What is Concrete Grinding?

2021-10-19

Concrete grinding is the process of smoothing rough concrete surfaces. During the concrete grinding process, abrasive tools with diamond attachment which are mounted on the floor grinder will smooth the rough surface. All coatings, stains, and surface cracks are removed along with the top layer of concrete during the first step in the process. Deeper cracks should be evaluated. If they can be patched, it is the time to do so in the next process. Professionals use a pressure washer to blast dirt, rocks, and concrete chunks out of the crack. This creates a clean condition for the application of an epoxy patch.

Concrete can be ground either wet or dry. Both of these two grinding methods have their pros and cons. More importantly, the grinding tools for either wet grinding or dry grinding are also different. Many worker will prefer wet grinding to prevent concrete dust from getting everywhere. This is both for cleanliness and safety. Rough concrete dust can find its way into workers’ lungs. Also, wet grinding is more aggressive than dry grinding and may be more effective at exposing the aggregate.  

Under normal circumstances, diamond grinding tools have different particle sizes which are range from 6# to 200#. Rough grinding usually begins with a coarse grit metal bond diamond tool. After the surface is ground, finer grinding can begin, usually metal bond diamond tools with higher grits will be used. Generally, each step requires at least 2 passes over the entire area to ensure the proper smoothness of the floor.

To harden the concrete after grinding, workers will apply a liquid chemical. And the entire surface is saturated with the chemical. At least 30 minutes is needed to let the chemical steep in. But most workers will wait an entire day before undertaking the polishing process. If you’ re looking for a high gloss finish, using resin bond polishing pads with different particle sizes to polish the floor until it reach the gloss you want.