Concrete grinding is done to smooth down rough surface of concrete to give it a shiny and smooth finish. To carry out this process, heavy-duty concrete grinding machines are used that contain fine grit discs to produce the desired smoothness and shine. The higher the grit is used, the smoother your concrete surface will become. There are several other aspects that demand attention while considering a grinding machine such as the equipment’s power requirements, weight, motor size, overall dimensional size, working dimension and in which directions the abrasives navigate. Let’s have a look at different types of concrete grinders available out there, along with some more information about these machines.

Uses of Concrete Grinders:

Concrete Grinding

Apart from smoothening the concrete surface, concrete grinding machines have some other uses as well, such as:

• To remove any tile glues
• To smoothen any unevenly casted concrete surface
• To add shine to any concrete surface
• To expose aggregates in a concrete surface
• To give a polished look to the concrete

Types of Concrete Grinders:

Whatever your purpose is, there are basically two different types of concrete grinding machines: hand-held and walk-behind. Let’s know more about them.

1. Hand-held grinder: This machine is used for grinding concrete surfaces in tight areas like corners. These are often successful in areas where walk-behind machines are not reachable. It has a shroud and an extraction hose through which the dust created during the grinding process is extracted.

2. Walk-behind grinder: This is a large-size grinding machine that helps in grinding the concrete spread over the floor. These machines are often used to grind bigger areas of concrete. A walk-behind grinder can be run with different fuels like diesel, petrol or LP.

Benefits of Using Concrete Grinders:

Concrete Grinding

There are a number of benefits of using concrete grinding machines on concrete floors. Some of them are:

• Adds durability: Once you grind the concrete floor with a concrete grinder, it becomes more durable than otherwise. A polished floor can hold up more efficiently, as it does not chip, discolour or stain. Concrete grinding also eliminates any need to wax or resurface the concrete floor.
• Reduces maintenance needs: Since a ground concrete floor is more durable and stronger, it lasts much longer than tiles, stones and vinyl. Only a regular sweep and mop is enough to remove any dust from the surface. However, if your floor is a high-traffic area, you can just keep it new by refinishing it every 5-10 years. A simple refinishing will restore the beauty and shine of the floor, and this process is also quick and easy to do.
• Proves to be cost-effective: The process of grinding makes the concrete surface resemble a stone or other costlier flooring material. However, it is an affordable and quick process as compared to the installation of other flooring options.
• Improves the look: Any kind of concrete surface can be made more beautiful and aesthetically appealing with the process of grinding. Sometimes, concrete stains are given to polished concrete surface to make it look like an expensive stone such as granite or marble. With a little bit of cleaning and maintenance, their beautiful and stylish look can be maintained for several years.
• Saves the environment: Grinding of a concrete surface is an eco-friendly flooring solution. This is because it does not produce a lot of waste during the installation and grinding process. Since the flooring stays intact for several years, even decades, it saves the resources required for renovation and reinstallation. By reducing dust, mildew, and mould, polished concrete also improves the quality of air inside your house, thus keeping your surroundings healthy and safe.
• Reduces energy bills: Since ground concrete floor has a highly reflective surface, it reflects light to a great extent and reduces lighting costs, thus saving your money on energy bills.

Now that you know much about concrete grinding machines, make good use of them and get flooring that lasts with you for several decades to come.