Different Grit for Different Problems
Preparing a concrete floor for an epoxy coating is a critical part of the installation process. Without the proper preparation, an epoxy floor is more likely to fail. Years of experience at California Custom Coatings insures that your concrete is prepared the right way so that your epoxy floor will be both durable and eye-catching.
Careful Examination to Start
Choosing the right grinding pad to start the preparation process is the first step. Much depends on the state of the floor before we begin. If there are significant stains, irregularities, or a lot of hard, old glue on the floor, a rough grit is necessary. Something in the 30-50 range is usually advised to remove significant imperfections and detritus from the surface.
Light glue, paints, and thin coatings are usually removed with grit in the 80 range. All material that is not original concrete must be ground away from the surface. When the materials are light, and there are no stains that have penetrated the concrete, very little of the upper layer of the concrete needs to be removed.
Finishing the Grinding Prep
Finishing for light duty epoxy coatings is usually accomplished with a grinding pad of 100 grit. This leaves a smooth surface that is still porous and able to make a good bond with the semi-liquid epoxies. Industrial strength concrete preparation requires a rougher surface that gets mated with thicker layers of epoxy. No matter what your initial preparation requirements, the end result is a smooth, epoxied surface that will not peel, bubble, or crack.
Concrete preparation levels and makes the surface of the concrete smooth, but it’s not intended to polish it. That’s a completely different process that also involves grinding, but which moves to higher and higher grit ratings to create a very smooth and ultimately shiny surface. You can learn more about concrete polishing in that section of our website.
Just as grinding pads come in grades that reflect their roughness and ability to remove surface material, concrete surfaces also use a measurement system that rates the relative smoothness of the concrete. In a future article, we will discuss this 1 to 10 grading system, called the Concrete Surface Profile, or CSP. What CSP do you need for your job? That’s a subject considered by California Custom Coatings before we start any installation. You can find out more by scheduling your own consultation with one of our concrete design experts!
