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Know what factors affect the cost of concrete grinding so you could budget accordingly. The numerous steps to achieve a polished surface make it costly.

When thinking about floors in homes, most owners’ options are limited to  floorboards, laminates, and old-fashioned carpets. Recently, the stripped and treated floorboard was the most popular, with homeowners lining up at the stores to purchase them.

They might be a little rough, even noisy, but their versatility is unrivaled.  The boards are tough and give the home a stripped feel of a modern space.

In particular, a number of people are turning to polished concrete. It’s not only good, but also provides clean lines which help with under floor heating.

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Under floor heating foregoes the need for expensive radiators and provides heat across the house instead of just n particular rooms and only a few corners.

During winter, the concrete floor will be warm in the underfoot. Yet during the summer, it will feel cool in the underfoot.

This gives you both worlds.

But the best thing is – concrete floors can last a very long time.

And you can always add colour to the mix when pouring the floor. You could even play around with the texture and introduce a few chips or sparkles.

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Start with a Good Grind

Floor grinding refers to the process of evening out raised areas to make the floor level. A grinding machine is used for this.

A grinding machine can come in many configurations, the most common being the angle grinder. Then, there are also particularly designed grinders meant for special projects.

This is because concrete is harder than most flooring materials such as marble and granite. As such, more power is needed to even out the surface. Concrete grinders are built exactly for this. They can withstand a greater degree of stress and have more power to cut away even the hardest bumps.

The concrete grinding machines mostly use some sort of abrasive such as diamond or silicon tools to grind. Diamond tools used for grinding usually  are usually diamond grinding cup wheels. The machines come in a variety of sizes with quality of finishes determined by the grits in a machine.

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Currently, you’ll find anything between six and thousand-grit concrete grinding machines – the higher the grit, the soother the finish. One thousand eight hundred -grit machines are considered the highest shine you can apply on a floor surface.

To be more  convenient, the grinding is usually done when the concrete is dry.

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Why?

Because grinding when wet might require a lot of people. If you’re grinding when dry, you’ll need to use a filter-equipped vacuum to control dust emission.

The fine concrete dusts contain silica which can cause serious damage to the lungs. Inhaling the dust in large amounts has been proven to cause silicosis.

Wet grinding on the other hand, doesn’t require the vacuum machine. Learn the difference between dry and wet concrete grinding.

The actual grinding can be quite demanding.

But your contractor should clean up the mess and polish the floor. A degree of disruption to the home should be expected though it’s usually no more than you’d expect when laying any other floor surface. For safety reasons, keep the pets and kids away.

Once the floor has been poured and leveled, the grinding starts. There will be grinding of the surface as mentioned. Then a densifying material is added to the concrete and a final polish applied to produce a smooth clean final surface. With that done, all that is left is to give it a thorough mop to bring out the shininess.

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Approximate the potential cost

You’ve probably seen different sources with different quotes on the costs of concrete grinding.  For instance, one reliable source recently mentioned that you could have your concrete floor ground for as little as $2 per square foot which translates to about $21.5 per square metre.

Some have also mentioned $4 per square foot ($43 per square metre) as the minimum grinding cost.

The truth is that you never really know how much the contractor will charge until they tell you the price. What you can do, however, is to try and approximate the potential cost.

The cost of concrete grinding is affected by five key factors;

• Size of the floor

As you’d expect, the larger the floor, the less you’ll pay. This is due to the economies of scale. When determining the cost per square metre, the contractor will ask you to pay more for a small floor project (less than 50,000 square feet).

• Design complexity

Complex projects generally have a higher cost because the technician has to invest more time in the job. A good example is saw cutting.

Saw cuts are highly specialised tasks that take a lot of time and energy and thus cost more. Other designs that might cost you more include stenciling, and installation of metal divider strips. However, the results will look amazing.

• Current condition of the floor

Grinding a floor that requires a lot of prepping may also cost more per square meter. This is usually the case if the floor has a lot of patches.

Crack repairs, for example, can add as much as $43 per square metre to initial estimates.  Smoother floors with little surface preparation, on the other hand, won’t cost as much.

• Above–Grade installations

Decorative floors installed on subfloors or raised decks need a cement underlayment before applying the final finish. This involves installing a series of products including a waterproof layer, a concrete overlay, and then a finishing before applying a sealing coat.

If your flooring contractor has to go through all these processes so that you would have an above-grade concrete floor, be prepared to pay between $43 and $65 more per square metre.

Wrap up

In a nutshell, you could end up spending  more than $100 per metre.

At Megasaw, quality concrete grinding is the name of the game. Aside from the competitive prices, our highly experienced company is also known for its cutting edge technology and customer-first approach, making it the go-to concrete cutter in the Melbourne and beyond.

Contact us today to get a quote.

Concrete grinding has become a popular activity in construction projects. But what exactly is it and how is concrete actually ground?

In the following section, we discuss the importance of grinding, what it entails, the tools used, safety precautions and everything else you may want to know about the process.

What is Concrete Grinding?

Concrete grinding is the process of removing ridges, contaminants, and loose material from the subfloor surface using a special grinding machine. [expand title=”READ MORE”]

By removing the imperfections, you can lessen the overall cost in preparing the floor prior to covering. Plus, if you can achieve a smooth enough grind to allow carpet or vinyl to be laid on top, you won’t need to apply a cement-based skim coat. In addition, you can forego of the waiting time needed for the skim coat to dry.[/expand]

Types of Grinders

Grinders come in a variety of types and sizes. The choice you make will depend on the size of the job and the type of material you need to remove.

In corners and tight areas, hand held grinders should be used. These specialised grinders, unlike ordinary angle grinders, have a dust shroud and extraction hose. The user should utilise these attachments when there is a lot of dust being generated. [expand title=”READ MORE”]

For the main areas of the floor, walk-behind grinders are preferable. These grinders are driven by mains electricity – mostly 240 volts or sometimes 3-phase power. However, diesel, LP gas, petrol, and compressed air are sometimes used as fuel.

Grinder heads

Grinders can have single, double, or planetary head action. There are even four-head grinders commonly used in large projects.

1. Single head grinders

A single head grinder has a central shaft that drives just one head. In smaller grinders, the head usually contains one disc measuring 250mm in diameter.

Larger machines can have multiple discs within the same head, some containing up to six discs with varying diameters. In machines with six discs, the diameter of each disc might even be smaller.

With so many discs working on the concrete surface, these grinders produce a very fine finish which explains why they’re mostly used in polishing rather than grinding.

Single-head grinders have a grinding width of approximately 550mm.

2. Double-head grinders

Double-head grinders have two heads each capable of holding one or more discs. In some machines, the two headers rotate in the same direction.

This usually causes the machine to pull to one side which can make it difficult to pull across the floor. But you can at the same time take advantage of this characteristic when working on walls.

In other machines, the heads rotate in opposite directions to balance the torque and increase machine manoeuvrability. Double head grinders have a grinding width of between 750mm and 1,000mm.

3. Planetary action grinds

In planetary header grinds, the header moves like a “planet” – independent of the grinding discs (or satellites) mounted onto it.

Planetary grinders are excellent surface preparation tools. The planetary head and the disc rotate in one direction which has the effect of increasing speed.

This usually results in more aggressive cuts especially where the diamonds (more on this shortly) are located closer to the outside of the head.  

Planetary grinders, thanks to their aggressive grinding, can also be used in concrete surface polishing. To achieve clean polishes, the discs are set to rotate counter-clockwise.

For concrete grinding, however, the discs must never be set to rotate counter-clockwise.  

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Diamond Tooling

Ultimately, the tool that usually comes into contact with the concrete surface is a set of diamond abrasives. Diamond is used because it is the hardest material on earth.

The abrasives are made by mixing synthetic diamond grit with a binding agent of metal or resin to create what is called a metal bond or a resin bond diamond segment. [expand title=”READ MORE”]

The smoothness of the grinding is determined by the fineness or coarseness of the diamond grits. Smaller grit sizes will produce a finer scratch pattern, increasing the life of the segment. Larger grit sizes, on the other hand, produce a rougher scratch pattern  

The life of the segment is also dependent on the strength of the bond. Hard bonds typically take longer to wear and expose the diamond grit. A softer surface, on the other hand, tends to wear away quickly.

The number of diamond segments found on each grinder header will also determine the quality of the finish. Where there are many grinders on the same header, the result is usually smoother.

Moreover, with a higher number of headers, the amount of work for each segment is reduced. This also reduces the load on the grinding machines.

For a finer finish, you can put some extra abrasive material such as sand or silicon carbide on the floor you’re working on. [/expand]

Safety in Concrete Grinding

Like most machines, concrete grinders are only safe if you use them correctly. This means you need to follow the manufacturer’s guide at all times. [expand title=”READ MORE”]

A few things to keep in mind include; before you start

• Familiarise yourself with the equipment. Make sure you know how it works.

• Check to ensure that the environment is safe. The place should be well lit, clear of clutter, and dry to avoid electric short circuits.

When setting up the machine

• Wear appropriate safety gear. Don’t wear loose clothes that could be caught in the moving parts and wear closed boots.

• You may also need gloves, safety glasses, and a hard hat depending on the job conditions.

When operating the machine

• Listen for any strange noise or unusual vibrations. If something doesn’t feel right, turn off the machine immediately and troubleshoot the problem.

• Maintain balance throughout the grinding process, with your hands firmly gripping the machine. Avoid awkward angles.

• Your hands and feet must be kept away from moving parts at all times.

• Stay alert.

Turning the machine off

• Once you’re done, unplug the machine. For diesel o petrol powered machines, turn off the fuel line.

• Inspect the machine for any damage before putting it away.

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Wrap up!

As you can see, the grinding process isn’t all bread and butter. You need the right tools and the right techniques for best results.

Megasaw can help you acquire the best machine and tools for the job. Contact us today to learn about the different grinders, diamond tools, grit sizes, and anything related to diamond grinding services.