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Gabriel First Corp. • East Rochester, NY 14445-0191
T
hree Optional Methods of Preparing Concrete Surfaces,
if necessary, are Shot Blasting, Scarifying, and Grinding.
It is important to provide a clean surface free of contaminants and
defects with a profile or texture. Nearly all of coating failures can
be attributed to improper or insufficient prep.
Shotblasting
Benefits
• Eliminates use of harsh chemicals
and leaves the concrete floor with
the desired profile.
• As a dry process it allows for
immediate application of coatings,
shortening installation times.
• Efficient disposal of dust and other
contaminants.
• Can be performed indoors
or outdoors.
Shotblasting Drawbacks
• May remove too much concrete
especially with soft concrete or
inexperienced operators.
• May leave overlap marks requiring
extra material or fill.
• May have difficulty removing
flexible or soft materials or high-
build coatings and resurfacers.
Grinding Benefits
• Produces a very smooth
uniform surface.
Grinding Drawbacks
• Much slower than shotblasting.
• Consumption of diamond blades
and abrasives can be costly
especially when removing thick
coating or smoothing rough concrete.
• Diamond grinding may require
re-cutting of expansion joints or
grinding out inside cracks.
SPECIAL NOTE: This page is for informational purposes only...
Gabriel First Corp. does not perform the procedures listed on this page.
.
Consult with Gabriel for assistance at finding a contractor. Below, is an
overview of the different systems for mechanical concrete cleaning.
Shot Blasting
– works much like
sandblasting. A blast wheel spinning
at high speed throws steel shot at the
concrete and profiles the smooth floor.
A vacuum system then draws the
shot and concrete dust off the floor.
Shotblasting is the
most common form
of preparation for
horizontal surfaces.
Scarification
– works by using steel
and/or carbide cutters (see cutter styles)
mounted on shafts on a rotating drum.
The cutters rotate loosely on the
shafts and chip away at the concrete
at they revolve around the drum.
Concrete Grinding
– is a generic term
to describe a variety of ways to remove
concrete by using abrasives (carbide,
diamond, steel) and a specific term
to describe a specific method of
removing concrete.
Concrete grinding
typically uses a
machine called a
Concrete Grinder
that has a disk on
the bottom and
spins much like a floor polisher.
Diamond, stone, or carbide abrasives
may be installed on this disk.
Scarification Benefits
• Excels at removing thicker old
coating and resurfacers.
Scarification Drawbacks
• Leaves a more aggressive profile
than shotblasting. This texture
usually requires at least 1/8 inch
of resurfacer to restore the surface
to a smooth uniform texture.
• Cost of wear items such as cutters
& cages result in a higher cost per
sq. ft. than other removal methods
and is of moderate output speed.
Cutter
Styles
Assembled
Cutters
