Deciding to have polished concrete floors for your office or commercial space is one of the best things you can do to enhance your business premises.
A properly executed concrete grinding and polishing process instantly improves the look of your indoor or outdoor flooring. It gives the surface an appealing, clean and uniform appearance.
When the correct equipment, such as a Hyper Grinder floor grinding machine, is used, you can have safe flooring that reduces the risk of slips and trips. Your floor will also be easier and more comfortable to walk on.
Lastly, you can have low-maintenance floors that can withstand wear and tear and look great for years.
Ensuring a Successful Concrete Floor Grinding and Polishing Project
Having appealing, safe, low-maintenance polished concrete floors that can last for years depends greatly on a well-executed grinding and smoothing process.
You can guarantee this by ensuring the contractor handling this project avoids these common mistakes:
1. Not inspecting and preparing the surface before starting the project.
If your project involves an existing concrete slab, your grinding and polishing team should take the time to inspect it carefully before starting any work.
One of the things your workers should look out for is materials or areas on the floor that are above-grade or raised above the concrete surface.
When these above-grade materials or areas are not sanded down to the floor’s level or removed, they can damage the machines and tools the workers will use to grind and polish the concrete slab.
These above grade materials and areas can be easily leveled or removed by using sandpaper and other tools, which means there is no reason for your contractors to skip this process.
2. Using low-quality grinding and polishing diamond tools and attachments.
Before the workers start grinding and polishing the concrete floor, ask them about the diamond attachments they use.
Cheap, low-quality diamonds scratch the floors and give an inconsistent polish. Because of this, you’ll likely be unhappy with the results.
Ideally, you should have asked your contractors about the brand of the machines and supplies they will use for your project. Inquire about how often they service the equipment and replace the replaceable parts.
When you have an idea of the quality of equipment and tools to be used in your project, you can get additional assurance that you’ll get the results you want.
3. Using the wrong bond for concrete.
Untrained technicians usually make the mistake of using the incorrect tools on the wrong surfaces.
When this happens, no changes will appear on the concrete. The tool will be worn out prematurely as well.
As such, make sure your contractors are trained to use grinders so they know the correct attachments to use for your particular concrete surface.
In general, the hardness of concrete dictates which tool the operator should use. Hard to very hard concrete requires a soft bond, while softer concrete calls for a much stronger bond.
This is a basic piece of knowledge qualified grinder operators should know.
4. Running the grinder too fast.
This is another mistake that untrained grinder operators make.
Some operators turn up the grinder’s speed to get the job done quickly. However, operating the machine faster won’t help with this and might even prolong the process.
Increasing the machine’s speed can cause it to overheat and glaze over the diamonds, especially when it is working on hard concrete. This prevents the grinder from cutting, grinding and polishing the slab properly.
Trained operators who want to get faster results know they only need to adjust the pressure they are exerting on the equipment.
The greater the downward pressure exerted on the machine, the more material can be removed with each pass.
5. Going through the grinding and polishing process incorrectly.
You can only get the best results from concrete grinding and polishing service if your contractors go through the entire process properly.
First, the operator should never skip the cutting stages. This means that they should increase the levels of grit after the recommended cycles.
Skipping a stage can leave the surface looking unfinished.
Also, grinding and polishing require specific movements. Operators need to move the grinder in repetitive back-and-forth motions to get the best results.
Moreover, operators can’t work on a single area for too long since this can damage the machine.
6. Not fixing scratches quickly.
Grinders can leave scratches on the floor. If you notice any, inform the operator and have them fix them immediately.
Delaying fixing these scratches, even tiny ones, can make them harder to repair and remove the longer they are not dealt with.
As such, it is important for the operator to address these marks with the same level of grit they were using when they appeared so they don’t have to spend more time removing them.
7. Underestimating the amount of dust and debris the project can produce.
Lastly, grinding and polishing concrete produces plenty of dust. Because of this, it is best to move or suspend your operations while the contractors are working on your property.
Ask if your contractors can use wet grinding for your project. This method involves utilizing water to turn dust and debris into a slurry that can be vacuumed faster.
As a result, airborne dust can be minimized while the project is ongoing.
If your contractor prefers dry grinding, check if they have an industrial vacuum with a HEPA filter they can use while operating the grinder so that they can control the amount of dust build-up.
If the workers don’t vacuum and clean as they work, the floor will be covered with dust and make polishing it harder.
Another useful machine worth having around during the project is a dust interceptor. This device collects dust before it can reach the vacuum and block the filter.
You can avoid most of these mistakes by choosing your grinding and polishing service provider correctly.
Ensure the contractors you hire have qualified grinder operators and check on the maintenance and servicing processes they perform on their machines.
Whether you’re investing in grinding and polishing services to spruce up your conference rooms, lobby, main office area or boutique floor, you can get the best rest results when you hire an experienced and reliable contractor to handle the project.
