Grinder or scarifier for prepping floor?

[tojan19]

I'm checking the costs on renting tools for prepping my floor. The floor is pretty smooth and I've only had a few oil spills on it. I'm debating between acid etching and mechanical surfacing. If I do mechanical is a grinder w/ stones good enough? One of the local tool companies said $65/day for a grinder and $28 box for stones. The Scarifier was $75/day + $400 for the diamond heads. Ouch.

 

[UnSub45]

I tried the stones on my floor and they are not the correct tool for the job.

 

[Andy S]

Diamond grind, not stone grind. Try and find a good diamond grinder, not sure where though. Dont use a scarifier on your floor, thats way too aggressive.

 

[ron in sc]

Diamond grind, not stone grind.

It seems like a lot of people recommend grinding as opposed to shotblasting. Why is that? Shotblasting seems cleaner and doesn't take much time at all.

 

[palsor1]

How fast does a diamond grinder rip up the floor?

I used a shot blaster inside my house when prepping a lot of my concrete slab for tile. That thing would rip up the floor pretty quickly if you left it over a given spot for very long. Of course, when putting mortar and tile over it, it didn't really matter that much, but when putting epoxy down I'd be concerned that I'd end up with an uneven floor.

 

[Floorguy]

IMHO it is really a personal choice. I own a shotblaster so I shotblast. There is certainly an experience thing that counts. No matter which you choose there is a learning curve using equipment. I think the shotblaster leaves a better profile but there are others that think the grinder does. Again, personal choice. They both are superior to chemical etching in most situation but each has its place.

Hope this helps and does not confuse.

 

[ron in sc]

IMHO it is really a personal choice. I own a shotblaster so I shotblast.

Is shotblasting faster and cleaner than grinding? When my floor of about 575 sq. ft. was shotblasted it took about 30 minutes.

 

[car99r]

I tried the stones and no good, Diamon cutters are the only way to go if grinding IMO...

 

[premierguy]

$475 Rental investment for a DIY application… Oh my…

 

[tojan19]

It's ridiculous. I can't even find a local place to rent a shot blaster. I think I'm going to say the heck with mechanical surfacing and stick with acid etching. It's worked fine for a lot of people, should work fine for me. I'm just going to have to be careful about not rusting my tools when doing it.

 

[premierguy]

What kind of tools "TrojanMan" huh huh huh....
PM for simplistic methods you may not have thought of....

 

[Andy S]

If you dont have access to a grinder, or shotblaster than etch it. Just do it thle right way so you get a good profile. I like diamond grinding because it smooths the surface while profiling it, and it is an exact profile all the way around. Shotblasting may be inconsistant in the profile.

 

[Nebsmnt]

Acid etching is not the answer. Shot Blasting is usually the best way to prep the floor but usually the most expensive too. Gringing the floor is an option but try to rent a gringer that uses a diamond bit and hooks up to a vacuum system. Boshe makes a nice set up that I have used for years to grind concrete.The grinding wheels cost over $100 but will last unless you hit metal or have large amount of paint to remove. The paint tends to gum up the gringing wheel. An associate of mine exclusively uses a grinder for all floor prep and has had great results. The product is also important but prep is the key.

 

[AlphaGarage]

The SSPC C-10 Manual for Coating and Surfacing Concrete lists the following methods for profiling Concrete Surfaces:

Acid Etching
Grinding
Abrasive Blast/Shotblasting
Needle Scaling
Scarcifying
Scabbling
Ultra-High Pressure Water Jet

While acid etching may not be the ideal method - it is an accepted, inexpensive, and widely used proven method. It's downsides are that the acid needs to be handled properly, it won't work on some previous coatings, and it can be caustic and corrosive. Read and follow the instructions, and it will do the trick for most DIY situations.

There are alternate "green" chemicals that will do the same job, but without the fumes and other muriatic acid unpleasantries. Generally they will cost more. Some pro commercial jobs spec these special chemicals because there are places where the dust caused by all mechanical prep is not acceptable at any level, and other locations where people, animals, equipment, facilities or greenery can not be exposed to harsher chemicals.

As usual, consult with manufacturer for your particular requirements.

 

[thegarageguy]

I'm not a fan of acid etching. I havd found it very inconsistant. Its a **** shoot. The 2 preferred methods are dimond grinding and shot blasting. Diamond grinding is a bit slower but less expensive to buy and more accesible to rent. Shot blasting is much faster, but usually has a more aggresive profile, maybe too aggresive for a residential garage and needs to be used by a seasoned pro or damage could be caused to the slab.

 

[premierguy]

It's ridiculous. I can't even find a local place to rent a shot blaster. I think I'm going to say the heck with mechanical surfacing and stick with acid etching. It's worked fine for a lot of people, should work fine for me. I'm just going to have to be careful about not rusting my tools when doing it.

You'll still need a Mechanical scrubbing machine when etching.... Why? Because it allows one to bristle the floor more times than one can do by hand.
This will buy you enough time to cleanse the areas where grime will begin settling back into the floor. *Gotta move quick when doing this process.


Rental stores -do not- offer heavy enough equipment or good enough diamond pads to justify your hard earned money spent. Don’t get sucked in to the word “diamond pad”… it is an elusive word that is generally understood by seasoned flooring professionals.

“Sustainable methods” will allow one to purchase more product for longer lasting coatings or additional projects (a huge savings). *Choose wisely on your coating applications. You may also want a product with sustainable storage time.


Etching by far is the most economical method for a DIYer… The biggest problems for failure is not knowing the guidelines to follow when etching a floor, as well as **** *** products which the manufacturers of “Store Box Products” are selling 70% of their Consumers short in their methodologies.