A lot of homeowners choose the concrete floors for their houses just because they look appealing and facile to keep clean. But how to sand concrete at home? It’s essential to do it carefully together with the proper tools and preparation for the whole process! Let’s find out now:
What tools are needed for sanding concrete floor?
Before learning how to sand concrete at home, you need to know what kinds of equipment needed for the process. And you can hire a professional floor sander to do this.
But here’s the kicker:
Try to prepare the fine-grit, superfine-grit and coarse-grit sandpaper discs that will fit under the buffing pad, based on how much sanding you need. Ensure to get the tape and plastic sheets for covering fixtures, cabinet, and other walls.
More importantly, we recommend you to wear these: goggles, rubber gloves, earplugs, a breathing mask or a dust mask since concrete dust is really unhealthy for your respiratory system. So before getting to know how to sand concrete, there are some prep works for you to do:
First, for those who wonder how to sand concrete, remove your furniture from your own room, and don’t forget to sweep the floor to get rid of debris.
Establish a plastic sheet to guard the walls against dust launched by the sander. And never miss covering the vents and other electrical outlets as well and then secure the sheet with duct tape.
Also, you need to put sanding discs under the buffing pad in which one at a time.
And try to follow the guidelines for attaching each disc to the machines. Note that this attachment based on the sort of machine you plan to use. A few of them would stay in place.
How to get the right stuff?
As it comes to sandpaper choice, it primarily depends on how much sanding should be completed. Select the coarse-grit one, within the 40 – 60 grit range for simple sanding or stripping.
And for those who like to remove imperfections and desire smoother finishes, go for the 80 – 120 grit one.
Want to know the best part on how to sand concrete?
For the smoothest finishes, avail the superfine-grit sandpaper, within 200 – 400 grit range or even higher than that. If using the wet-dry one, it’s possible to wet the place before you keep the dust down. Never leave the slurry dry right on your concrete floor since it can harden fast in place.
In case you just have a small space to sand, then feel free to utilize a palm sander or a belt sander. Any apparent imperfection will need your selection of a particular diamond disc and one concrete floor grinder.
How to smooth it?
And now let’s begin finding out how to sand concrete at home in detail: Begin in one corner with a sander or a buffer, and then do it in 4-foot-square areas. Do it across the room’s length and width, and remember to clean up that area full of dust with your broom after the completion.
Now you’ve known a bit on how to sand concrete, so what’s next?
After the initial pass, you need to go past the floor with a super fine sandpaper disc to get the surface done. During the process, it’s best to check your concrete floor to make sure that you have removed all stains and other coatings.
Go sanding it again as it’s necessary until your sanding is finished. Clean up the area and then leave it dry before applying the finish coats.
What’s else?
It’s highly advised to mop your concrete floor with clean liquid to get rid of any residue released by polishing. Substitute the abrasive with finer finishing pads till you can complete sanding with a 1,500-grit disc or just higher than that.
After your sanding gets done, go inspecting the floor to find any stain of paint so that you can continue mopping it clean again. Leave it dry out before applying another brand new coat of paint if you like.
Final Words
So now you’ve known how to sand concrete at home, right? This process leads to the result that your floor looks sleek and glossy at the same time instead of the dull and gray look of the normal concrete.
Feel free to leave your comments in the following box if you want to share any better idea about this sanding work. We always appreciate your own opinions!
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