The Difference between Grinding and Polishing Concrete

There are some key differences between grind-and-seal concrete and polished concrete. The terms can be confusing, especially when you’re looking from the side of the project. Here we will examine the difference between grinding and polishing concrete so that you can be as informed as possible when it comes to your job site.

Grinding

Although they seem rather similar since both grinding and polishing involve leveling off the concrete, there is one fundamental difference: grinding concrete involves removing much more material at a time compared to polishing. During the grinding process, you’ll also need to deal with things such as deciding whether you want to wet grind or dry grind, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. When done correctly, grinding concrete can produce a smooth finish, but doesn’t it leave the concrete nice and glossy. That is why grinding is often accompanied by sealing with a protective overcoat. Materials such as epoxy are often used for this to give the floor that beautiful, shiny finish. However, depending on the material, overcoats are easier to damage and scratch, and the coating may require touchups as the years go on.

Polishing

Polishing concrete is quite a different process, and it’s often a more involved one. Using finer grits of diamond abrasives, polishing concrete can give the floor that desirable shiny quality without needing any extra coating over the top of the slab. You can choose from a few levels of gloss when polishing concrete, and the cost increases with each successive level.

The great thing about polished concrete is that it doesn’t need a coating over the top of it, meaning the top of the concrete is much more durable and scratch-resistant. However, it should be noted that polished concrete floors—especially ones with high levels of shine—take much more time and money to finish. Polished concrete is great when you want a super-durable floor, whereas grind-and-seal concrete is better if you want to keep costs lower in the short term.

The differences between grinding and polishing concrete really come down to what you’re willing to pay for. No matter which process you decide to go through with, Bedrock Supplies has the tools you need to keep your Lavina® concrete grinding and polishing machines running smoothly.