HOW TO GLOSS CONCRETE COUNTERTOPS
It's often preferable to polish the surface as well as sides of a concrete counter top to create a smoother, extra cosmetically pleasing coating. Along with providing floor polishing dublin as well as subjecting a few of the accumulation or decorative add-ins, polishing will certainly also eliminate small acnes and also flaws resulting from the casting procedure.
Tools Required
A variable-speed (500 to 3,000 rpm) hand-held wet concrete polisher geared up with an integrated water feed and GFCI shutoff.
A collection of ruby grinding pads, with grit levels varying from rugged to fine. Both Pal Rhodes and also Jeff Girard use ruby pads with grit numbers varying from 50 to 3,000. The more hostile, coarser grits work best at exposing accumulations and getting rid of acnes. Youll make use of the finer grits for final sprucing up, proceeding to greater grit levels till you achieve the wanted surface area sheen and smoothness.
A big squeegee.
Security safety glasses as well as ear plugs.
Hand-held diamond blocks or pads for polishing locations of the counter top that can't be gotten to by the electrical brush.
Get devices for brightening concrete countertops
Purchasing ideas: A grinder/polisher with an attached water feed for damp grinding will help to reduce dirt and also prolong the working life of the pads. Girard uses a grinder with an operating rate of 4,000 rpm. Given that youll be switching over pads frequently, likewise ask if the placing system on the grinder permits fast transitions.
Site
Concrete Countertop Institute
Raleigh, NC
Making use of a small damp grinder. Counter Top Institute in Raleigh, NC
Website
Concrete Countertop Institute
Raleigh, NC
Hand finishing pads. Concrete Kitchen Counter Institute in Raleigh, NC
And also do not neglect the noticeable: Make sure to purchase ruby pads ideal for use with your grinder and also especially created for grinding concrete, not granite. Concrete has rough, tough aggregate in a relatively soft matrix. Granite is uniformly tough. If you use pads created for granite, they will not last as long or job as effectively, states Girard.
Polishing Steps
Step 1: Clean the fully treated concrete counter top by running water over the surface area and then reviewing it with a squeegee to get rid of any grit that could gouge the concrete as you grind it.
Step 2: If you discover small problems or tiny bugholes, prepare to fill up these voids with a patching slurry prior to polishing. Slurries can be color-matched to the counter top or in a contrasting color to develop veining. You can blend the slurry on your own using a mix of cement, great sand, water, as well as pigment. However, for Shuanglong Machine , think about getting a ready-to-use prepackaged slurry, which is usually marketed by the vendors of countertop blends. Be sure to get an item compatible with the mix you're utilizing. Some are available in various pigments.
Step 3: Beginning by polishing with the coarsest pad (normally 50 grit), relying on the wanted surface. Review the whole surface, including the sides, making certain to supply a consistent stream of water to the surface area as you grind. Keep the polisher degree as you go.
Tip 4: After polishing the whole concrete counter top with a 50-grit pad, modification to a 100-grit pad and also brighten the whole surface area again. Repeat this procedure, working considerably with all the pads approximately the finest 1500-grit pad. Now, a shine will certainly begin to create. As you polish, occasionally quit and also squeegee the surface to eliminate any type of smidgens of debris and also inspect that you have actually exposed as much accumulation as wanted. There are no mandatory rules as to just how long to polish with each pad. It relies on the solidity of the concrete and the outcomes you wish to attain.
Step 5: Usage hand-held ruby blocks or pads to brighten any locations of the counter top that can't be reached by the electrical polisher. The pads can likewise made use of smooth the edges of the kitchen counter. Like the pads for the electric polisher, hand-held pads have variants in grit going from 120 up to 1500.
Action 6: Permit the countertop to dry, and afterwards use an appropriate food-safe concrete kitchen counter sealant to prevent staining. (See Concrete Countertop Sealers.).
See These How-To Videos.
Water Recycling System Concrete Counters.
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Tips on making use of a water recycling system when damp polishing concrete kitchen counters.
Concrete Kitchen Counter Grinding Blocks.
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Tips on making use of hand grinding blocks on concrete countertop sides.
Tips for Achieving the Best Outcomes.
Enable the concrete counter top to heal for a minimum of 10 days before brightening. Concrete younger than that is still as well soft to polish well, and also concrete older than a month will be much more tough to polish and also will certainly use up more pads.
If you're inexperienced at concrete countertop polishing, technique on some sample pieces or a mock-up prior to working on the finished counter top.
To stop swirl marks, hold the brush as flat as possible on the surface and use even stress.
When brightening along counter top edges, take into consideration attaching a skirt to the brightening head to stop material from spraying onto the ceiling.
Do not brighten the surface dry or stop working to supply enough water to cool down the polishing pads. Or else, they will certainly wear swiftly.
Make sure that when brightening with hand-held pads to match the series used with the electric polisher. For example, if polishing is done up to 1500 grit with the electric brush, after that ensure to hand gloss in the very same series up to 1500 grit.