Any tips on Diamond grinding the garage?

[tyler qb]

Im going to rent a walk behind grinder from home depot to prep my heated 2 car garage for Epoxy-Coat.

Any tips on the usage? prep?

Should I cover the walls? I have a rigid vac do I need something else?

Lots of epoxy floors in this forum are looking great!

Thanks

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Rent an Edco, single head, 10", with diamond tooling.
A vac system would be great, see if the rental house has one or at least a hose for your unit to keep it outside. The dust will be heavy quickly choking your filter.

You are only trying to break the surface making it able to absorb the material, not looking to grind to China.

 

[Kennek]

I'm about to prep my floor for epoxy. Went to HD to check on the Edco grinder, yes they have it. However, the guy behind the counter stated that the Edco was absolutely the wrong choice, what I should do is get a chemical stripper, acid etch, primer, and then the epoxy.

I explained that every epoxy installer I've spoken with ALWAYS grind the floor to guarantee adhesion. Couldn't change his mind.

 

[yuk]

Thats why he is working at home depot. LOL
Maybe he has opinions on lots of things. Did you ask him how many floors he has put epoxy on (and was willing to show you).

The main reason I joined this site was to make sure when I do my floor this spring that I never have to do it again.
Right now if you walk on my bare garage floor with wet feet its like walking on ice. The floor is almost 10 years old.
With help from this board's experiecned amats and pros alike i dont feel the urge to seek advice form a lone salesman at the lumberyard or the cashier at walmart.
The HD guy may have a valid opinion, but I think with enough patience to get a concensus you will find answers that are gonna pay off in the long run.

I bet you are gonna have some great advice given right here on this post and I am anxious to see them and learn a little more for my own use.

 

[Shea]

Don't worry about the HD guy. Prepping your floor is the most important part of your project and the majority of epoxy failures are due to poor floor preparation. If you acid etch you may get the surface you need, but then again you may not. I'm assuming you use your garage for more than parking your cars if it is heated. Do you want to take the chance that your nice coating may peel someday requiring you to come back and GRIND to remove it?

You are doing the right thing. Oh, and Scotty is right, don't grind to China and you will be fine.

 

[rugerlady]

I agree with the previous posts, diamond grind. You typically (depending on product) are looking for the floor to had the same feel as about 100 - 120 grit sandpaper.

 

[Kennek]

The declarative statement from the HD guy was "I used to work in the paint department and I know what I'm talking about." Whatever. Yeah, I'll be grinding. The Edco unit uses "diamond dots" and I assume these will do the job? They are three guides with each containing two round what I assume are diamond grinding dots, each dot about an inch in diameter.

 

[Kennek]

Also - I've gotten two quotes on having the grinding - and just the grinding - done by someone else, and $3 per square foot seems excessive, especially since the Edco only costs around $135 for four hours. Any of you flooring pros mind schooling me on what is a reasonable fee to pay?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

This type of prep should come in around 1.00 psqft depending on where you live and the condition of your floor.

 

[LW CONCRETE]

That is why he is working at hd. Unreal

 

[jimmi328]

How many hours would it take to complete a 2 car garage (20’ x 20’) with a 10 inch head walk behind floor grinder?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Jimmi, depends on the condition.
Should take a few hours minimum.

 

[Prepman]

I'm a junior at this site, but have been a concrete coating person for about 20+ yrs. I was an industrial painter for 17 yrs. Enough about my credentials. You can grind this floor with 40grit diamonds to get the profile you need. They should have these , but the next size grit up will also work. Also be sure that the Edco has a rubber dust shield around the bottom. With a little tool running ability, you can easily finish grinding in 4 hrs. Moving the grinder from side to side and moving backward or forward steadily is the secret. When the floor turns a lighter color don't grind any more. Go on www.arizonahomefloors.com and look at Jack's videos. And yes, your Rigid will work if it is one of the larger ones, but add a bag in it along with the canister filter and wear a dust mask. Silica dust is bad for the lungs.

P.S. We do that grinding for about .75 cents here in NC, If I had gotten $3.00/ft, I would be somewhere else in the world sipping a fancy drink on the beach and not here at my computer helping you. Cost of living in California can't be that much. My garage grinder is 25" wide and I've done a few million sq.ft.

Good luck and happy holiday!