Home > Articles > Floor Preparation
Carrcrete have for many years offered a comprehensive concrete grinding and floor preparation service throughout the UK for commercial and industrial clients. With our range of concrete grinders are able to remove contaminants, old floor finishes and to smooth out rough floors all with a dust free vacuum system.
We use diamond abrasives which we design ourselves to ensure the highest levels of productivity. We also have the experience in manufacturing our own rapid setting and harden concrete repair mortars for quick and effective repairs of damaged substrates.
Low levels of airborne dust whilst working
Lower noise option using diamond abrasives
Rapid removal of contaminants and coatings
Expertise in all aspects of floor preparation and remedial repairs
Reduce project costs with a dedicated floor prep service
We offer a range of surface preparation services such as paint and resin removal, latex and leveller removal, concrete grinding and keying. We also sand and prepare anhydrite screeds ready for tiles etc.
Please submit an enquiry today to find out how Carrcrete can help you with your surface preparation requirements.
Floor grinding can remove surface coatings such as paint or resin from concrete floors and leave the surface smooth enough for re-coating.
Concrete grinding is the process of either smoothing rough surfaces or removing excess material from a concrete surface with diamond abrasives. A concrete grinder fitted with diamond tools can quickly remove high spots in existing floors with either wet or dry process.
Floor grinding can remove surface coatings such as paint or resin from concrete floors and leave the surface smooth enough for re-coating.
When a gypsum, calcium sulphate or anhydrite screed is laid, a skin called laitence forms as the product levels out and sets. Whilst this laitence does have a purpose, it is also problematic when applying further floor finishes such as tiles, epoxy or a vinyl floor etc.
Why? For a couple of reasons, it is very soft and easily scratched or damaged (much softer than a concrete floor) so it is unsuitable for fixing to. The laitence also slows down the drying out of the screed which is a problem for floor finishes which require a low moisture level before application.
Carrcrete have a dust free solution for removal of anhydrite laitence removal, ready for your epoxy primer and often used when tiles or concrete floor overlays need a keyed floor substrate.
A concrete grinder comes in various forms, everything from a small hand grinder for detail work and edging purposes using horizontal discs, through to large floor machines.
A rotary grinder is available in single head floor grinders and to a larger/heaver twin and quad rotary machine for greater productivity. A rotary machine is an amazing choice for coarse grinding of concrete, removal of paint, coatings or epoxy.
Planetary grinders are most often available in triple and quad satellite versions. These are very easy to use machines where even novice operators can learn to grind concrete without too much risk of damaging the floor; unlike the heavy rotary machinery.
We have helped design our concrete grinding machinery, they get closer to the edge and have increased down pressure over the tools.
This is a very subjective question and the answer often changes project to project. Some swear by planetary machines; others a rotary. We have both types within our fleet, they are selected based on the required task, floor size and surface quality.
Both types of grinding machinery are suitable for the complete concrete polishing routine.
We have helped design our concrete grinding machinery, they get closer to the edge and have increased down pressure over the tools.
We design a wide array of abrasive segments for our diamond grinding process. We use a redilock fitting suitable for our concrete grinding machinery. These segments simply slide into the grinder tool holder.
For removal of paints, lacquers and epoxy resins.
For very coarse floor grinding of concrete surfaces.
16, 30, 60 grit to grind down of a concrete floor but with a fine scratch pattern.
For honing of concrete before the polishing process starts.
For polishing of concrete.
When Carrcrete is contracted to prepare substrates ready for coatings, we use a dry grinding system.
Metal bond diamonds always work much more efficiently when used with water. Using a wet process keeps the metal cool and allows the diamonds to cut more effectively and cleanly against the concrete.
Working with wet floor grinder is an effective form of dust control, great for removing epoxy resin and paint without the need for PCD tools, thus leaving the concrete with a much smoother profile.
The downside of floor grinding with water messy slurry which can often be a problematic aspect of wet grinding.
Floor grinding with a dry process requires dedicated dust extractors to ensure the working environment is safe and habitable. Silica dust is deadly in the large amounts present during concrete grinding. Personal protective equipment should always be worn.
A vacuum fitted directly into the floor grinder will often catch the majority of the airborne dust and debris. There will however be heavier debris on the concrete surface which will need to vacuumed away after each pass.
When Carrcrete is contracted to prepare substrates ready for coatings, we use a dry grinding system. This creates the least amount of compatibility and drying issues.
Please note that we do not offer a laser flat grinding service which requires specialist machinery in order to meet specific flatness criteria.