Concrete grinder
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A concrete grinder is an abrasive machine for polishing or grinding hardened concrete. Concrete grinders can come in many configurations, the most common being a hand-held general purpose angle grinder, but it may be a specialized tool for countertops or floors. Angle grinders are small and mobile, and allow one to work on harder to reach areas and perform more precise work.[1]
There are also purpose-built floor grinders that are used for grinding and polishing
![dust collectors](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Concrete_Dust_Collectors%2C_Lavina_Elite_Series.jpg/220px-Concrete_Dust_Collectors%2C_Lavina_Elite_Series.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Elite-diagonal-with13.jpg/220px-Elite-diagonal-with13.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Levetec_grinder.jpg/220px-Levetec_grinder.jpg)
Attachments
All concrete grinders use some sort of abrasive to grind or polish such as diamond tools or silicon carbide. The diamond tools used for grinding most commonly are diamond grinding cup wheels, other machines may use diamond segments, mounted on varies plates, slide on diamond grinding shoes and for polishing are usually circular Resin diamond polishing pads. The use of diamond attachments is the most common type of abrasive used under concrete grinders and come in many grits that range from 6 grit to the high thousands, although 1800 grit is considered by the insurance industry as the highest shine to apply to a floor surface.
Wet or dry usage
Concrete can be ground wet or dry,[5] although dust extraction equipment needs to be used when grinding dry.
To grind concrete dry, a grinding shroud can sourced for most angle grinder sizes,[6] and floor grinders usually have them inbuilt. This provides the necessary vacuum attachment where one can connect a vacuum or HEPA filter-equipped vacuum to capture the fine dust produced when grinding dry. Of course concrete can also be ground wet in which case no vacuum is used. An issue with dry grinding is that is can be time-consuming as is a slower method of keeping the diamond tools cutting and the fine dust particles quickly blocks up the HEPA filters in the vacuum. Continuously stopping to clean or replace filters can be time-consuming and this is where a dust separator can be beneficial. It is connected between the concrete grinder and the vacuum cleaner and works by capturing the larger particles of concrete in its drum, so only the fine particles reach the vacuum cleaner.
The benefit of grinding concrete wet is that it requires less attachments than when grinding dry. The water makes the dust particles heavy by turning them into a slurry or paste and prevents them from being dispersed into the air.[7] This significantly reduces health risks from breathing in concrete dust, but it does use a lot of water and make a bit of mess.[8]
Dust precautions
When grinding concrete it is important to ensure steps are taken to mitigate exposure to concrete dust. According to the Cancer Council, approximately 230 people develop lung cancer each year due to past exposure to silica dust at work. Fine concrete dust contains
For green building methods many regulators have seen the benefit of using concrete grinders that are designed to finish concrete to a very stable wear surface, that can safely be used for many years as a floor or tabletop surface. These machines are usually powered by higher electrical power such as 240 volts or higher as they require motor power larger than 120 volts can supply. Some machine are powered by liquefied petroleum gas such as used on forklifts so that they can be run in well ventilated areas without a power cord, but these machines usually have fewer features that a fully electric unit.
References
- ^ "Can I Use An Angle Grinder To Level Concrete?". paragontools.com.
- ^ "Husqvarna floor grinding and polishing systems and diamond tools". Husqvarna.
- ^ "The Best Speciality Concrete Grinding Tools". CDBS Garden and Construction.
- ^ "The History of Concrete Grinders". epoxymoncton.com/. February 24, 2024.
- ^ "A Comprehensive Guide to Wet Vs. Dry Concrete Grinding". Concrete Grinding Concepts.
- ^ "Do You Need a Dust Shroud?". Crozier Diamond Tools.
- ^ "Difference between Dry and Wet Concrete Grinding Methods". Mega Saw.
- ^ "The Difference between Dry and Wet Concrete Grinding Methods". Mega Saw.
- ^ a b "How To Grind Concrete While Protecting Yourself From Dust". Paragon Tools Australia.