NOUVELLES

MISTAKE 1: NOT INSPECTING YOUR FLOOR BEFORE STARTING

A metal bond diamond will grind and polish almost anything from steel, brass, glass, etc. But only if  the material is not raised above the floor surface (Above grade).

Make sure you inspect the floors for anything ‘above grade’ before your grinding process. You must either cut off, hand grind to level, or smack with a hammer to knock below grade. If you do not do it, you will most likely knock your diamond segment off, and do a lot of damage to your machine. Once you’ve eliminated the above grade issues, it will make it much easier for you to achieve the result you expected.

MISTAKE 2: SELECTING THE INCORRECT BOND FOR THE CONCRETE YOU’RE WORKING WITH.

A major mistake that contractors make, is selecting the incorrect diamond bond for the concrete hardness they are working with, it normally result in two outcomes:

  1. The diamonds do not cut properly (mostly on hard concrete)- often due to heating up and glazing over.

  2.You will wear out your diamond tools very fast

Either way you end up wasting your time and money and your will suffer form the result.

It is very important you understand how the bond system works and the concrete hardness you are going to work with before you apply diamond tooling, the common rule is:

     1. Soft/Abrasive Concrete (VAF) = Hard Bond Diamonds

     2. MediumConcrete (MF)= Medium Bond Diamond

     3.Hard Concrete (HF)= Soft Bond Diamonds

     4.Very Hard Concrete (VHF)= Extra Soft Diamonds

 MISTAKE 3: Applying Unnecessary speed to your grinder

Another common mistake that contractors can make is running the grinder at an unnecessary fast speed. When an operator wants a faster production rate and will turn up the speed of the grinder in efforts to accomplish more in less time. However, this increased speed can cause overheat and “glaze over” your diamond tooling (especially on hard concrete), which prevents them from cutting properly, or do not cut at all. Start with a lower speed and increase as you go is recommended. 

Finding the right speed is important but speed alone doesnt necessarily equate to better production rates. This leads to another key fact that affect your production rate - Downward pressure.

Greater downward pressure = Faster grinding. There are two ways of achieving this: A heavier machine will give more head pressure, or do different diamond tooling options.

For example, with GD diamond grinding shoe, there are two options:

      1. Single Segment shoes

      2. Double Segment shoes

If you are operating a small grinding machine, a single segment shoe will give more down pressure because you have double the square inch pressure compared to a double segment, and this allowing it to cut faster. On the other hand, a larger and heavier machine is where a double segment will offer a better performance, because it is grinding a larger space at one time, and double segment will increase the life time for diamond tooling in this case.

MISTAKE 4: NOT UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS NEEDED FOR THE DESIRED OUTCOME

There are a couple of key facts that determining what diamond tooling your should start with:

•  The finish result you trying to achieve. Cream Polish, Salt & Pepper Finish, or Heavy Aggregate exposure? 

          1. Most concrete polishing will start with a 25/30# Grit metal bond diamond to expose the aggregate.

          2.If you want to achieve a cream polish, NEVER start with a metal bond diamond as it will remove the cream, and it can not turn back.

• The materials must be removed before the polishing process, Such as Epoxy coatings, VCT, Paint etc.

          1. If removing material like a thin layer of epoxy before the polishing process, do not use a more aggressive diamond like PCD straight away, as it may make deep scratches that are very difficult to remove. The GD arrow segment diamond is a better option in this case.

          2. When you’re not 100% sure what diamond to start with,  start with a less aggressive diamond, so you are able to use back to a more aggressive diamond if you need to.

MISTAKE 5: NOT REMOVING STUBBORN SCRATCHES IMMEDIATELY

When polishing a concrete floor, you must always keep an eye on the finish you’re producing as you go. You must remove scratches immediately If you see it starting to appear. If you trying to ignore the scratches, it will only continue manifest as you polish up the floor. For instance, if you are running a 100/120 Grit resin bond diamond and you start to see scratches, You must remove them with the same 100 Grit. If necessary, go back to a more aggressive diamond like a 25/30 Grit or 50/60 Grit resin before you move onto the next step.