Almost 9,000 square metres left gleaming by 1 ride on trowel in 1 week
Multiquip’s Grind and Shine system recently wiped the floor (literally!!) with a warehouse project of 8,800 square metres. Part of the Multiquip portfolio is the concrete floor grinding and polishing system which can treat existing concrete floors and we were delighted by the results, but not as much as the client was. We combined our market-leading Ride on Trowel technology with our new grinding system to provide an outstanding shine. All this was done with a single Whiteman Ride on Trowel and a five-step polishing process.
The first step of the concrete grinding process, or the first cut, was the 100 Copper Grit pucks. Our pucks are all individually fitted to our grinding heads and at 6mm thick, they provide exceptional durability for the job at hand. The planetary nature of our grinding system ensures even wear which results in fewer passes and less time, resulting in cheaper costs for the contractor.
The HHXDF5 46-inch Ride On Power trowel was the ride on trowel of choice for the contractor, chosen specifically for its ability to run on propane instead of petrol which is a must for internal applications where emissions and worker safety are paramount.
The second and third step of the polishing process was the 200 Copper and 400 Copper Grit pucks. These pucks are specifically designed to remove just the right amount of material so as not to expose the floor too much.
Next came the densifier process. A silicate densifier is required to convert any calcium hydroxide in the surface of the concrete to calcium silicate hydrate. Otherwise, the concrete will remain porous and possibly dusty. The densifier needs to be applied thoroughly to saturate the surface, to help ensure a good chemical reaction. Our densifier of choice is the Multiquip Slab Armor Closer.
We then cut in the densifier with our wet slick resin pucks. The Wet Slick polishing pads are 9mm thick tools ideal for (as the name suggests) wet polishing. These tools are designed to be run under a heavy grinder or ride on trowel machine. Life for these tools is on average 3,700-5,600 on good, medium hardness concrete.
The final part was the dry run of the burnisher pads. These are fitted to our grinding heads so there is no need for a burnisher machine. You can simply remove the magnetic ring and fit the burnisher pads.
After 7 days and 8,800 square metres later the results were collated. The finished required was a mid gloss finish of 55. The DOI (Distinctment of Image) value was 88, which is extremely impressive considering pure marble tops out at 100, and the final haze factor was 4 demonstrating the quality of our ride on trowel machines.
All this work was done with Multiquip equipment within 7 days. Doing the same work with dry grinding methods would take almost 6 weeks!!! The Grind and Shine system was requested due to the need for the high DOI and low Haze requirement. Multiquip’s system can hit these numbers where others can’t. As a result, the building owner can expect a reduction in lighting costs due to the work carried out.
Is this something you can benefit from? Would you like to offer this kind of results for your clients?
For any other information on our ride on trowel and other concrete finishing products, including demonstrations please do not hesitate to contact us. You can call us on 0161 339 2223, or email us at sales@multiquip.co.uk. You can get also in touch by using the online form that can be found on our Contact page. 