Grinding Polishing outdoor concrete ??

SoCal355 · May 31, 2015

Hello

Have a new slb that came out not as expected, dried to fast and it has lots sharp points 600 sq ft

Any advice to grind this with a DIAMABRUSH grinder. Grit to use?

Advice on finish, I think its called solca deep sealer? This any good outside?
Rather have a sealer then epoxy
It has a shade canopy over the slab that retracts so it will get sun at times
Not much other weather here in SoCal

Any info greatly appreciated

EOT 4 Life · May 31, 2015

While I am far from an expert, I can say that I recently completed a 306 square foot grinding of my outdoor slab and documented the project here:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=289404

The guys here were helpful with advice and I bought the sealer from Legacy Industrial, who is very active on this forum. I had great results with their product and I am very happy with the final outcome of my project.

SoCal355 · May 31, 2015

Thank you very much I will check it out

EOT 4 Life · May 31, 2015

One thing I would recommend you do and I wish that I did is not do the entire area with a 7" hand tool. Definitely rent the larger machine and use the hand tool for edges and small areas that you can't get with the large machine. I was sore for days after all the grinding.
If you can, post a few pictures of the area.

dogdas · May 31, 2015

Here is the mac daddy of solvent based sealers. Apply with a heavy duty commercial sprayer one that does about .5 GPM (NOT from Home depot but from the place you will buy this product) After a year or two it will look like its worn off but clean it (pressure washer) and let it dry then use a sprayer and apply Xylene to the surface. The Xylene will bring it from a solid to liquid and back for a shine that will look like new. Scratches in the coating makes it look dull after time. I have had this on my patio for 10 years and all it needs is the Xylene every other year and looks like I just applied it.

High solids solvent based products are the ONLY way to go.

http://www.euclidchemical.com/produ...ent-based-curing-sealing/super-diamond-clear/

kd3pc · May 31, 2015

don't grind/polish it too much or it will be slick as glass when wet. You may want to add some grit to the finish, what ever you use.

SoCal355 · May 31, 2015

Much appreciated

Whats wet? I'm in SoCal LOL

I was thinking of just buying a machine and 17" or so wheel as I have a few floors that I'm sure I will be doing and may be cost effective

SoCal355 · Jun 6, 2015

Back to my Original Question

What grit diamond blade is used to do this? I want to buy a 17" and need to know what grit?

80-100?

SoCal355 · Jun 7, 2015

Anyone know what grit Diambrush to use?

LegacyIndustrial · Jun 8, 2015

25 grit is the most popular and is appropriate for coatings prep.

LegacyIndustrial · Jun 8, 2015

SoCal355 said:
Hello

Have a new slb that came out not as expected, dried to fast and it has lots sharp points 600 sq ft

Any advice to grind this with a DIAMABRUSH grinder. Grit to use?

Advice on finish, I think its called solca deep sealer? This any good outside?
Rather have a sealer then epoxy
It has a shade canopy over the slab that retracts so it will get sun at times
Not much other weather here in SoCal

Any info greatly appreciated

I originally mentioned a sealer that would not be appropriate for exterior work.
SOCAL is tough for VOC content but you probably already know that.

Colin Len · Jun 8, 2015

This is perfect timing as I'm trying to figure out what to do with my outdoor patio slab as well. There's currently a sunroom over it and indoor carpet glued on top so I've yet to see what it's like under there but am assuming it will need something (especially since I need to have a raised step cut out and then filled to be flush with the rest of the slab).

EOT 4 Life: I really like how your patio turned out!

SoCal355: Since you're local I'd be glad to lend a hand one of the days you're working on this project. I'd love to get some insight into the process and outcome before I tackle it myself. Plus it looks like you're a local gearhead who's into fast cars and fabrication which are two things I appreciate very much

Colin Len · Jun 8, 2015

LegacyIndustrial said:
I originally mentioned a sealer that would not be appropriate for exterior work.
SOCAL is tough for VOC content but you probably already know that.

Scotty, is there something you'd recommend for SoCal? I was just looking at the product EOT 4 Life used as well as the small print on your website and it's looking like I couldn't use that product here - and possibly not anything that you sell

LegacyIndustrial · Jun 8, 2015

I know it is a bummer. We have materials for inside, not much for out.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

SoCal355 · Jun 19, 2015

Colin Len said:
This is perfect timing as I'm trying to figure out what to do with my outdoor patio slab as well. There's currently a sunroom over it and indoor carpet glued on top so I've yet to see what it's like under there but am assuming it will need something (especially since I need to have a raised step cut out and then filled to be flush with the rest of the slab).

EOT 4 Life: I really like how your patio turned out!

SoCal355: Since you're local I'd be glad to lend a hand one of the days you're working on this project. I'd love to get some insight into the process and outcome before I tackle it myself. Plus it looks like you're a local gearhead who's into fast cars and fabrication which are two things I appreciate very much

Neighbor
What you do ?

SoCal355 · Jun 19, 2015

LegacyIndustrial said:
25 grit is the most popular and is appropriate for coatings prep.

Excellant

Thank you

Been meaning to call and order the grinding wheel, are they in stock? 17 "

SoCal355 · Jun 19, 2015

LegacyIndustrial said:
25 grit is the most popular and is appropriate for coatings prep.

Colin Len said:
Scotty, is there something you'd recommend for SoCal? I was just looking at the product EOT 4 Life used as well as the small print on your website and it's looking like I couldn't use that product here - and possibly not anything that you sell

I've been told by some chemists a densifier? I believe they told me.

Dick in Wisconsin · Jun 19, 2015

SoCal355 said:
Excellent Thank you Been meaning to call and order the grinding wheel, are they in stock? 17 "

The Diamabrush wheels are VERY expensive. I rented one with a floor polisher to drive it at Home Depot to remove the sealer on my 1000sf floor before I put Rust Bullet on it. The guy at HD said the Diamabrush wheel is $690 new and a rebuild kit is over $200. The labor to install a rebuild kit looks pretty significant which is why the rental charge for the Diambrush is so high.

Find a HD that rents the Diamabrush wheel and look at it. Its an awfully mean looking piece of equipment!

SoCal355 · Jun 19, 2015

**** in Wisconsin said:
The Diamabrush wheels are VERY expensive. I rented one with a floor polisher to drive it at Home Depot to remove the sealer on my 1000sf floor before I put Rust Bullet on it. The guy at HD said the Diamabrush wheel is $690 new and a rebuild kit is over $200. The labor to install a rebuild kit looks pretty significant which is why the rental charge for the Diambrush is so high.

Find a HD that rents the Diamabrush wheel and look at it. Its an awfully mean looking piece of equipment!

Yeah I cant find a HD around here that rents them, called a few

theoldwizard1 · Jun 19, 2015

EOT 4 Life said:
While I am far from an expert, I can say that I recently completed a 306 square foot grinding of my outdoor slab ...

kd3pc said:
don't grind/polish it too much or it will be slick as glass when wet. You may want to add some grit to the finish, what ever you use.

EOT 4 Life - How slick is yours when wet ?

LegacyIndustrial · Jun 19, 2015

SoCal: Just for clarification a 25 grit, concrete prep tool, Diamabrush head is used for preparing concrete for coating application. It will in no way "polish" the floor. Polishing is done using an ascending level of diamabrush heads made for this purpose.

If you use the concrete prep tool you will need to apply sealer coats to keep from having a dusty, porous surface.

EOT 4 Life · Jun 19, 2015

theoldwizard1 said:
EOT 4 Life - How slick is yours when wet ?

It makes a "squeaking" sort of sound if I rub my sneaker back and forth on it while it's wet, probably because it is now such a smooth surface, but I have never slipped or lost traction on it while it was wet. I could see a person slipping if they were to run on it and make a sudden turn or stop, but otherwise it's not a problem at all for what we use it for. I will have to wait and see how it reacts with the snow and ice this upcoming winter, as I think it may be easier to shovel or even broom light snow from the surface. If you think you may have kids or elderly people using it frequently, you may want to get the anti-slip additive that Scotty had recommended.
Best of luck,
Vinny.

Colin Len · Jun 19, 2015

SoCal355 said:
Yeah I cant find a HD around here that rents them, called a few

Have you tried the Home Depot on Lakewood & Del Amo? That's my local HD and they had the machine and diamabrush when I was there the other day (renting a drain snake). I'm not sure about how aggressive it was or if they had different grits or not. I tried to talk to the guy a bit about it but I don't think he really understood what I was asking. I'd need to do a bit more learning about the specifics and go back more prepared.

Colin Len · Jun 19, 2015

LegacyIndustrial said:
SoCal: Just for clarification a 25 grit, concrete prep tool, Diamabrush head is used for preparing concrete for coating application. It will in no way "polish" the floor. Polishing is done using an ascending level of diamabrush heads made for this purpose.

If you use the concrete prep tool you will need to apply sealer coats to keep from having a dusty, porous surface.

Is there somewhere that I can see pics or examples of what the surface would look like after varying grits? I asked EOT about what grit his wheel was but it didn't have a specific number.

Reason I ask is that as these guys I'm thinking some sort of "polish" and seal would be good for my outdoor patio. I'm not sure what term to use because I'm not looking to get crazy and do a mirror smooth polish, just something like EOT. I am also going to have carpet and/or vinyl adhesive that will need to be removed and have heard that the diamabrush is good at that. If I could use the diamabrush to get the adhesive off and prep the surface for a sealer then that seems like my best bang for the buck option in finding a treatment for the patio. I just don't know what grit will tear up the conc and make it rough vs something that smooths it a little and takes out any irregularities. Of course I do need to pull up the carpet/vinyl still as I'm not 100% sure what the surface below is going to be.

LegacyIndustrial · Jun 19, 2015

I don't have pics of the polishing process but it can be taken to mirror if desired.
The heads needed are not rentable and they are costly for a 1x project.

The grind and seal is the better way to go.

Here is a link to a customer's project. They did exactly what you are talking about:

https://instagram.com/p/3sNSwVljRg/?taken-by=legacyindustrial

EOT 4 Life · Jun 19, 2015

Colin Len said:
Is there somewhere that I can see pics or examples of what the surface would look like after varying grits? I asked EOT about what grit his wheel was but it didn't have a specific number.

Reason I ask is that as these guys I'm thinking some sort of "polish" and seal would be good for my outdoor patio. I'm not sure what term to use because I'm not looking to get crazy and do a mirror smooth polish, just something like EOT. I am also going to have carpet and/or vinyl adhesive that will need to be removed and have heard that the diamabrush is good at that. If I could use the diamabrush to get the adhesive off and prep the surface for a sealer then that seems like my best bang for the buck option in finding a treatment for the patio. I just don't know what grit will tear up the conc and make it rough vs something that smooths it a little and takes out any irregularities. Of course I do need to pull up the carpet/vinyl still as I'm not 100% sure what the surface below is going to be.

Maybe you can contact Diamabrush direct like I did. They were very good at responding to me in a timely manner:
http://www.diamabrush.com/
There are also a bunch of videos in their site as well.

EOT 4 Life · Jun 19, 2015

LegacyIndustrial said:
I don't have pics of the polishing process but it can be taken to mirror if desired.
The heads needed are not rentable and they are costly for a 1x project.

The grind and seal is the better way to go.

Here is a link to a customer's project. They did exactly what you are talking about:

https://instagram.com/p/3sNSwVljRg/?taken-by=legacyindustrial

Hey Scotty, that's my grinding job! I am flattered that you used it on your site!

LegacyIndustrial · Jun 19, 2015

Well, it was a darn good one!!
I have had many people call and ask about your handywork.

Colin Len · Jun 19, 2015

LegacyIndustrial said:
I don't have pics of the polishing process but it can be taken to mirror if desired.
The heads needed are not rentable and they are costly for a 1x project.

The grind and seal is the better way to go.

Here is a link to a customer's project. They did exactly what you are talking about:

https://instagram.com/p/3sNSwVljRg/?taken-by=legacyindustrial

Yeah, like I said I'm not really looking for a polish but more the look I guess that the sealer gives. The diamabrush grinder that they rent at HD I know won't polish, but is that the right grit for grinding to achieve a similar result to what EOT (the link you posted) did with his patio? I'm just not sure what the finish the diamabrush grinder from HD will leave, the guy there said it was pretty rough and didn't think it would work for what I wanted.

LegacyIndustrial · Jun 19, 2015

Once ground and sealed it's a good texture for an outside patio. Polished concrete used exterior is a good candidate for slips/falls.

Colin Len · Jun 19, 2015

OK, cool. I knew that a real polish isn't good for outdoors, thus why I was wanting something like EOT did. Just didn't want to rent the tool at HD and grind the surface only to find it needed more (progressively finer) disks to get it to be like his.

Garage Flooring · Jun 19, 2015

Colin Len said:
Is there somewhere that I can see pics or examples of what the surface would look like after varying grits? I asked EOT about what grit his wheel was but it didn't have a specific number.

Reason I ask is that as these guys I'm thinking some sort of "polish" and seal would be good for my outdoor patio. I'm not sure what term to use because I'm not looking to get crazy and do a mirror smooth polish, just something like EOT. I am also going to have carpet and/or vinyl adhesive that will need to be removed and have heard that the diamabrush is good at that. If I could use the diamabrush to get the adhesive off and prep the surface for a sealer then that seems like my best bang for the buck option in finding a treatment for the patio. I just don't know what grit will tear up the conc and make it rough vs something that smooths it a little and takes out any irregularities. Of course I do need to pull up the carpet/vinyl still as I'm not 100% sure what the surface below is going to be.

This video shows all the steps and what it looks like after each grit.

LegacyIndustrial · Jun 19, 2015

Colin Len said:
OK, cool. I knew that a real polish isn't good for outdoors, thus why I was wanting something like EOT did. Just didn't want to rent the tool at HD and grind the surface only to find it needed more (progressively finer) disks to get it to be like his.

Colin:
I think he ground that using the hand tool which is even more aggressive than the buffer/sander mounted head.

EOT 4 Life · Jun 19, 2015

I just went outside to get some very close up, low to the floor shots of the area so you are able to get a better feel of how the Diamabrush did it's magic.
I personally love how the aggregate looks with the sealer on it. Kind of reminds me of the rock polishing kit I used to have as a kid.

LegacyIndustrial · Jun 19, 2015

It looks like an exposed aggregate hone/seal. Good job.

SoCal355 · Jun 19, 2015

What pad would I use here"

The one with less or more stones on it?

I assume more s better

They both look around 25-40 grit

Shadowdog500 · Jun 19, 2015

kd3pc said:
don't grind/polish it too much or it will be slick as glass when wet. You may want to add some grit to the finish, what ever you use.

+1!! Polished concrete gets really slippery when it rains!

Chris

Colin Len · Jun 19, 2015

LegacyIndustrial said:
It looks like an exposed aggregate hone/seal. Good job.

Not sure what sort of aggregate is in mine, but his result is exactly what I'm looking for. More/less aggregate is fine because I just have to deal with whatever I have, but I'd be stoked if I ended up with a little bit exposed.

LegacyIndustrial · Jun 19, 2015

The head with less teeth is for coatings removal. More teeth is for preparing uncoated concrete.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

SoCal355 · Jun 19, 2015

LegacyIndustrial said:
The head with less teeth is for coatings removal. More teeth is for preparing uncoated concrete.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you Sir!!!

Grinding Polishing outdoor concrete ??

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