On a jobsite where the home owner wants to polish some exposed concrete in his new living room and needs advice…. anyone here done this before?
Thanks
bake
Edited 8/23/2002 12:46:48 AM ET by BAKDO
On a jobsite where the home owner wants to polish some exposed concrete in his new living room and needs advice…. anyone here done this before?
Thanks
bake
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Replies
Yes we've done a little concrete work, what's the question.
Gabe
Thanks Gabe
Nice to see you back here, it's been a while since I have logged in last.
He rented some sort of commercial polisher that 3 diamond stones and turns in a circular motion (I don't know what grit) He is wetting the floor and polishing but say's it's not showing much progress for the time invested.
He is wondering if there is an abrasive he should be putting down? Also wonders what he should be using to fill any air voids that show up along the way.
Sorry to be so vague, I am doing his electrical work and thought I would try and dig up what I could for him, he dosn't seem to have any resources
thanks again
bake
A DIY with a concrete floor polisher.....the kind of stuff for home videos. That's got to be the most dangerous machine for an amateur to grab onto.
Oh well let's get serious.
This is my tool of choice for grinding down a concrete floor to a smooth finish but it takes a lot of time and control. The polisher is a lot like a motorcycle. You use a light touch on the handles lifting and lowering gently. You try muscle on a floor grinder and you will be introduced to a wall.
What size of holes are we talking about that need filling?
Gabe
Your customer may be in for a disappointment, even if he masters the polisher. I'm no concrete expert, but I've helped out with a few pours over the years, and on all the flatwork I've ever worked on, we used a tool that pushed the gravel 1/2" or so below the surface before floating and troweling. If he's expecting to expose the gravel, he could be polishing for a long, long time.
Supprisingly enough he exposed the gravel in good time. I think the owner has some small nicks, scratches and voids to fill, small stuff no more than 1/4" diameter.
When polishing do you need to use progressively finer grits? Is there a compound that will help him along. I will try to remember to take my digital camera along tomorrow and snap some pic's of his progress and machinery.
bake
Now that I have pictures the "attach files" option refuses to work on this board.
Stosh Kowalski, Best Polish Concrete man this side of Krakow!
Look in the Yellow pages
T
Do not try this at home!
I am a trained professional!