5 Steps to Sanding Concrete 

Summary

    – Focus on Concrete Sanding

    – Step 1: Prepare to sand concrete

    – Step 2: Sand the center of the room

    – Step 3: Sand the edges

    – Step 4: Sand the corners of the room

    – Step 5: Apply the finishing touches

Sanding concrete smoothes your floor and increases its adhesion to flooring.

Sanding concrete is a three-step process that requires three types of sanders. You’ll start by sanding the concrete in the center of the room with an electric sander before sanding the edges with a curb sander and the corners with an angle sander.

Here are the materials and steps for sanding concrete.

Focus on sanding concrete

You can directly lay a floor covering on a concrete slab without applying a screed. But to do so, you will have to sand your floor to increase its adhesion and smooth it out.

The sanding of the concrete is therefore done:

    – before the installation of wall coverings (in a new house, for example);

    – as part of a floor renovation;

    – in case you want to remove or renovate waxed concrete.

1. Prepare to sand concrete

Sanding concrete generates a lot of dust. You will need to empty the room of all furniture or protect your furniture with tarps, polyethylene film, or old sheets.

To prevent dust from spreading to other rooms, close the door and seal the space between the door and the floor with a terry towel or rags.

Work with the windows open throughout the sanding process, and wear a mask to avoid inhaling dust.

Also, wear a helmet to protect yourself from the noise of the sander.

2. Sand the center of the workpiece

Start by sanding the center of the workpiece with a large-area electric sander, which is more comfortable and convenient than a disc sander.

Caution: handling an industrial sander requires some strength. Indeed, the vibrations and rotations of the sander can cause a frail person to lose control of the tool.

    – Sand the center of the workpiece in a linear fashion across or down the length.

    – Do not sand too close to the walls: leave a gap of about 10 cm from the walls.

    – Run the sander over the entire room several times.

    – Sweep up the dust as you go so you can see the progress of the work.

    – Continue sanding until you get a consistent result.

Good to know: Concrete sanding can be dry or wet to avoid too much dust.

3. Sand the edges

Sand the edges of the concrete floor:

    – Attach the diamond disc to the edger. Refer to the machine’s operating instructions.

    – Proceed to sand all around the room in the lengthwise direction.

    – Take the time to smooth out the floor. The material is rigid, so you don’t want to dig into the concrete with the sander.

    – Run the edger over the edges several times until you get the desired result.

Caution: If the sanding is part of a floor renovation, it is essential to sand the floor edges at minimum speed to avoid damaging the baseboards.

4. Sand the corners of the room

To sand the corners with a small concrete angle sander:

    – Make sure the abrasive # is the same as the one used when sanding the entire floor to achieve a consistent result.

    – Sand the corners with the diamond disc several times until you get the desired result.

Note: It is also possible to use a portable concrete sander that is easier to handle than the industrial concrete sander, but it requires some physical strength to use, as the rotation of this type of sander is powerful.

5. Finish the job

    – Let the dust settle for a few minutes.

    – Remove the bulk of the dust with a broom, then vacuum up the last residue.

    – You can now install the desired floor covering.

Equipment for sanding concrete

Vacuum cleaner

Tarp

Broom

Sanding disc

Gloves, goggles, and mask

Belt sander

Edge sander

Angle sander

Towel