Grinding concrete is better than grinding minds!
You can relate to the line if your heart has ever been broken by someone. But apart from the joking, there is a serious question- Is there any concrete in your house that seems uneven and makes problems for you? If the answer is yes and if you have an angle grinder in your house, then the solution is in your hand. It’s a common idea among us that we can use an angle grinder only for cutting or grinding metals. But the truth is that whether you need to level a concrete surface or smooth out some uneven patches of concrete, an angle grinder can make your job very easy. So don’t sweat thinking how to grind concrete with an angle grinder, this article will help you with an expert’s suggestion.
This compact and versatile tool can smoothen, level, and polish the concrete surfaces with minimum effort by attaching a diamond cup wheel. You can also remove paint or floor adhesives using an angle grinder. This versatile tool is comparatively small and light so that you can easily hold it with your hands and move around the surfaces for grinding concrete floors.
Another good thing is the portability of the angle grinder. You can carry it wherever you need it to work on concrete whether outside of the workshop or overhead works. Would you like to have knowledge on how to grind concrete with an angle grinder? This content will help you in that case if you go through this.
The last but not the least important issue that you should consider is your safety. You should dress with proper PPE and use a dust shroud attachment with a vacuum cleaner. So, let’s get started.
Contents
How To Grind Concrete with Angle Grinder Step by Step?
If you have the right tool with a few supplementary accessories in your hand, you can easily create smooth polished looks on the concrete surface. It’s imperative to obey the safety precautions while working with the angle grinder.
You must use a dust shroud attachment with a vacuum cleaner because working with an angle grinder on concrete creates lots of dust. Now, you are going to learn how you can use an angle grinder on concrete step by step.
Step -1: Assembling the Angle Grinder for concrete
Always ensure the grinder is out of plug before assembling the Angle Grinder. Attach a diamond cup wheel (4″-7″) and lock the nut. After that block the motor shaft.
Step-2: Protect yourself
You should dress with proper PPE like heavy-duty gloves, protective glasses, earplugs, working overall, and a mask.
Step-3: Use the Angle Grinder
At first, you need to clean the surface where you’re going to work using a vacuum cleaner or pressure washer before start working with the angle grinder. You should ensure there is no residue where the grinder might get stuck.
After plugging the grinder, it is wise to let the blade spin for thirty seconds to check whether the blade is defective. You should use a dust shroud attachment with a vacuum cleaner to keep your workplace clean. When your job is completed, unplug the device.
How To Grind 1 Inch Of Concrete?
Concrete is one kind of robust substance so that is widely used for making basements or subfloors. For doing that work, it is necessary to take out 1″ high or less “stub toes“.
You can do it with a walk-behind concrete grinder or a hand-held concrete grinder. But you can also do the same using an angle grinder attaching a diamond-segmented or tungsten-carbide blade.
At first, you need to locate the concrete area where you’re going to work and make sure that there are no electric wires or plumbing lines beneath the located area to avoid accidents.
Apply the grinder gently on the concrete, don’t rush. Continue grinding until the located area is covered properly.
How Much Will A Concrete Grinder Remove?
Technically, you can remove as much concrete as you want using a concrete angle grinder. But the main question is how quickly it will happen.
Generally, a concrete angle grinder uses blades made of diamonds or tungsten. These blades can remove up to 1/8″ concrete per pass.
You should consider that the deeper you grind in a single pass the rougher your concrete will look. If you need a smooth concrete surface, you have to remove 1/16″ concrete per pass.
Types Of Concrete Grinding Wheels
There are three major types of concrete grinding wheels for angle grinders. They are:
Diamond-Segmented
This wheel comes with different grit levels from fine to coarse. If you want to have a smooth polished look on your concrete surfaces, these types of wheels are ideal for that job.
Silicone-Carbide Stones
This attachment is considered the most cost-effective way of grinding concrete surfaces from fine to coarse finishing. The drawback of this attachment is that it clogs soon and is not perfect for large surfaces.
Tungsten-Carbide
This wheel is the most expensive one and performs using carbide-tipped blocks and beveled edges. If you want to remove concrete surfaces up to 1″ with ease, this tungsten-carbide wheel is the best for that job. The great feature of this attachment is that it will leave no scratch on the concrete though it performs with incredible speed and efficiency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do you smooth concrete with an angle grinder?
A: If you need smooth polished concrete surfaces using an angle grinder, you need to attach a Tungsten-carbide wheel to your grinder. This type of wheel performs with incredible speed without leaving any scratch on the concrete surfaces. But if you want to grind concrete smoothly, then you should use a wet angle grinder. This wet tool will help to streamline the entire process. Not only that, but the wet angle grinder will also drastically reduces the potentially harmful effects of airborne particles like silica dust.
Q: Can I grind concrete by hand?
A: Yes, you can grind concrete by hand using an angle grinder.
Q: How long does it take to grind down concrete?
A: It depends on the surface areas you’re working on. For instance, if you are to grind down concrete from a standard garage, it will take approximately 2 days. A house having 100m2 may take 5 to 6 days for grinding and polishing.
Final Thought
We usually expect power tools to have multiple uses, but the versatility of an angle grinder surprises even the most experienced users out there.
Always consider some issues, put on proper PPE before working with the angle grinder, use a dust shroud attachment with a vacuum cleaner to keep your workplace clean, and abide by the safety precautions of using the grinder. If you have any opinions, suggestions, or queries please leave a comment.
Most Popular Posts: