How should I grind this down?

[SteelHorseHD]

Hey guys,
I've been having a lot of issues with the concrete where my overhead doors are located. This is how it all started....

I hired a hack to pour my concrete which was my first mistake. I have a floor drain in my garage and the floor is graded towards the drain all the way around the building. When the concrete was poured I told the guy where my overhead doors were going to be but he didn't seem to care. When he graded the floor he didn't leave it level around the perimiter of the building (it is slightly sloped towards the drain) which made it a pain in the *** to frame the building but I managed to make it work. The issue I am running into now is that every time it rains I get a bunch of water that comes in underneath my overhead doors becasue it is sloped towards the inside of the building. What I need to do is grind that portion of concrete down so that any rain that is on the door will just run down the door and then away from the building instead of coming in underneath the doors. The section I will need to grind runs the entire width of the doors and is about 7 inches wide. I would say that I need to take off about 1" (depth) on the outside edge. Does anyone have any suggestions on what kind of tool/machine I should use to achieve this? I have used a small angle grider on one of my doors but never completed it as it was taking forever and I went through a ton of discs. I hope this makes sense to you. Thanks for any advice!

 

[apexit1]

At my office we cut a groove about 2" wide the length of the door to help it seal better and handle direct rain. Maybe this would work for you?

 

[rlitman]

For one thing, forget about using abrasive discs, and switch to diamond.

Pictures would be worth a thousand words here, but I don't think you can fix a grading issue by just grooving some concrete. Is the exterior concrete graded into the garage? Then you would need a trench drain in front of the door.

 

[SteelHorseHD]

At my office we cut a groove about 2" wide the length of the door to help it seal better and handle direct rain. Maybe this would work for you?

I have throught about that but I'm not sure if I would care for the looks of it.

For one thing, forget about using abrasive discs, and switch to diamond.

Pictures would be worth a thousand words here, but I don't think you can fix a grading issue by just grooving some concrete. Is the exterior concrete graded into the garage? Then you would need a trench drain in front of the door.

I have a picture I am going to upload here in a minute. You won't beleive it when you see it. I had the concrete guy come out one day when I was at work to "fix" it. I got home when he was half way done with the small door. He was just using a concrete saw to grind it down!!! My 4 year old would know better than to do what he did. Now, I have to spend time fixing what he hacked up. I have a gravel driveway so the water would just drain to that.

 

[SteelHorseHD]

Here is what he did!!! WTF?!?

You can see in the picture where I had started grinding it down and then he came in with the saw and jacked it all up!

 

[eddyyy302]

WOW! He is a Hack. I second the diamond grinder from a rental store is probably your best bet.

Dan

 

[chickenhauler]

Cup grinder. They're expensive, but for what you need to do, they'd probably be your best bet.

 

[SteelHorseHD]

I'll look into the diamond grider. I know a guy that runs a rental company in town and he would give me a good deal on renting one. Thanks guys!

 

[rlitman]

Oh my.

Here's a question. What sort of seal do you have on the bottom of your garage door?
On my wood door, my seal sticks out about an inch from the door to divert water away.
One option to save you some grinding, is a type of seal that glues down to the floor, and sits under the door.

 

[SteelHorseHD]

Oh my.

Here's a question. What sort of seal do you have on the bottom of your garage door?
On my wood door, my seal sticks out about an inch from the door to divert water away.
One option to save you some grinding, is a type of seal that glues down to the floor, and sits under the door.

I plan on putting one of those on the floor in the future after I grind it down but I want to stay away from it for now. Only because the water will just puddle up where the seal is. It would keep the water out but there wouldn't be anywhere for the water to go.

 

[kv501]

Talk to your attorney...

Let the guy pay for fixing it correctly. If he didn't know enough to leave it ready to frame I'm sure there are other things that need to be looked at. I have been in your shoes before and even though I'm not a malicious person, I made the guy's life miserable until he owned up to it. He lost a LOT of business because of my word of mouth, and it only cost me $75 to have a lawyer here in my town politely suggest to him in a letter that he should cover my expense (I didn't want him back to fix it). We had pictures and the written opinions of 2 other certified installers (it was carpet). He was furious that I had bad-mouthed him, but I gave him a bunch of time and chances to make it right. That doesn't work for everyone, but if it gets you fixed up it will be well worth it. I am a stubborn guy and was ready for a ******* match if he wanted to have one.

 

[Zeke]

Oh my.

Here's a question. What sort of seal do you have on the bottom of your garage door?
On my wood door, my seal sticks out about an inch from the door to divert water away.
One option to save you some grinding, is a type of seal that glues down to the floor, and sits under the door.

I doubt he could get a good seal on that bumpy surface. What a shame.

Or should I have said sham?

Talk to your attorney...

Let the guy pay for fixing it correctly. If he didn't know enough to leave it ready to frame I'm sure there are other things that need to be looked at. I have been in your shoes before and even though I'm not a malicious person, I made the guy's life miserable until he owned up to it. He lost a LOT of business because of my word of mouth, and it only cost me $75 to have a lawyer here in my town politely suggest to him in a letter that he should cover my expense (I didn't want him back to fix it). We had pictures and the written opinions of 2 other certified installers (it was carpet). He was furious that I had bad-mouthed him, but I gave him a bunch of time and chances to make it right. That doesn't work for everyone, but if it gets you fixed up it will be well worth it. I am a stubborn guy and was ready for a ******* match if he wanted to have one.

Well, before you get all lawyered up, I'd try to grind it. My city is always grinding the sidewalks where roots raise them. Might be a good idea to "suggest" to the hack that he do the grinding at his expense under your supervision. He's already done half the work, all he has to do is smooth it.

 

[apexit1]

If you do decide to go the lawyer route take plenty of pics before attempting any repairs.

 

[rlitman]

You're right, of course. I wasn't suggesting that a glue down seal could be used in lieu of grinding. You cannot have ponding in front of the seal.

But, I was thinking that kind of like sharpening a knife, each inch you need to grind at an angle going back from the edge, is about twice as much work as the previous inch.
If you chalk a line where the seal ends, and grind to that, you may avoid grinding all the way back to the door. That may save you 1 or 2 inches, and could cut your work in half.

As for the bumpy surface, I'm not sure what sort of adhesive those use. If it's polyurethane caulk, it won't make a bit of a difference.

 

[elevator joe]

If youare going to 1" deep,rent an electric jack hammer with a bushing bit.A bushing bit looks like a over sized meat tendorizer maybe 2"x2". If you score a starting line with your grinder and a diamond blade and use that bit,you could get the majority of the concrete and feather it down to a point where you could dress it up with a grinder. Be careful on the edges, they may chip out. Maybe put in a row of "RACE DECK" in that slot? Just a thought,GOOD LUCK!!

 

[HiccaBurp]

Look into a "concrete planner" or "rotary concrete polisher". The concrete planner will do faster, albeit rougher job. The rotary looks like what they use in commercial buildings to polish floors, but specially designed with replaceable blocks for polishing concrete. This is what I would use. About a $100 a day rental around here. Easily take down an 1" with a couple hours of work. Make sure you use water.

 

[DZL JIM]

Honestly, I'd just get some treated 1x4 and glue and fasten it to the floor where the door would seal and be done with it.
You obviously went with a cheper guy to do concrete in the first place so might as well do the cheapest and easiest way to solve the problem.

BTW I have seen this done before (wasn't me) and it didn't look 1/2 bad....

 

[Holedgr]

OK....What timing....I just recently took the plunge and decided to try a Harbor Fright$29.99 diamond cup disc for a 4 1/2" grinder..it has performed well and does a good job of leveling large areas. I would recommend this to try with your problem.

Oh yeah...MAKE SURE you have a 20% off coupon..

-T

 

[SteelHorseHD]

Oh wow... too many options! lol I think I might try that 4 1/2" disc from Harbor Freight first. I hope I can smooth out what he already messed up. I have thought about putting a skim coat on top of that but I'm afraid it would crack. This guy wasn't cheap by any means he was just the only one that could come out and do it at the time. All the other guys were booked for about two months. Thanks again! I'll post some pics if I get it fixed!

 

[joes169]

I've done it before, even on my own home where the floor was already poured. If I were you, I'd score a line just inside the OH door (looks like about 12-16" now from the pics) about 1/4" deep so you have a definative line to grind up to, and it stops you from going any farther into the slab. I usually grind it right under the door so it's not seen when the door is closed, but it's too late now. A 4 1/2" diamond cup will work, but it's going to take some time & patience. A 4' + level will be handy in checking as you grind away.

You can also overlay with a simple cementicious product when you're done to hide the exposed agg. and grinding swirls. It may not last forever but it will look far superior than if left alone.

 

[Full Throttle]

ever thought, or if even possible to put a trench drain in front of the door where the rock meets the crete?

 

[SteelHorseHD]

I've done it before, even on my own home where the floor was already poured. If I were you, I'd score a line just inside the OH door (looks like about 12-16" now from the pics) about 1/4" deep so you have a definative line to grind up to, and it stops you from going any farther into the slab. I usually grind it right under the door so it's not seen when the door is closed, but it's too late now. A 4 1/2" diamond cup will work, but it's going to take some time & patience. A 4' + level will be handy in checking as you grind away.

You can also overlay with a simple cementicious product when you're done to hide the exposed agg. and grinding swirls. It may not last forever but it will look far superior than if left alone.

That's a good idea to score it. I would going to mark it with a marker but it would be easier to just cut a groove. The width is only about 6-7 inches. Thanks!

ever thought, or if even possible to put a trench drain in front of the door where the rock meets the crete?

It is definately possible to put a trench drain in. I think I will put one in if i ever pour concrete for the driveway.

 

[dadsEH]

If it was me Id just cut out completely a 6" wide strip right across the garage door opening, break out the offending bit of concrete , drill in a few holes for rebar and repour to the graded level / angle you require. no grinding and....job done!

 

[green.bubbly]

Or leave the concrete alone and add a roof extension on the front of your garage to keep the water off the front all together.

 

[Kevin54]

Take pictures BEFORE you attempt anything at all. Then I would talk to the guy that dicked it up saying that it may end up in court and ask him if he is willing to fix it right or if he wants to pay to fix it. See what he says before you attempt anything on your own. If he says he will pay to have it fixed, then get some estimates from some REPUTABLE concrete guys and maybe a floor grinding company. That way you may want to either attempt to DIY or you may just opt to have someone else do it right so you don't have to mess with it.

 

[NUTTSGT]

A friend had a similar problem with the garage door not sealing/water running in. He marked a line on the floor around where the door sits. Giving himself and door a slight gap, made the lines bigger. Then he took a concrete saw, cut on the line. Then he cut from the edge of the concrete to his lines, making hundreds (his words) of cuts. Once he was done, he broke out the concrete and ground it flat. He was left with a ledge that the door sits down in and the floor being higher. Basically he cut and ground out a lower spot instead of having a tapered edge.

 

[SteelHorseHD]

Thanks for all of the input guys. This weekend I bought one of the diamond discs from Harbor Freight. It took me quite a while and a few beers but I made a lot of progress on it. I marked a line on the inside of the door and ground it down to that line. I worked on it for about 4 hours Friday night until my hands went numb from the grinder. I took my garden hose and sprayed the door for a good 10 minutes and only had a few minor leaks. I marked those spots so I could grind it down a little more. So far, so good but I plan on grinding it down about another 1/4 inch or so just to be sure it wont leak at all. I'll post some pics tomorrow. Thanks again.