floor grinding tool

[weicm3]

I'm tempting to do the epoxy floor and have called around to source the tools. But all local tool rentals don't have shot blaster. One store has edco but I was told shot blaster will do better job.

So, I researched how other members here did the floor prep. Then I found Bosch 1773AK option. It seems doable but just labor intensive. 6-7 hours at least for regular 2 car garage I guess?

Do you know where I should call for shot blaster rental? And what is the average rental cost for it.

My last resort would be purchasing Bosch 1773AK. Do you know where I can buy it at good price? How many grinding wheels will I need.

 

[thegarageguy]

Check thomasnet and search for shot blast rental in your area or just google it. Not sure too many places rent shotblasters but walk behind diamond grinders shouldn't be hard to find. Where do you live? Maybe I can help you locate something.

 

[weicm3]

Check thomasnet and search for shot blast rental in your area or just google it. Not sure too many places rent shotblasters but walk behind diamond grinders shouldn't be hard to find. Where do you live? Maybe I can help you locate something.

Thanks. I'm in bridgwater nj. I called 2 companys listed on thomasnet that shows with shotblaster rental but they said they no longer have it now. They do have edco on floor grinder though.

Now, I tend to purchase handheld grinder as I want to take my time on this project and probably will do it half portion of the garage at a time. (too much stuff inside the garage and I don't want to leave them out for a day or two.)

The lowest price I found for Bosch 1773AK is $399. Does it sound right or I can get it for cheaper?

 

[AlphaGarage]

Might check out the Motabo w23230 - a couple of the contractors we work with swear by that model - it can be found in the low to mid $200s. Add a few $ for the dust hood.


Here it's $199 - don't know anything about the seller - just for reference.

The Matabo dust hood, part 655154000, is way expensive at about $120 - but I think there are generic hood available.

One of the contractors also has his own design diamond cup manufactured. At $150 it's towards the top price-wise, but is extremely tough and seems to outlast other cups. I can see if he has any in stock.

edit -

Doing a bit more research it looks like $120 for a dust hood is actually about as cheap as they get. And yes, you do want a dust hood!

 

[thegarageguy]

Your in luck, Check Mitchell Simon Co. in Englewood, NJ. 201-568-2108, Ask for David. You can rent a Mastercraft 16" walk behind with red diamondsfor $175 Per day. Add an industrial hepa vac $250 total.

Good luck

 

[thegarageguy]

Doing a bit more research it looks like $120 for a dust hood is actually about as cheap as they get.

Do better research. Dust Muzzle $30

https://www.dustmuzzle.com/product_list.php?PCID=1

 

[AlphaGarage]

Do better research. Dust Muzzle $30

https://www.dustmuzzle.com/product_list.php?PCID=1

Much better price. Has a couple of nice features. The largest one is for grinders up to 8", the Matabo is 9", but I've never used a diamond cup larger than 7.5", so this should do the trick as long as it fits around the grinder, and it looks like it should. Translucent is nice, although that's probablt near opaque after a few minutes. Have any experience with it?

 

[thegarageguy]

We used to use it until we upgraded our hand grinders to Hilti DG 150's. They have integrated dust shrouds. We do have a couple older hand grinders with the dust muzzles attached collecting dust for emergency use.

Check out their video, it works pretty well. And for the weekend warrior, its perfect.

 

[AlphaGarage]

Thanks for the mini-review. I may try one out on a 4.5 Porter Cable angle grinder that I never did get a hood for. It only gets used in corners and tight spots, but even corners and tight spots kick up a lot of dust.

BTW - the grinder has a Harbor Freight "4" Diamond Turbo Cup Wheel" (ITEM 98772-0VGA) attached, I haven't kept a log book of hours/rpm/ or ft2 on the cup, but it seems to have lasted for quite a while, and I've knocked down a few serious chunks of slab with it. It's $25, use one of those 20% off coupons avail in most of the current car mags and it's a good deal for small projects. Maybe 400 - 500 ft2 of light grind or so, although a 4" cup is not suited to a large area, too slow and easy to gouge little crescent moons all over the floor if you're not careful.

 

[weicm3]

I already have a Dewalt 4 1/2'' grinder. So, do I just buy Dust Muzzle Ultra and a Harbor Freight 4" Diamond Turbo Cup Wheel to tackle this job? That should just cost $60 or so which is a lot better than spending $399 for Bosch 1773AK.

But will this setup perform similarly or close to Bosch 1773AK?

 

[thegarageguy]

Using a 4 inch grinder is like digging a ditch with a spoon. Get yourself some good knee pads, good back pain medicine and book a few chiro sessions.

A 4 inch grinder would take you 10 to 14 back breaking hours. A walk behind diamond grinder, 2 hours. What's your time and body worth?

get a dust muzzle for your 4 incher and use it for edge work.

Pony up you cheap f**r, your knees and back will thank you later

 

[weicm3]

aren't several members here used Bosch 1773AK to prep floor for epoxy coating? bosch 1773AK has 5'' wheel which is just an inch larger than harborfreight diamond wheel.

reason I tend to use handheld grinder is because I want to take my time on it and finish half portion of the floor at a time. if bosch 1773AK outperforms 4 1/2'' grinder + 4'' diamond wheel, I think I'll just buy one for this project.

 

[v7guy]

I've seen mention of guys using the chicago electric harbor freight 7 in grinder with the turbo cup wheel all in with the dust shield is $115, they are suppose to last at least the life of the project.

 

[AlphaGarage]

I've seen mention of guys using the chicago electric harbor freight 7 in grinder with the turbo cup wheel all in with the dust shield is $115, they are suppose to last at least the life of the project.

A project I stopped in at was using an HF 4 inch grinder - the one with the magnesium housing. It did not last for the job, under 400ft2, and they weren't doing the entire floor with it, just v-notching joints and cracks.

Not a big deal since they had just bought it for the project, so they went and exchanged it and finished the job with the replacement.

So if you do opt for the HF, buy it a day or two before needed, or consider buying the extended replacement policy.

 

[v7guy]

Wasn't there another guy on here who found the grinder difficult and picked up a cheap polisher/buffer from autozone for about $30?

 

[purpony]

good info. posting to find info later.