How to choose the diamond pads I

2018-07-23

Diamonds are an important part of installing concrete floors - they're used for rough grinding, shaping, honing and also polishing. Selecting the right diamond polishing pad (or disc) is the key to getting a good finish for your concrete floors. However, there is a wide variety of diamond polishing pads on the market that can be confusing.

Before choosing the pads you should assess what is your plan on doing with it. Which will influence the choice in polishing pads.

·         Are you using it for heavy stock removal?

·         Is it for general honing?

·         Are you polishing the concrete to a high gloss?

Here I will give you a brief introduction of diamond pads.

Size

Larger diameter pads (e.g. 7#) are much more stable on large, flat areas than smaller diameter pads (3# and 4#). However, larger pads become unstable on narrow sections of concrete. A 7# diameter pad won't stay flat or cut evenly on a 3# wide strip of concrete. They are easy to use on the surface of concrete floor.

Small diameter pads are less stable and more likely to gouge when processing large areas on a big polisher, but with a smaller polisher (especially a pneumatic polisher) they work very well for processing edges and narrow sections.

Thickness

Diamond pads come in a variety of thicknesses, from around 2mm thin to 8mm thick.

Thicker pads will last longer when aggressively cutting. Effective, efficient at the beginning preparation grinding.

Thin pads don't last as long, but more flexible. This is a big advantage when honing or polishing inside curved integral sinks.

Pattern

The pattern molded into the cutting surface plays a significant role in the lifespan and the cutting quality.

Often pads with wide and deep channels will be used for coarse honing (30 and 50 grit). And, pads with large, open channels allow the abrasive cutting residue to be ejected quickly and effectively. This increases the lifespan of the pad when aggressive stock removal is performed. 

Pads that have many narrower channels are best only for polishing (400 to 3000 grit). Narrow channels clog more readily when aggressive cutting is performed and when insufficient water flows out from under the disc. 

A good balance of these factors is lots of channels that are large in proportion to the diamond-covered surface.

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