Average time for grinding garage floor

[LIGOOMBA]

I'm gonna bite the bullet and grind my garage floor. I hate the way the sealer looks.it was poured in August.It was sealed against my will cause I wasn't home at the time. How long will it take? The garage is 30x35.I really want epoxy

 

[JD in DFW]

depends on how hard your sealer and concrete is. You want to grind until you have virgin concrete, at least that's how we do it. Just scratching the surface wont you the bond you want with the epoxy or whatever coating system your going with. Might check in your area and see if there are any Garage Floor guys in your area that can come and grind it for you. Save you a ton of time and headache.

 

[Lindsayspop]

JD is right about the time and headache part. I just finished mine on Friday night. I only have a 20x21 foot garage and it took me about 4.5 hours. Kicked up enough dust to fill a 5 gallon bucket when I swept (and swept and swept) it up. If my example is typical and my math is right, it should take you 11 hours. The thing you should also know is that the grinding results in the need to make repeated passes over some areas because they are lower than the surface initially reached by the grinder. It depends on how you want to finish the floor but I chose to come back over it with an angle grinder to scuff up the low spots and remove the old surface when I'd had it with repeated grinding. It probably wouldn't look too swell if you were to stain the floor but with epoxy it should cover up okay. That added another 90 minutes to the job the next day. Wear a serious face mask with detachable filters, not those throw away paper type. And ear protection.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Edco machine or similar??
Add some weight on the machine to increase the downward pressure.
Sand bags, exercise weight, etc...

 

[AlphaGarage]

The "flatness" of the concrete can make a huge difference. A floor can look flat, but actually be quite wavy, if that's the case it can take a lot more time to grind down the peaks in order to get the grinder down into the valleys.

The condition of the grinding media can also play a large part in the time required.

 

[LIGOOMBA]

What am I looking at $$$ ? It's just shy of 1100 sq ft .

 

[roddo]

I just did my garage floor just over 900 sq. ft I used a dual head Edco diamond grinder with 100lbs of added weight. My concrete was a very hard smooth machine troweled finish 5000psi mix with fibers also had a gummy sealant on top. Took me 14 hours to do it and my well went dry 2x because I wet grinded. Luckily I did not burn out my well pump. After i used straight non diluted muriatic acid to etch it and a real thorough power wash 3400psi turbo nozzle. Finally got it ready for a penetrating sealer and topcoat.Cost me $300 to rent machine they only charged me for one day

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

A pro would likely charge $1100.00 to diamond grind your 1100 sq ft. floor.
It would be worth your while to do it yourself.

The Diamabrush head , rented from The Home Depot on a swing machine is a good alternative to a traditional EDCO machine.

 

[bigbadktm]

Used a Lavina20 today for the first time on a back patio and I'm impressed. Typically use an Edco tg10 single head, or a BMG dual head...but this thing was so smooth. 3 passes with various diamonds and this patio is going to look great. Getting a coat of a new prototype water based stain to test its longevity to UV rays, then sealed with 2 separate acrylic lacquers to see if 1 holds up better than the other.

 

[nolimits76]

A pro would likely charge $1100.00 to diamond grind your 1100 sq ft. floor.
It would be worth your while to do it yourself.

The Diamabrush head , rented from The Home Depot on a swing machine is a good alternative to a traditional EDCO machine.

So are you saying a ballpark estimate for a pro is roughly $1.00/sf?

I have a 3 car that is around 640sf and have been going back and forth between epoxy (UCoat It) and race deck tiles. The epoxy materials are cheaper, but when I factor in grinding myself, or hiring in a pro to do it I think it is close to a wash in costs.

I've never grinded a floor so I am a bit concerned about taking it on. Seems simple. Rent machine and run it. Then clean up. However, read some stories where there are different hardnesses of diamond pads that sometime don't cut your floor right, etc. What is the best machine to rent? Where? Approx costs?

Appreciate any insight. Thanks.

 

[Adam5]

I think 2 to 3 hours will be enough.

 

[LIGOOMBA]

A pro would likely charge $1100.00 to diamond grind your 1100 sq ft. floor.
It would be worth your while to do it yourself.

The Diamabrush head , rented from The Home Depot on a swing machine is a good alternative to a traditional EDCO machine.

That's a big difference ! There is no way I will spend that kind of money!The HD by me wants 38.00 a day for the machine,its the floor buffer and 65.00 a day for the Diamabrush .If its gonna be about 200.00 for me to do it,then I will do it myself.Im already way over budget with this garage ! My wife is ready to kill me ! LOL !The floor was poured in early August.It looks like the sealer is already wearing out in lots of spots.Ive been all over the youtube on techniques.It does not look that hard.I seem some vs put a bag of sand over the machine to way it down.

 

[nolimits76]

That's a big difference ! There is no way I will spend that kind of money!The HD by me wants 38.00 a day for the machine,its the floor buffer and 65.00 a day for the Diamabrush .If its gonna be about 200.00 for me to do it,then I will do it myself.Im already way over budget with this garage ! My wife is ready to kill me ! LOL !The floor was poured in early August.It looks like the sealer is already wearing out in lots of spots.Ive been all over the youtube on techniques.It does not look that hard.I seem some vs put a bag of sand over the machine to way it down.

In my quest to learn more about grinding, I came across this link. Sounds appropriate given the fact you plan to rent the same equipment from HD. Notice the part where they suggest you buy a hand grinder and disc pads for the edges around the stem wall. Apparently the HD machine won't get those? The article uses Harbor Freight as their source for those tools, which isn't very expensive, but still something you need to plan.

Also, the article talks about renting a shroud (and possibly vacuum) to help control dust, as well as using a TSP after you are done to remove dust. Before I put any chemicals on the floor I would talk with the epoxy manufacturer you plan to use and ask their advise to ensure you get the best bond.

http://allgaragefloors.com/how-to-grind-garage-floor/

Unfortunately the article doesn't dive into time requirements for the work; however, sounds like an all day job according to the guys here. Maybe even 2 days for a shop your size.

We all have different expectations and budgets. I am on the fence myself about what to do as I mentioned earlier. However, one thing I realize is prep is everything with epoxy floors. So if I was going to splurge on something to make sure it was done right, the prep is where it would be. Plus you have to figure out what your own time is worth. Once you know all rental & misc material costs for DIY, then you can compare against a pro quote. If it's $500 more, is 8-16 hours of your own time worth more than that? Can you afford that? Theoretically, if you make $100/hr at work, you'd be better off working and paying a pro. If you make $10/hr at work, you'd probably be better off grinding yourself, assuming you can get the prep right so the life of the final epoxy floor is not compromised.

 

[shaun oriold1]

$1 a square foot is super worth it! I dont think I would touch it for a customer for less than $2/sq foot. It sounds like a lot. But its my machine getting use (werkmaster raptor) I've got the money invested in multiple sets of diamonds, to make sure I get the the job done quick, and properly. I have crack filler, to make it perfect - even when its a brand new floor. I have a proper pulse-bac - to **** up all the dust, (which I'm taking away and disposing of). A garage that size, I'll have 150-200lbs. Generator to use for power, as my vac uses 15amp, and the grinder is 30 amp. Oh, and gas for that generator too Hand grinders if needed. I also have liability insurance. Car insurance so I can transport my equipment. Profit I want to make for a day of work. But at the end of 5 hours, I'll have that garage perfect for you to coat. Hell, I'm a nice guy, I'll even give you some tips on how to do it for free.


When you break it down, its damn expensive to operate a business doing floors! But when you factor in your time. Renting a machine at HD isnt such a great deal either - unless you want the satisfaction of DIY. Sometimes its worth paying a little extra but saving a huge amount of headache! - and dust! The dust from concrete is ridiculous!

Shaun

 

[Zmw]

I used the HD diamondbrush. my 500 sq ft garage took me 4-5 hours

 

[Magneto]

UGH! Been there, done that. I don't envy you bro. But you'll love the epoxy.

 

[LIGOOMBA]

In my quest to learn more about grinding, I came across this link. Sounds appropriate given the fact you plan to rent the same equipment from HD. Notice the part where they suggest you buy a hand grinder and disc pads for the edges around the stem wall. Apparently the HD machine won't get those? The article uses Harbor Freight as their source for those tools, which isn't very expensive, but still something you need to plan.

Also, the article talks about renting a shroud (and possibly vacuum) to help control dust, as well as using a TSP after you are done to remove dust. Before I put any chemicals on the floor I would talk with the epoxy manufacturer you plan to use and ask their advise to ensure you get the best bond.

http://allgaragefloors.com/how-to-grind-garage-floor/

Unfortunately the article doesn't dive into time requirements for the work; however, sounds like an all day job according to the guys here. Maybe even 2 days for a shop your size.

We all have different expectations and budgets. I am on the fence myself about what to do as I mentioned earlier. However, one thing I realize is prep is everything with epoxy floors. So if I was going to splurge on something to make sure it was done right, the prep is where it would be. Plus you have to figure out what your own time is worth. Once you know all rental & misc material costs for DIY, then you can compare against a pro quote. If it's $500 more, is 8-16 hours of your own time worth more than that? Can you afford that? Theoretically, if you make $100/hr at work, you'd be better off working and paying a pro. If you make $10/hr at work, you'd probably be better off grinding yourself, assuming you can get the prep right so the life of the final epoxy floor is not compromised.

Yes I've seen that video.I have all the tools,Heavy duty vac,grinder, 4 1/2 and a 7",the concrete cup blades for both(somehow I inherited them a long time ago).I may just buy a good filter for the vac.Im retired so work is a thing of the past for me.I have plenty of time.The garage itself is almost done.No driveway either so the dust is going to be swept into the dirt/ red clay.Im gonna try and doing a bit with the grinder this week just to see what it looks like and how long it takes.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Forget the better filter. Get a dust deputy from Oneida. They work great and can be used for future DIY projects like woodworking.

http://www.oneida-air.com/inventory.asp?CatId={6EE79B16-EB63-43E7-8F30-1E06240A24A4}