Concrete polishing isn’t something you can just leap into—this highly specialized industry requires finely honed skills and quality tools in order to complete a project with any level of professionalism. Some might even call it an art; we certainly would! At Runyon Surface Prep, we’ve dedicated years to providing contractors with the tools and products they need to get the job done. From flake floors to trowel polishing, we’ve seen it all, and we make sure that we’re on the cutting edge of every new technology and surface preparation method that hits the market.
Today, we’re talking tools—and why you should invest in high-quality diamond tooling over lesser products. Here’s what you need to know about this essential concrete polishing consumable.
Surface Preparation With Diamond Tooling
While concrete as a flooring material was once relegated to garages and warehouses, polished concrete has now made its way into businesses, retail stores, and even homes. These floors are beautifully reflective, durable, and relatively easy to maintain. But getting them into this state requires intense labor and expert knowledge of the proper tools to use, along with a good understanding of the client’s final vision. The amount of aggregate you want to expose will determine how much grinding you’ll need to do, for example—and how many separate diamond tools you’ll need to do it.
Where Does Cost Come In?
Once you’ve purchased diamond tooling for your concrete polishing project or business, you’ll need to treat it well and ensure that you use it only for the correct applications. If you use soft-bond diamonds on soft concrete, for example, you’ll wear out your diamond tooling much faster than is normal, leading you to spend more money replacing your tools when those diamonds should have lasted you throughout the job. Ultimately, you should invest in diamond tooling from a reliable manufacturer for your surface preparation needs—you’ll save money on concrete polishing consumables in the long run and ensure the continued quality and integrity of your work.
Types of Diamond Tooling
Here’s a quick look at some different types of diamond tooling used to tackle tasks like concrete grinding and surface preparation. Needless to say, selecting the proper tools for the task will ensure that you get the job done efficiently.
Metal Bond
This type of diamond tooling is used in concrete grinding under a variety of conditions. Metal bond diamond tooling can be soft, medium, or hard. While there isn’t an exact standard breaking down these various bond strengths, it’s essential that you choose the correct bond for your purpose. Soft concrete, for example, requires a hard-bonded diamond.
Resin Bond
Resin bond diamond tooling is used primarily for concrete polishing and light grinding. This category of tooling can be split into wet and dry resin tools, which are made by mixing resin powder with diamond grit.
Transitional
Traditionally, metal bond and resin bond diamond tooling were the only available options for concrete polishing and grinding. In recent years, we’ve seen the advent of transitional or hybrid diamond tooling. This alternative provides the best of both worlds: the cutting and grinding functionality of metal tooling along with the gentler polishing action of resin tooling.
Polycrystalline Diamond
Polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tooling is fabricated with synthetic diamonds and offers consistency, affordability, and extended tool life. This type of diamond tooling is used in concrete surface preparation for the removal of mastic, glue, and other thick or thin coatings.
Grits
The grit of a diamond tool refers to the size of the individual diamonds used in that tool. Lower numbers indicate larger diamonds, while higher numbers indicate smaller diamonds and a finer grit.
But while grit will tell you about the size of the diamonds in your tooling, it won’t tell you about the concentration. One manufacturer might be selling tooling that holds half as many diamonds as another—this tooling will cost less, but it won’t do the job nearly as well. To protect the quality of your work, be sure that you’re purchasing diamond tooling from a manufacturer or supplier you trust.
Get the Right Diamond Tooling for the Job
If you find yourself going through polishing pads and other diamond tooling too quickly for comfort, it’s time to choose a high-quality option that will serve you well on job after job. We happen to stock our very own line of diamond tooling, perfect for projects large and small.
Here at Runyon Surface Prep, we place the customer relationship at the center of everything we do. That means that education and customer support is just as important as providing the tools themselves. To that end, we offer technical training in everything from concrete polishing to repair. Reach out today to learn more about how we can support you in your surface preparation and concrete polishing work.