Grinding & Leveling In The GTA
Grinding concrete eliminates raised trip hazards in sidewalks and other walkways.
If you have a business, the Canadians with Disabilities Act might even require you to grind down raised trip hazards. Concrete grinding can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars over a complete surface replacement.
With the right grinding equipment, it’s possible to take on just about any job, from sanding a small hump in the cement to excavating a 1” trench hundreds of feet long.
Floor Grinding Cement floors are never completely smooth and level. Cement slabs always have hard-to-see imperfections. A smooth, level surface is critical before installing other types of flooring.
Professional concrete grinding contractors can make your floor level enough for any purpose, whether it’s installing another floor or polishing and staining the floor to a high sheen.
Here’s how the process works: Any high spot 1/8” or higher will require grinding to level the floor. The contractor will systematically check the floor in every direction to identify these high spots.
Then the proper type of grinder will be chosen, whether it’s a hand-held models or a larger machines that resembles a floor buffer.
Grinders use diamond tipped or diamond embedded wheels or pads to remove excess cement. A professional will know exactly how much to grind. Beware: Inexperienced amateurs will often over-grind and ruin your cement floor.
Here are some possible cement floor problems that might require grinding or sanding:
A slab reinforcing bar too near the surface causes the cement to crack.
Ridges or humps left by the finishers.
Expansion or contraction cracks.
Debris like chunks of wood floating out of the slab while it is still plastic (wet).
Damaged caused by heavy objects being dropped on the slab before it has cured.
Diamond grinding is a concrete pavement restoration (CPR) technique that can repair cracks in cement floors. When compared to overlay or patching methods, diamond grinding can cost less and last up to 3 times longer, while providing a greener solution.
Diamond grinding removes faulting, slab warping, studded tire wear and unevenness resulting from patches in roads. Diamond grinding also lowers road noise by providing a longitudinal texture, which is quieter than transverse textures.
Conclusion
Grinding Concrete is the best solution for dealing with uneven concrete surfaces, such as grout build up, humps in the floor and uneven pours. Floor grinding can be used indoors (with dust control equipment) and outdoors. The alternative is often removal and replacement, which is much more costly.
Grinding concrete floors to achieve a highly polished surface is also becoming more and more popular, from businesses to residential homes. These floors can be a more economical, practical and decorative flooring choice for any facility.
Due to the complexity of the work and the tools used, floor grinding is a job best left to professional contractors. Prices can vary depending on the scope of the job and the amount of cement to be removed. Always hire a professional floor grinding contractor who will protect your investment in your home or business.
Floor Leveling
These have a 4 to 6 inch disc and the speed is the fastest you need to use for safety reasons. Most common discs for this grinder are masonry discs; these are of composite material such as carbide, granite with fiberglass binding. These wear semi fast. This is the most versatile of the group, you can grind all masonry surfaces and it’s very soft if you add no pressure or if you push on in it becomes more aggressive. You’re able to get into tighter areas to grind plus it can be used flat or held at an angle. This grinder can be fit for a diamond wheel as well. Cutting wheels are very thin and can only be used on the edge not in the flat position. This grinder spins very fast. The next wheel that can go on this is the planer; this wheel is made of the same material as the cutting wheel, diamonds. This wheel is made to use in the flat position only. This is the most aggressive tool. For a journeyman concrete finisher this is a tool that can be perfected and can do beautiful work out of ugly concrete. This is the machine and wheel you would use on a floor if you had a crack and it began to lift apart till one side was higher, the diamond wheel would make short work out of it and level so you could never tell the slab rose up.