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Diamabrush

tcianci

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Feb 7, 2009
Messages
4,242
Location
Walpole, Ma
I was in the tool rental section of my local HD the other day and they told me about a new product that they just took on. It's called Diamabrush. The system consists of 2 types of disks that attach to a standard rotary floor maintainer. One disk has a series of flaps coated with diamond grit that is supposed to be the cats' pajamas for profiling concrete to accept epoxy. The 2nd disk is a diamond grit scraper and it will remove old coatings including thinsets and cutback adhesive. It looks pretty interesting and it may be better than acid etching since your floor stays dry. My mom wants an epoxy floor in her garage and there is no coating on it now. This thing may be just the ticket. www.diamabrush.com. Has anyone tried it yet?
 
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Elite Crete Australia

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Sep 12, 2011
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42
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Australia
I personally have yet to try them but I've heard and read a lot of good things. Without a doubt, using the Diamabrush system is going to be far superior than acid etching the concrete. Like you said, you won't be adding moisture to the floor prior to an epoxy application and it will also remove older coatings, adhesive, etc. that the acid bathing or etching process won't touch.
 

dcs Inc

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Dec 13, 2010
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803
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Indianapolis, Indiana
The only problem is the dust with these swing machines. I've sold several of these and have found going wet saves on the dust and the diamonds. Paints, urethanes, even thin mastics are quickly removed and leaves a really good profile.

When I say wet, I just lightly spray water on the surface. Then the muck it makes is shoveled into a container. Wash after done, wait a couple days and you are ready to go. ( Use a dehumidifier if you are in a hurry).

Edging is still a hands on project. I beat that by using a little 12" floor machine and attach a 17" Diamabrush head on it. It extends beyond the machines cowling and you can get right to the wall.

They have different grits. The 25 grit is pretty aggressive so if you have soft concrete be careful and keep it moving.
 
Last edited:

1967marti

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Joined
Sep 22, 2011
Messages
151
I used the dimabrush from homedepot to strip the old epoxy off my garage floor and prep the surface for the rocksolid floor coating. It works great but the dust is a huge problem..
I used a garden hose to keep the floor wet, this kept the dust down and the brushed cool. Also a good thing to keep in mind is that you cant "push" down on the floor machine (looks like a floor buffer) to make it work "better"... The best that i found was to do a side-to-side sweeping, motion. Lots of washing and cleaning afterwards but the resulting floor will be as good as it can get for a new coating.
 

LegacyIndustrial

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Jun 7, 2010
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7,994
Location
deerfield, IL
They work awesome. We sell these heads. If you are a little guy looking to do floors on the side or just starting out this is a great tool. Naturally, it can't handle major removals but will take care of most jobs.
 

dcs Inc

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Dec 13, 2010
Messages
803
Location
Indianapolis, Indiana
The "big" guys use these also for tight spaces, lower level floors where there are no elevators for their larger equipment. Residential contractors like them for basements, small spaces.

These will not remove trip spots or high areas. You must be careful not to hit anything protruding from the concrete like a bolt or screw. Pre grind these lower than the surface before going over them.
 
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Shea

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Sep 19, 2012
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2,866
Location
California
I've actually used the system from Home Depot twice when helping someone out that was too far away to bring my own tools. It works real well and I posted and article about how to grind with a Diamabrush rental. In fact a forum member here did over 800 sf. recently in just 5 hours.

I feel it's one of the best ways to grind a floor for the average DIY person that's looking for a good profile for their epoxy floor.
 

Chucktown

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Apr 20, 2012
Messages
94
Location
Lowcountry, SC
Do they offer different grit pads? My floor was power troweled and is already very smooth, but I'd love to take it to the next step.
 

dcs Inc

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Dec 13, 2010
Messages
803
Location
Indianapolis, Indiana
Do they offer different grit pads? My floor was power troweled and is already very smooth, but I'd love to take it to the next step.

Which way are you wanting to step? Profile or polish? These are for profiling. 25 and 100 grit. Diamabrush does offer polish pads too.
 

Chucktown

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Joined
Apr 20, 2012
Messages
94
Location
Lowcountry, SC
Which way are you wanting to step? Profile or polish? These are for profiling. 25 and 100 grit. Diamabrush does offer polish pads too.
Ideally I'd like to take less than 1/16 of an inch. I plan to just leave the concrete bare. Right now the plan is to densify, then grind/polish. I'm just unsure what pad to rent for the process. My concern is really taking too much.
 
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