A Guide To Concrete Polishing

2021-12-03

Whether it is foundations or floors, patios or sidewalks, the importance of concrete cannot be undermined. Since there will always be a need for concrete, there will always be a need to keep it polished. People increasingly realize the benefits of polishing their concrete floors. Besides improving the aesthetic appeal of a property, concrete floor polishing results in a durable surface with few maintenance requirements. Let's take a look at whether polishing is right for your floor, the equipment and tools you need and how to carry out the process in the right way,

Different types and grits of diamond tooling

Concrete polishing usually start with a relatively coarse grit diamond tooling and finishes with an extremely finer one. A bonded diamond is a disc, head or pad containing diamond particles embedded in metal or resin. The coarseness of the diamond is known as its grit, and the higher the number, the smoother the surface finish. For example, you might start with 50 grit and finish with 3,000 grit. There are several types of diamond tooling which are used in concrete polishing. Common use diamond tooling including metal diamond grinding heads, resin diamond polishing pads, hybrid transitional diamond tools,etc.

The grind and seal process

The grinding machine is first used to remove any surface finishes, such as paint, coating, glue, etc. This is done using PCD removal tools or metal diamond grinding tools. When you operate the grinding machine, make sure that you walk in smooth and overlapping lines. Once you have finished a run in one direction, angle the machine 90 degrees to another direction and start again the grinding process to make sure the floor is fully covered.

You may find chips or holes in the concrete. These should be cleaned out and filled with a patching compound. When the floor is dry, smooth off excess filler material with the same diamond grinding tools. You then progress to the finer grits diamond tooling and conduct the same grinding steps until floor gradually become smooth and bright. At this point, you could vacuum the dust away and apply a sealant. This is where the grind and seal process ends.

Full polishing process

If you decided to have a highly reflective polished finish, you now need to continue the polishing process using several increasingly smoother diamond tooling. To finish polishing process, generally use 1,500 or 3,000 grit diamond polishing pads, depending on how reflective you want the surface to be. Or you can also use diamond burnishing pads to add a final sheen of the surface.

Final polishing process

Once you’ve finished polishing, vacuum the dust away. Next, apply a coat of sealer which is an essential part of helping the surface achieve a mirror finish. Add a sealant to the floor evenly which make the surface impervious and let the floor dry naturally. You should now have a concrete floor that is durable and reflects light beautifully.

Concrete polishing is a long and tedious process, one that needs to be followed the steps carefully. DTS Diamond Tools is the experts in this field. We have the right grinding and polishing equipment and diamond tooling for your project. So make sure you take full advantage of the professional experience, If you encounter any difficulties at work, you can always ask us for help. Because with the right guidance, any polishing work will become easier and successfully.