What is Concrete Grinding? What Is It, and Why Does It Matter?

Uneven concrete and the safety hazards accompanying it are a headache most property owners face. Uneven concrete brings a range of problems you’d rather avoid, from diminishing your curb appeal to worrying about someone falling on the uneven slabs.

Uneven concrete must be fixed, and concrete grinding is an excellent method. While various solutions are available to combat and repair uneven concrete and its issues, concrete grinding and sealing are highly efficient and quick.

That’s why we’ve created this comprehensive guide to explain the process in detail: what concrete grinding is, why it’s important, and how it’s done. Additionally, we’ll break down the different types of grinders, the benefits concrete grinding offers, and how to get the right professional help.

What Is Concrete Grinding?

Concrete grinding is sanding down concrete surfaces to reduce uneven sections, offsets, and trip hazards anywhere on a concrete slab. This helps to ensure an even and safe concrete surface in the most affordable way possible.

Think of it like wood sanding, except with grinding machines removing the coatings, high spots, and other surface imperfections. Done right, concrete grinding leaves the floor smoother, firmer, and prepped for whatever comes next, be it overlays, polish, epoxy, or surface treatments.

It’s also important to understand that grinding only removes material from the top layer to create an even surface. It doesn’t address the actual reason behind the concrete settling or what caused the uneven surfaces, so you may need professional guidance on what’s causing the concrete to continue settling. Generally, concrete settling may happen due to soil shrinkage, pests, soil getting washed away, and many other factors. These usually result in uneven concrete surfaces due to settling.

How to Grind Concrete?

Concrete grinding is straightforward. It’s done using a handheld angle grinder and a diamond cup wheel attached to it. A walk-behind grinder would be better suited for larger quantities of concrete.

When using a handheld grinder, you must get on your knees to take away the offset concrete area until the surface is even. This does create a significant amount of dust, so consider attaching a vacuum to keep things tidy.

Staying safe and doing the process right are imperative. Wear safety glasses and a dust mask, and when grinding, don’t take away more than two inches of the uneven surface. This ensures that the concrete is level with the surrounding slabs and isn’t weakened due to excessive grinding.

Why Concrete Grinding Matters?

Concrete grinding plays a major role in prepping surfaces for tile or floorboard installation. The concrete beneath is often uneven and rough, and may even have epoxy or paint on it. This makes installation challenging and may cause improper installation, which can become a safety hazard. Grinding results in a smooth surface to eliminate such risks and ensures the safety of homeowners. Given that it removes all inconsistencies to create a usable surface, concrete grinding also restores old or damaged floors to their former glory.

Types of Concrete Grinders

Now, let’s go over the various types of concrete grinders that you’d typically come across:

Handheld vs. walk-behind machines

Handheld grinders are suitable for DIY projects. They’re small, versatile, and user-friendly, especially useful for getting into corners and concrete surfaces in tight areas. Their biggest advantage is their maneuverability, but these grinders aren’t suitable for larger projects. Moreover, they typically lack a dust collection system, like a vacuum, that you must add separately.

Meanwhile, walk-behind grinders are heavier and suitable for larger areas without hard-to-reach concrete slabs. These grinders are versatile as well, running from single-disc to dual, triple, and four-disc options. They also come with dust collection systems attached. Many walk-behind grinders also have water mist systems for wet grinding, which reduces the concrete dust released.

Planetary grinders vs. rotary grinders

Planetary and rotary grinders are the two main variants of a walk-behind grinder. The latter has a single large pad with a high rotational speed and is much heavier than a handheld grinder. These grinders are ideal for coating removal and delivering polished concrete floors.

Meanwhile, planetary grinders have multiple pads spinning simultaneously at different speeds. These grinders are easier to maneuver than their rotary counterparts, as they’re more lightweight. More importantly, they can remove offset material and finish the concrete floor. Hence, they’re ideal for floor prep and polish.

Wet grinding vs. dry grinding

Regardless of the type of grinder you use, there are two main ways to grind concrete: wet and dry grinding. Dry grinding involves using a coarser diamond grit, followed by a finer one, to even and polish the concrete. As a byproduct, there’s a lot of concrete dust that, as mentioned earlier, will need a vacuum for cleaning and safety.

Wet grinding is significantly different. It uses water to cool the diamond abrasives and turns the resulting dust into a slurry, keeping it out of the air. The polishing discs used in this method have a uniform grit size, so the floor receives a low-lustre shine.

The Benefits of Concrete Grinding

There are several important benefits of concrete grinding, such as:

1. Affordability

Fixing uneven concrete can be expensive if you need to remove and install new slabs. Concrete grinding is a more cost-effective solution that fixes concrete and prepares it for installing flooring systems that require an even surface.

2. Safety

Concrete grinding transforms rough and damaged surfaces into hardened, smooth ones that significantly reduce trip hazards and other safety threats for homeowners. It also creates a more slip-resistant surface for driveways.

3. Preparation

No good coating will ever stick to a bad, uneven surface. Grinding removes all remnants and offsets to prep floors perfectly for seamless coating.

4. Versatility

Helping prep floors, concrete grinding creates versatile surfaces that let you install any type of flooring hassle-free, ensuring the surface’s longevity.

5. Environmentally-Friendly

Traditional flooring methods often involve harmful materials and emissions. However, polished concrete, which is achieved through concrete grinding, promotes energy efficiency and environment-friendly flooring while enhancing the aesthetic appeal.

Consult Your Concrete Grinding With A Professional

Whether you need concrete grinding in a small area or for a large-scale project, getting expert professionals is always better. At GrindWorks, our grinding and sealing experts bring vast experience to deliver top-notch, seamless flooring without you lifting a finger.

With over 40 years of industry experience, we understand the most intricate details of concrete grinding and sealing. Hence, we prioritise stability, durability, and aesthetic value, using only the highest quality products to ensure sealed floors that look good and last longer. Our experts use state-of-the-art technology to give you the best results, so you never have to worry about uneven concrete surfaces again.

As a long-standing expert in flooring jobs, we realise that flooring issues may not always be the same. Hence, we offer personalised solutions by coming to your site, conducting a thorough inspection, and gaining a clear understanding of your requirements. The result? A stress-free experience where you get an excellent, concrete surface, free from any offsets or safety hazards.

Final Thoughts

Concrete grinding isn’t just floor prep or fixing offset concrete. It’s what separates a concrete floor that lasts a few years from one that can last a decade, or even more. You can immediately feel the difference when you walk into a space with well-finished, smooth concrete. At GrindWorks, we believe such floors shouldn’t be hard to get, and when your floors need treatment, you should get the best solutions possible. With us, you get bespoke concrete grinding and sealing services using the latest techniques to ensure high-quality finishes at budget-friendly prices. Share your flooring issues with us, and let us take care of the rest.