We are fortunate to have a tool rental agency so close to our house. Arvada Rent Alls has been a great resource for temporary use of expensive tools. Each spring our son-in-law rents a tiller to get the garden started. This is where I rented the jackhammer and compressor to break up the raised platform and to try to break the concrete myself.
The latest rental was to prepare the concrete floor for stain. I have had conflicting information about preparing the slab. First we were told we could stain new concrete without any prep. Then we were told that the slab should be porous and “hard-troweled” concrete would need some treatment. Our slab contractor rented a floor sander with plastic pads that would not sand the rough concrete surface, it skittered all over the place. So he returned it and recommended we stain first and just polish the sealed floor.
I read some advice NOT to use a diamond grinder and some that said it was the only tool that would sand concrete enough to get the rough spots and patches leveled, the floor sander wasn’t strong enough. The website seemed to recommend this tool for our use.
Dyma-Sert diamond segments (right) are best suited for:
- Smoothing rough concrete or trowel marks
- Removing urethane or epoxy thin-coats
- Removing thin mastics and thin-set
- Leveling uneven surfaces
- Will grind approximately 200 to 250 square feet per hour and up to 1/32 inch depth per pass.
I rented a grinder from Arvada Rent Alls and tried it on the floor but it proceeded to scratch the surface much more than I wanted. It was very heavy and again I may not have had the strength to use it properly. I returned it after an hour or so and they reduced the cost for just the time I had it out instead of charging for the full 24 hours. Nice guys at this place who know their stuff.