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By: Adriana Noton
Home improvement techniques evolve with advancing technologies. The newest trend is derived from the beautiful polished concrete floors that grace large, commercial buildings across the world. With easier to control and lighter concrete polishing tools, the average homeowner can now turn any concrete floor into a work-of-art.
The first priority of any home-improvement project is preparation. There are numerous elements to consider when getting ready to polish a concrete floor. The age and condition of the slab will determine how much preparation should be done to achieve the desired shine. However, on all concrete applications an angle grinder must be used to properly grind the corners and tight spots that the machine cannot reach. This should be completed first and the area cleaned afterwards.
Some pads may have cracks, uneven spots and paint or epoxy coatings. Before proceeding, these things must be fixed. The cracks can be filled with a waterproof sealant and the dips can be leveled with quick-drying cement. To remove any paint or coatings, a wet grinding process with a heavy grit grinding pad should be used and a wet-vacuum is helpful in cleaning up the resulting slurry.
The size of the smallest orbital grinding machine is between 200-300 pounds and requires 2 people to move and operate. Several different kinds and grit sizes of grinding pads will be needed. These should be in several progressive stages from 40 grit grinding pads all the way up to 320 grit polishing stones. Check with a local hardware store for the pads and grinding stones. Any tool rental company will have either the orbital or planetary grinding machine available for rent.
The type of slab will determine how the grinding and polishing process goes. New slabs have softer concrete and can be started with a finer grit grinding pad (at least 60). However, old and hard concrete will need a rougher grit pad (at least 40) and perhaps a wet application, requiring the additional step of slurry clean-up.
With the first cycle of the heavy grit pad, start at the back of the room and move towards the door, slowly turning the machine side-to-side. After a couple passes, switch to a finer grit pad and repeat the process. The final stage, with the 320 grit polishing stone, should be done several times until the desired effect is achieved.
During sections of the grinding and polishing process differing types of pads are needed. While grinding, stones should be used successively from 40 to 120 grit. These pads have very coarse diamonds bonded to a metallic matrix that provides heavy-duty material removal. Polishing uses finer diamonds in a resin mix that is designed to buff rather than gouge.
After the wet grinding phase switch to a dry application. Old concrete with coatings of some kind usually require the wet process but after the 80 grit stone a dry application will suffice. This saves on clean-up time and makes the overall project easier.
A contractor will bid 8-15 dollars per square foot for a concrete project. It is well worth the hassle and time for the homeowner to do the project themselves. The resulting mirror-shined floor will be a bragging right for years to come.
Author Resource:->??Nufinish offers a wide selection of concrete grinding tools and concrete polishing pads to help contractors achieve beautiful scratch free polished concrete floors.
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