)
The most obvious materials in use in the interiors are the various timbers. These include teak, mahogany, Canadian maple panels, and Irish oak. In the concourse almost everything was clad with mahogany slats. This included the shopping arcade, the kiosks, the old ticket office and the seating. Teak was used by Barney Heron for the handrails in the mezzanine restaurant and stairwells (both in the bus station and in the offices). The Canadian maple panels are used on the mezzanine level of the concourse to clad the area between the intruding brickwork and the glazing. This use of the maple panels presents a pleasant contrast to the overuse of mahogany and the lighter colour goes well with the acoustic ceiling tiles.
The other most noticeable material used in the interior is the glass mosaic tiling which were applied to all hard to maintain surfaces. Manufactured by SARIM in Venice, they were selected for their hard wearing properties and aesthetic appeal. All the columns and many of the wall surfaces in the bus station and basement were covered in a range of four colours - grey, green, purple and yellow. On the pavilion floor, two more colours were introduced - red and blue. The ceilings in the concourse and mezzanine restaurant are clad with an acoustic tile while that in the entrance porch is clad with leather finished tiles. For the floors hard wearing materials like terrazzo and Travertine marble were used for the concourse and offices reception respectively. Teak block flooring was installed in the mezzanine restaurant and Irish oak floor boards were fitted to the top floor restaurant.