Normally, the concrete surface is usually ground to prepare it for polishing. However, other concreters do concrete grinding to prepare the surface for additional flooring preferences. These make the term concrete grinding misunderstood repeatedly. This results in many failing to know the value of concrete grinding

What is Concrete Grinding?

Concrete grinding can be referred to as a process done onto a rough surface to make it smooth. In regular concerning, the tools used in concrete grinding usually have diamond extensions. Concrete grinding can be done on both wet and dry surfaces. However, it is recommended to work on a wet surface because, in such conditions, the process is safer. Working on grinding on dry surfaces results in dust formation which causes health-related problems. Below are some benefits of concrete grinding on surfaces.

Why Concrete Grinding?

Concrete grinding is a very crucial step in construction especially when it comes to the installation of tiles or even floorboards. Commonly, the floors are usually bumpy and rough. In such situations, one is advised to install floorboards and tiles to cover the uneven surface. Regardless, you have to perform concrete grinding to make the installation of floorboards or tiles easy to durable.

Pros of Concrete Grinding

Concrete grinding like any other procedures in construction has its advantages and disadvantages.

Concrete Grinding Makes Flooring Effortless

After the concrete grinding installation of any flooring board is made easier. This is because concrete grinding leaves the floor or surface smooth to have carpets, tiles and other flooring boards easy installed onto.

Concrete Grinding is the Best Way to Tidy Up Surfaces

Concrete grinding is done on top of the surface to make it smooth. While grinding, things like paint and dirt are removed. Next time if you want to get rid of epoxies in concrete, try concrete grinding.

Concrete Grinding Restore the Surface

Major concrete grinding is usually done for smoothening intentions but during the process, all the inconsistencies in the concrete are away with. In one way or another, the surface is restored to its original look. Concrete grinding repairs the old. Damaged floor to give it a new and more appealing look.

Concrete Grinding is Perfect in Commercial Buildings

Even though concrete grinding is very effective in residential buildings, it’s even better in commercial ones. The floor in commercial buildings should be easy to work on moreover, they should be durable. Concrete grinding offers the best flooring solution in terms of effectiveness and durability. For example, grinding concrete in warehouses makes the floor strong and sturdy to withstand the patronage conditions found in such places.

Cons of Concrete Grinding

Even though concrete grinding has its advantages it also has disadvantages. Concrete grinding;

• Allows the concrete to collect moisture
• Can make the concrete floor crack
• Makes the floor feel heavy
• Can be harsh to the environment

Bottom Line

Concrete grinding is a good start for your flooring journey because of low maintenance cost. However, it is always recommended to hire experts in concreting services to work with. This way, the whole process will be safe and quality is usually guaranteed.

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The term concrete levelling is commonly used in the construction world. This refers to the process where the uneven concrete surface is corrected by altering the foundation of the surface it sits upon. Just like most construction sites, concrete levelling is most common in homes, factories and, even on the roads.

Types of concrete levelling;

• Slab jacking; this refers to the lifting of concrete that is sunken by pumping material underneath, the pressure from the material automatically causes the concrete to be levelled with the rest of the surface.
• Mud jacking; just as the name suggests “mud”. This is the use of the topsoil and cement used to lift concrete to one level.

Note; the type of cement used is Portland cement.

Even though concrete levelling might be one of the most common procedures in the construction world, it has been argued to have its advantages and disadvantages. These might hinder or promote the use of concrete levelling in construction.

Here is an overview of some of the effects of concrete levelling when it comes to construction.

Concrete Levelling is Time effective on Construction

It is right to say construction can take up a lot of time. The use of concrete levelling helps save a lot of time because instead of redoing the entire concrete, you only need to redo the part that is not in good condition.

The Issue Cost_Effectiveness in Concrete Levelling

Most constructors agree that when it comes to concrete levelling, the issue of cost is cut tremendously as compared to when the entire concrete is being redone.  The cost of new concrete might be considered unnecessary that is thanks to the use of concrete levelling. The cost cut includes that of labour needed and material in use.  So little is required compared to the construction of new concrete.

Concrete Grinding is Friendly to the Environment

In the case where new concrete is required for any construction, there’s a significant amount of environmental damage. However, when concrete levelling is put into consideration this risk reduces due to some of the effects explained in this article. Examples: prolonged noise pollution due to the prolonged construction of new concrete.

Prolonged air pollution when there’s new construction to be done.

These environmental hazards are avoided when concrete levelling is done instead of constructing a whole new concrete.

Low Quality Expected in Concrete Levelling

When concrete levelling is being done it is quite obvious that the results might not meet the expectations due to the material used and at times the amount of pressure applied. A lot of things could go wrong that might alter the results. This may lead to poor quality of the concrete in return.

The durability of the Concrete Levelling

Since concrete levelling can be termed as repairing the broken concrete,  sometimes if proper measures are not taken, the durability of the concrete is compromised.

Conclusion

It’s safe to say that concrete levelling is a need in the world of construction, however, proper measures should be taken to avoid unnecessary disappointments when it comes to the expected results.

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Concrete polishing, in a nutshell, is the multi-step process which involves concrete floors to be mechanically polished using machines to give it a smooth shiny appearance.

Polished concrete is known to be durable and cost-effective. For you to have a good floor that is well polished you need to have the best machines and also proper diamond tools.

Below are some of the steps followed during concrete polishing.

Concrete Polishing Process

This involves coarse diamonds segments that are bonded in a metallic matrix, the segments are coarse adequately to remove the stains and blemishes from the floor.

This can be done severely but not more than four times depending on the nature of the concrete used.

Grind the Concrete For a Good Concrete Polish

To achieve a fine grind of the surface you can use the diamond abrasives embedded in a resin matrix. You can also decide to use a lapping procedure while switching to the desired grit for a quality finish.

Concrete Polishing Using an Internal Impregnating Sealer

An internal impregnating sealer is introduced and sinks into the concrete. It is said to be invisible to a naked eye and hardens the concrete. You can also introduce a commercial polishing compound to strengthen the sheen and have a dirt-resistant finish.

Concrete Polishing Using Wet or Dry Process

The most common method used for concrete polishing is the dry method. Always remember the dry method needs a vacuum to remove the dust once the job is done.

The choice of dust extractor should always match the size of the grinder and power to be able to handle the dust generated.

Dry concrete polishing has a few advantages which include,

• It’s faster in terms of speed.
• It’s convenient and environmentally friendly.
• Less clean up is required.

Wet concrete polishing uses water to eradicate dust and also for cooling of diamond abrasives. During this process, there’s a lot of friction and water is used as a lubricant to reduce the friction.

Wet polishing creates extra work of cleaning up the slurry dirt formed. This slurry dirt is disposed of ecologically.

Step-by-step Concrete Polishing

Below is the step-by-step process followed during concrete polishing.

• The existing coatings should be removed with the appropriate tools.
• Use the semi-rigid filler to seal any available cracks and joints
• Grind using the 40-grit, 80-grit, and lastly 150-grit metal-bonded diamond
• Application of a chemical hardener is used. This will help the concrete to density.
• Polish with the 200-grit, 400-grit and lastly with the 800-grit resin bond diamond
• You can use up to 3000-grit resin bond diamond depending on the sheen level.
• For easy maintenance and durability, you can apply a stain guard. Remember this is optional.

When the above steps are followed to every minimal detail then you will have a fine concrete polished floor.

Conclusion

Polish is mostly used from 800-grit to 3500-grit. Polished concrete is easy to maintain as compared to other floors, the cost involved is also relatively lower. For proper maintenance, you should have a program for the floor. These will include mechanical maintenance that involves diamond-impregnated pads and treated chemical cleaners.

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