Concrete Sanding Procedure
Contents
Sanded floors are becoming more popular in the building business owing to their beauty and practicability. Sanding concrete may be an excellent alternative if you want your concrete floors or worktops to seem more complete.
This begs the question, “How do you sand concrete?” This post will go over how to sand concrete and the advantages of smoothing it.
Is it possible to sand concrete?
Concrete may be sanded to obtain a more polished concrete surface. Sanding concrete may be a simple task if you use the right gear and processes.
There are several ways for sanding concrete. It may be done wet or dry, which can influence the kind of sandpaper you choose.
When sanding, you should also consider the kind wood finish you desire. Smooth finishes, for example, are appropriate for countertops and are mostly achieved by hand sanding.
To achieve an aggregate finish, remove roughly 1/16th of an inch from the concrete’s surface for a speckled texture.
Why should concrete be sanded?
Concrete is the most often used building material and is ideally suited for both interior and external finishing. There are various reasons for sanding concrete, and we’ll go through the most important ones below:
Finish
Sanding concrete is excellent for finishing. Smoothing concrete is mostly motivated by aesthetics for homeowners. Polished concrete flooring, kitchen counters, or walls are all options.
For example, the salt and pepper finish may need some improvement. To get this polish, you must remove 1/16th of an inch of the concrete layer. The primary purpose is to remove concrete to reveal a salt and pepper finish reminiscent of polished granite.
Rounded corners
Concrete is tough and, in most situations, resistant to wear. Some flaws, such as sharp edges, stains, and protrusions, may remain in the concrete after curing.
To reduce accidents and injuries, smooth the concrete to eliminate bumps and flaws. Sanding the protruding edges improves the overall look of the surface.
Remove any flaws.
You may encounter difficult-to-remove flaws such as paint coats and stains. Some stains are easily removed, while others are resistant to even the most powerful solutions. You may restore the original look of the concrete by removing the damaged layer of the concrete surface.
Repairs
If you need to repair a fracture in a concrete surface, you will need to sand the concrete surface to produce a uniform appearance after the repairs. If you use sand fillers to repair the concrete and the color of the fill varies from the original concrete surface, you may choose to add paint after sanding.
Finishes in concrete
Pouring the concrete is the initial stage in your project, but you must choose the correct finish to ensure its success. Concrete coatings enhance the beauty and safety of a concrete surface while also increasing its longevity.
Here are a few concrete finish alternatives that will look good and service you well.
Finished with care
This is the easiest finish to obtain since it just requires minor hand sanding or polishing the concrete surface with an orbital sander. This finish does not remove much of the concrete surface since it just polishes the top layer to obtain a smoother and shinier appearance.
Finish with salt and pepper
By exposing the tiny aggregate, concrete obtains a salt and pepper appearance. The little exposed stone and sand fragments resemble salt and pepper. The speckled surface has a distinct appearance that differs from a semi-exposed or completely exposed aggregate surface.
This concrete surface also mixes in well with almost any structural design. To obtain a salt and pepper finish, the top layer of the concrete is sanded off without exposing any coarse aggregate. This creates a beautiful and slightly rough concrete surface texture.
Finish with exposed aggregate
The fundamental goal behind an exposed aggregate finish is to have a flat concrete surface with equally dispersed aggregates and as few air spaces as possible.
The aggregates used in this finish were selected for their look. They might be colorful glass, granite, beautiful stones, or other strong materials.
This finale is difficult but not impossible to reach. To expose the aggregate, about a quarter-inch of concrete may need to be removed. To cut through the concrete surface, you will need specialist equipment such as a powerful polisher or sander.
Because it offers greater grip than typical surfaces, this finish is perfect for garage floors and driveways.
Concrete sanding equipment
When using concrete sanding tools, it is easy to sand concrete. The tools you employ are determined by the size of your job and the kind of concrete you are working with. Concrete sanding equipment each have strengths and limitations that you should be aware of before selecting one to use.
An overview of some of the various concrete sanding tools is provided here.
Grinding wheel for concrete
If you have a tiny working area or a particular location that requires grinding, a concrete grinding wheel may assist. Concrete grinding wheels are perfect for both wet and dry sanding. It contains air holes that keep the wheel cool while functioning and extend its longevity.
Concrete sander on wheels
Handheld concrete sanders, also known as edge grinders, are held by the operator during sanding. They’re perfect for tiny spaces like walls and counters.
Handheld sanders include various speed settings and an integrated water supply, making wet sanding of concrete surfaces simple. Because of its modest size, you have more control over concrete edges.
However, considering utilizing vacuum and hose attachments on this sander would be beneficial since sanding generates a lot of concrete dust that you shouldn’t breathe in.
Handheld sanders are convenient to use on horizontal surfaces, but working on walls may be more difficult.
Concrete sander with a walk-behind
The movable handle of the walk-behind sander enables one to polish or sand a floor while walking behind it. You may sand walls using smaller versions of walk-behind sanders, but it takes a lot of ability to learn how to manage the equipment.
When sanding big areas, such as outdoor surfaces, a walk-behind sander is ideal. To obtain a uniform and consistent appearance, it is essential to be consistent with how much you sand in each location. You may also connect walk-behind sanders to a vacuum or hose to decrease dust when sanding the concrete surface.
Polishing cloths
Assume you don’t have access to electric or power equipment for polishing concrete, or you simply need to polish a small area of concrete. In such scenario, you may want to try completing the task by hand using polishing pads.
Regular sandpaper is not strong or durable enough to polish a concrete surface, thus a polishing pad or diamond sandpaper is required.
Manual sanding is comparable to using a power tool, but it is more laborious and inefficient. When sanding by hand, you must also consider dust control. To prevent breathing dust, keep your work space damp and use a face mask. Polish the surface in lengthy strokes with uniform pressure to avoid unevenness of the polished surface.
Sandpaper with the appropriate grit for your project is required for manual sanding. The sandpaper you choose is also determined by the sort of concrete polishing you are doing. For wet concrete sanding, your sandpaper must be suitable with wet surroundings. To obtain a smooth finish, begin with coarse sandpaper and progress to smooth sandpaper.
Concrete sanding techniques
The right concrete sanding method is required to create a beautiful finish and a smooth concrete surface. A step-by-step approach to sanding a concrete surface is provided below.
1. Clean the surface
The first step is to check and prepare the surface before polishing. Chisel out any lumps, clean up any dust and dirt, and fill up any holes on your concrete surface.
2. Divide your working area
If you’re working on a wide area, break it into zones and focus on achieving a consistent completion in each zone rather than a consistent finish over the whole region.
3. Make use of the orbital sander
To get a consistent finish, connect your water hose to the sander and apply pressure to the surface. Maintain a continuous water supply and maintain the sander level. You may also sand by hand, but it will take longer and will not provide the required results.
4. Scrub the surface
After the initial sanding pass, wipe the surface with a sponge or vacuum.
5. Repeat the procedure.
If you are still not getting the desired results, apply finer-grade sandpaper until you do.
6. Apply a finish product to the surface to protect it.
Allow your concrete surface to dry after sanding. After curing, a finish solution, such as concrete sealer, should be applied to preserve the concrete surface from wear and tear. The sealer also guards against spills and stains on the surface.
