concrete polishing / grinding

domscan

About to start the grind and seal of a concrete floor on a new build..180m2 in total. Basically a poor mans polished concrete. ie. grind to expose surface aggregate, smooth with diamond pads then seal with an acrylic sealer and finish with a wax polish.

have tested method on a smallish area with an angle grinder and diamond disc and and pads and working out quite nicely so far. floor was power floated so reasonably smooth to start with

Now need to tackle the whole shebang so need a suitable hire machine for the initial grinding..

Has anyone out there attempted something similar themselves and can give any advice on the best hire machine to use..and/or throw some light on the process

e.r

domscan wrote: »

About to start the grind and seal of a concrete floor on a new build..180m2 in total. Basically a poor mans polished concrete. ie. grind to expose surface aggregate, smooth with diamond pads then seal with an acrylic sealer and finish with a wax polish.

have tested method on a smallish area with an angle grinder and diamond disc and and pads and working out quite nicely so far. floor was power floated so reasonably smooth to start with

Now need to tackle the whole shebang so need a suitable hire machine for the initial grinding..

Has anyone out there attempted something similar themselves and can give any advice on the best hire machine to use..and/or throw some light on the process

Unless you use a triple headed grinder, it will look terrible. 180m2 is a big area, would you not hire the right equipment.

You are going to get ring marks every where.
The angle grinder is only for the perimeter.

When it’s done correctly, you will have a floor for life.

Calahonda52

OP: as er has pointed out, this has the potential to go very wrong: its not one of the "go to" DIY jobs in a house build

jack of all

I've seen polished concrete floors done by a pro- you need to have the right equipment, know how and experience-it's not a DIY job. A pro would well earn his fee in doing a good job.

listermint

Without being funny is the bulk of the work not just Labour.

As in someone going up and down over the areas changing the pads, going up and down, spraying agents, Polishing then sealing.

Its all Labour the Equipment does the work.

Im sure theres trick and stuff you learn along the way. But its just a big industrial grinder on wheels.

Tbh i think the people that will tell you not to do it are the same folks who will tell you no one but them can get a good finish.

Im all for skilled tradespeople, they have years of experience. But this is pushing a machine up and down the floor you can go back over areas you are not happy with.


Obviously the grinding disks will cost a decent amount of money so you better cost that in the job. Its a huge area but there is labour saving in there if you are willing to do it. Youll probably be sick of polishing when your down though i id imagine.

HoboJoe

I had a similar idea with a much smaller area. A few hours and a nasty sinus infection later (even with a decent dust mask) I had to throw in the towel and convince the misses that tiles were the way to go!

listermint

HoboJoe wrote: »

I had a similar idea with a much smaller area. A few hours and a nasty sinus infection later (even with a decent dust mask) I had to throw in the towel and convince the misses that tiles were the way to go!

Your meant to have it permanently wet. If you didn't you started wrong.

HoboJoe

listermint wrote: »

Your meant to have it permanently wet. If you didn't you started wrong.

True! I only used a tiny bit of spray water as I didn't have a water resistant tools. A simple lesson to use the right tools or get in a pro if the job requires. OP let us know how you got on or what you decided to do please when you make a move.

domscan

Thanks e.r, hiring a triple headed grinder and industrial vacuum on wednesday. Following the grinding Ill be using a high speed floor buffer (bought this) and a 400 grit ferzon pad to get it ready for sealing and buffing.

Listermint thanks for the encouragement and yep I agree with what you say about the naysayers. When you simply don't have the budget for the professionals why not give it a go obviously after plenty of research and test areas etc If it goes wrong you'll only have yourself to blame and if it goes well, happy days.

Ill keep you posted on how i get on or if anyone down the lines needs my tuppence worth give me a shout.
Fun and games for a few weeks no doubt. Wish the weather wasn't so nice.

Tederick

Hi just wondering how your polished concrete floors worked out?