The best tools to start your own concrete grinding business

This is the best combination of concrete grinding tools that will result in maximum performance and flexibility for minimum cost.

The following recommendations are for small contractors who are starting a business in this lucrative field of concrete grinding or for small coatings applicators who are just starting up and need the tools to effectively prepare concrete floors.

Situp N Grind below is a powerful, low-cost concrete grinder and edger capable of economically completing 200 sq.m. (2,000 sq.ft.) jobs while the5 inch dust extraction shroud second below will take care of all small areas and into the corners.

The steel construction of this equipment and the low capital required make them an ideal pair as the perfect starter kit.

Low cost concrete grinder

Situp N Grind above

Corner shroud below

 

Five inch (125mm) shroud for corners

Floor preparation is expensive when you rely on subcontractors and they are not always available to do the job when you need it done. They are also unreasonably expensive for smaller jobs which means you will miss out on many quotes that have cost you plenty in advertising and time.

The answer is to have your own equipment for small floors up to 200 sq.m's (2,000 sq.ft) and for the edges while you subcontract out the jobs where large area diamond grinding is required. It is more economical to hire in larger contractors who have invested in larger equipment for large areas of floor only. In time you will be financial enough to purchase your own, but in the meantime all you need is a small floor grinder & floor edger plus a hand held grinder and polisher.

The 5 inch concrete grinder with steel Cornerhood above  will complete all the small areas like bathrooms, while the Situp N Grind above will grind floors quickly up to 40 sq.m./hr (400 sq.ft./hr) and do the edges of all large floors. With these two tools you can run a very successful business and if you expand just buy another combination of them for a second employee to use.

For more details about diamond grinding speeds see Concrete Grinding.

Contact tradesmen in your area for business

Many tradesmen such as tilers, vinyl layers, concrete overlay applicators and painters need concrete grinding completed while very few have the equipment which opens up opportunities for new business. When starting a new concrete grinding business you need to make contact with as many of them as possible in your area and explain the advantages. Below is a list of the most common.

Tilers - Tile grouting relies on adhesion to the floor which can only be achieved by concrete grinding it first. Rework jobs require the old grouting or glue to be removed which is achieved quickly by diamond grinding. It is easier and less costly to grind down the high spots in a floor than to apply thick levelling compounds to build up the low areas and dustless grinding with the above tools is clean so it can be done inside homes, or rooms without causing a mess, or on site without problems for other trades.

Vinyl layers - Vinyl is normally glued to the floor like tiles above so most of the points above apply to vinyl layers too.

See glue removal movie (2.5mb)

Wood floor layers - The same as above, or for removing high trowel mark peaks to lessen the amount of self levelling compound required.

See wood floor preparation movie (1.5mb)

Builders - There are many applications for concrete grinding to be done on construction sites especially refurbishments. New slabs have to sit level with old concrete which often need grinding to make them level. Spills of paint, plaster, concrete and general grime on floors need to be cleaned up at the end of a job before laying floor finishes or handing over the building to the new occupants.

Coating contractors and overlay applicators - There are many of these small businesses who are unable to afford grinding equipment and rely mainly on acid etching. They spend far too long on removing paint and other contaminants that the acid will not affect and they cannot afford to hire a large grinding contractor to do it for them.

Ways you can begin

First look up all contractors in your area who advertise in Yellow Pages telephone directory. Ring them one by one and send them a flyer. Look up every category that may contain the above trades. Next search over the internet for the same trades and ring them too. After that look for places where these people buy their supplies and ask if you can leave some cards on the counter at each of these suppliers. Using photos of every type of job regularly send updates in the form of a flyer or newsletter to each business you have contacted. Direct mail through the post is excellent, email is also effective if you have the right person's personal email.

Other necessary equipment

You will need to own a very good vacuum dust collector like the one below which is powerful and small with self-cleaning filters that vibrate to remove the concrete dust. The vacuum pictured is sold under various names such as Metabo, Bosch, Eibenstock, Milwaukee and others. Do not choose a vacuum that has less than 35mm (1^1/2in) diameter hose.

Dust collector with internal, self-cleaning filters

Watch Starmix self cleaning filters

There are many other dust collectors available including Alto (Nilfisk) which has continuous self-cleaning filters and others sold by specialist diamond tool distributors.

Beware of models that require the use of paper bags because of the expense of these replacement bags. Also avoid vacuums that rely on a felt filter bag to remove the dust because these typically will clog within 5 minutes and take 10 minutes to remove and clean unless they are specifically designed with a self-cleaning function.

Always dispose of concrete dust responsibly according to local laws and safety requirements. One way to do this is to cover the base of the unit with a plastic bag when you empty it to enclose all the dust, or to line your dust collection base with a plastic bag so that you simply close it before emptying.

Diamond cupwheels

You will require a range of cupwheels to complete most jobs reliably and on time. Concrete varies in hardness according to the mix that was specified originally and you need to have at least one cupwheel for hard concrete and one for softer concrete. See Grinding Hard Concrete for more information. This is applicable to both the 5" edge grinder and the 7" Situp N Grind.

Vehicle

This equipment will fit into the luggage area of most family cars so it is not necessary to purchase a separate vehicle. It is all able to be carried by hand in and out of the car, to and from the job, up and down stairs or in lifts. It will operate from domestic power outlets and in countries with 240V supply, both the vacuum dust collector and grinder can operate from the same outlet.

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