Need concrete polishing advice

[ratfool]

Ok here is the story. UC ask a vender to demo some polishing brushes for the large stone floor job coming up in the chancellors building.
(Fortunately they didn’t demo there). BUT they did demo in another high profile building. The researcher area of Sierra Nevada Ale. Who just gave UC two million in grants.
What the demo guy did was grind a single swipe across the floor right in front of Sierra Nevada Ale. One really nice line and left.
So people are a bit upset. And it needs to be fixed ASAP. But the funding for the brushes would actually take months. So I’m getting additions to my single DIP pad (which I was happy to get!).
And a good week or two of work.
So I have a couple of options. One would be a 175, the other would be an orbital scrubber.
Which one would give me the better results or would be easier to use in a concrete polishing job?

Marlene

 

[Todd the Cleaner]

Let’s see a picture of the damage done by the other guy.

 

[ratfool]

I’ll take it tomorrow. I’m home now. I wouldn’t call it “damage “. It’s a swipe of really clean concrete amongst a floor that has had WAY to much sealer applied.

 

[ratfool]

Going to add, I’m starting by stripping all the sealer off the floor on Monday. It really does look very dirty. And is coming off the floor by the restrooms in chips.

 

[ratfool]

 

[Robert86]

So to make sure I understand what it is you are doing: You are going to strip the current sealer, then polish the concrete using diamond pads? Is this correct?

 

[Robert86]

If you have a high speed burnisher, either propane or electric, you could use that for faster results.
This is run dry, so if dust in an issue then a 175 or orbital will work for wet polish. The orbital will be less fatigue on the operator but I personally like the results you get with a 175. Both will get you a good shine though.

 

[ratfool]

If you have a high speed burnisher, either propane or electric, you could use that for faster results.
This is run dry, so if dust in an issue then a 175 or orbital will work for wet polish. The orbital will be less fatigue on the operator but I personally like the results you get with a 175. Both will get you a good shine though.

Thank you.

I’m going to use the orbital on the wall edges. And i just saw the diamond pads today. They are 175. Good part is 1/3 of the Hall is already polished. Lol!

No more mopping on sealer. You can see the thickness in the picture. We are going for polishing only

Marlene

 

[Robert86]

Thank you.

I’m going to use the orbital on the wall edges. And i just saw the diamond pads today. They are 175. Good part is 1/3 of the Hall is already polished. Lol!

No more mopping on sealer. You can see the thickness in the picture. We are going for polishing only

Marlene

Sweet. Have you polished concrete before? Pretty easy just got to keep track of how many time you've gone over the floor.

I don't know why people bother to wax concrete anymore. I have a friend that does super markets and he is constantly waxing the concrete floor. Keep telling him that for the cost of waxing and maintaining it per year I could get a nice polish on it and then he wouldn't have to spend thousands on wax and stripper. Use a diamond pad on a the burnisher to buff it out every other night and it will look great!

 

[ratfool]

Sweet. Have you polished concrete before? Pretty easy just got to keep track of how many time you've gone over the floor.

I don't know why people bother to wax concrete anymore. I have a friend that does super markets and he is constantly waxing the concrete floor. Keep telling him that for the cost of waxing and maintaining it per year I could get a nice polish on it and then he wouldn't have to spend thousands on wax and stripper. Use a diamond pad on a the burnisher to buff it out every other night and it will look great!

UC gave me 1 - 1200 DIP which I did 2 rooms with.
Ok for the 1200 I went over it 30 times.

This time UC is giving me a 100-400-1000-2000.

So I’m “guessing “. The 100 is to get the rest of the sealer off. And the higher the grit the more passes. Would that be a correct guess?

So for example the 100 to clean , 400 twenty ish passes, 1000 and 2000 the 30 passes.

Marlene

I’m sending your post to my supervisor. Honestly the floor looked like crap one month after the last “seal” job. I bet they put on 10 gallons on a mop and glow.

 

[Robert86]

I'd get as much finish off as I can before I started up with the DIP's. Maybe start with some maroon SPP pads just to get it down to the concrete. Thats just me. You could use the 100grit for that too but I'd rather use it on the bare concrete.

Wet the floor and make about 10 passes with the 100 grit. That will get any remaining finish off and address any rough spots in the concrete. Then make about 10 passes with the 400. Clean it up a little and look it over. Might have to make more passes, might not. Keep going through the grits until you get to the last one. Then just keep going till you have a nice even shine. If you work through the lower grit pads right you might get a good shine with just 12 passes on the 2000 grit.


Its important to remember that even though the lower grits might not be leaving a nice gloss finish, they are no less important that the polish grits. Getting those ones right will save you time and lead to a much nicer polish (I learned this making guitars, lol!)

 

[ratfool]

I'd get as much finish off as I can before I started up with the DIP's. Maybe start with some maroon SPP pads just to get it down to the concrete. Thats just me. You could use the 100grit for that too but I'd rather use it on the bare concrete.

Wet the floor and make about 10 passes with the 100 grit. That will get any remaining finish off and address any rough spots in the concrete. Then make about 10 passes with the 400. Clean it up a little and look it over. Might have to make more passes, might not. Keep going through the grits until you get to the last one. Then just keep going till you have a nice even shine. If you work through the lower grit pads right you might get a good shine with just 12 passes on the 2000 grit.


Its important to remember that even though the lower grits might not be leaving a nice gloss finish, they are no less important that the polish grits. Getting those ones right will save you time and lead to a much nicer polish (I learned this making guitars, lol!)

This is extremely helpful! Thank you! 10 passes is easy!
The plan is stripping it with the orbital first so hopefully no wax or sealer. We are giving it a run on Monday. Our department is starting to notice the expense of applying sealer every year. I don’t know if you can tell in the picture but the sealer was so discolored that it made the concrete look painted.
The sales rep kept asking “are you sure it’s not painted?” And the top supervisor was there to tell him it wasn’t paint. It’s a LOT of sealer.
The top brass wants to try dry sanding it off with the orbital. They are afraid the stripper would take too much of the sealer off, and we would have to reapply.
They want the concrete to stay sealed but everything else off.

Thank you again

Marlene

 

[ratfool]

Going to add, the supervisor that told the project crew to lay all the sealer down is no longer with the department

 

[Robert86]

This is extremely helpful! Thank you! 10 passes is easy!
The plan is stripping it with the orbital first so hopefully no wax or sealer. We are giving it a run on Monday. Our department is starting to notice the expense of applying sealer every year. I don’t know if you can tell in the picture but the sealer was so discolored that it made the concrete look painted.
The sales rep kept asking “are you sure it’s not painted?” And the top supervisor was there to tell him it wasn’t paint. It’s a LOT of sealer.
The top brass wants to try dry sanding it off with the orbital. They are afraid the stripper would take too much of the sealer off, and we would have to reapply.
They want the concrete to stay sealed but everything else off.

Thank you again

Marlene

Wow, thats bad. So much discolored sealer it looks painted, holy cow. That cost would really add up too.

 

[Robert86]

Going to add, the supervisor that told the project crew to lay all the sealer down is no longer with the department

Thats probably good. 1 - 2 coats penetrating sealer should last years. Tell them you need one of these in 25 grit, lol!
http://www.diamondtoolstore.com/concrete-prep-tool/

3m makes a sealer that was designed for use with Diamond Polishing systems too. Something to keep in mind maybe for the future.

 

[lamywaby]

Ok here is the story. UC ask a vender to demo some polishing brushes for the large stone floor job coming up in the chancellors building.
(Fortunately they didn’t demo there). BUT they did demo in another high profile building. The researcher area of Sierra Nevada Ale. Who just gave UC two million in grants.
What the demo guy did was grind a single swipe across the floor right in front of Sierra Nevada Ale. One really nice line and left.
So people are a bit upset. And it needs to be fixed ASAP. But the funding for the brushes would actually take months. So I’m getting additions to my single DIP pad (which I was happy to get!).
And a good week or two of work.
So I have a couple of options. One would be a 175, the other would be an orbital scrubber.
Which one would give me the better results or would be easier to use in a polished concrete dallas job?

Marlene

To clarify, are you asking which machine would be better suited for the job of fixing the single swipe mark made during the demo - a 175 machine or an orbital scrubber? And which one would provide better results or be easier to use for concrete polishing in general?

 

[lamywaby]

Ok here is the story. UC ask a vender to demo some polishing brushes for the large stone floor job coming up in the chancellors building.
(Fortunately they didn’t demo there). BUT they did demo in another high profile building. The researcher area of Sierra Nevada Ale. Who just gave UC two million in grants.
What the demo guy did was grind a single swipe across the floor right in front of Sierra Nevada Ale. One really nice line and left.
So people are a bit upset. And it needs to be fixed ASAP. But the funding for the brushes would actually take months. So I’m getting additions to my single DIP pad (which I was happy to get!).
And a good week or two of work.
So I have a couple of options. One would be a 175, the other would be an orbital scrubber.
Which one would give me the better results or would be easier to use in a polished concrete job?

Marlene

Both a 175 rotary floor buffer and an orbital scrubber can be effective tools for concrete polishing, but they have different strengths and weaknesses that may make one more suitable than the other for your specific job. A 175 rotary floor buffer is a powerful machine that uses a circular motion to grind and polish concrete floors. It is well-suited for larger areas and can be used with a variety of different polishing pads and tools to achieve different finishes. However, it can be more difficult to control and may require more experience to use effectively. An orbital scrubber, on the other hand, uses a back-and-forth motion to clean and polish floors. It is generally easier to control than a rotary buffer and can be used in tighter spaces or on uneven floors. However, it may not be as powerful as a rotary buffer and may require more time to achieve the desired finish. In your case, since you are dealing with a high-profile building and need to fix the floor as soon as possible, a rotary buffer may be the better option. It will allow you to work quickly and effectively, and you can use it with different pads and tools to achieve the desired finish. However, if you are not experienced with using a rotary buffer, it may be a good idea to practice on a small section of the floor first to ensure that you are able to achieve the desired results without causing any damage.