If your concrete floor is showing signs of damage, you’re probably wondering whether to get concrete grinding or floor levelling.
Both of these concrete treatments are viable options to restore a concrete surface. Let’s look at each option, its applications, and how they’re different from each other.
Concrete Grinding
Floor Levelling
Purpose
Eliminates stains, imperfections, and old coatings from concrete surfaces.
Fixes concrete slab issues like voids, settling, or unevenness from wear and tear.
Process
Professionals use abrasive tools of different grit levels to grind down the concrete surface.
Professionals fill voids with specialised materials like self-levelling compounds.
Effect
Strengthens the concrete and makes it resistant to moisture.
Creates an even surface to install new flooring.
Outcome
Smoother and level surface for new flooring installation or coating, like tiles or epoxy.
Raises and levels the concrete surface, restoring its original height.
Concrete Grinding
Purpose
Eliminates stains, imperfections, and old coatings from concrete surfaces.
Process
Professionals use abrasive tools of different grit levels to grind down the concrete surface
Effect
Strengthens the concrete and makes it resistant to moisture.
Outcome
Smoother and level surface for new flooring installation or coating, like tiles or epoxy.
Floor Levelling
Purpose
Fixes concrete slab issues like voids, settling, or unevenness from wear and tear.
Process
Professionals fill voids with specialised materials like self-levelling compounds.
Effect
Creates an even surface to install new flooring.
Outcome
Raises and levels the concrete surface, restoring its original height.
What is Concrete Grinding?
Concrete grinding involves the use of abrasive discs to grind away the top layer of concrete. This eliminates minor imperfections like cracks, chipped edges, and stains, while removing old adhesives and coatings.
Why Concrete Grinding is Important
When you don’t prepare the concrete subfloor before installing new flooring, several problems can arise down the line. These range from uneven floors to peeling and bubbling coatings. When you plan to lay new flooring, the slab needs to be clean and level without any bumps. It should be clean and porous so that the new coating or adhesive can adhere to the surface and last a long time.
Concrete grinding prepares your floor for a new flooring installation. It levels the concrete slab, while removing old coatings and adhesives. By doing so, it creates an ideal surface for new adhesives or coatings to adhere. It also eliminates trip hazards while improving the appearance of the concrete, giving it a smooth, polished appearance.
What is Floor Levelling?
In concrete levelling, contractors use specialised materials like self-levelling compounds to balance the surface. Professionals may use different materials depending on the condition of your concrete subfloor. This is done to prepare the concrete subfloor before installing new flooring, such as tiles or wooden floorboards.
Why You Need Floor Levelling
A level subfloor is the foundation of any property, residential or commercial, and an uneven surface can contribute to structural damage. Levelling the subfloor does more than ensure that your new flooring installs correctly – it also contributes to an even weight distribution across the slab.
When you have an uneven slab, it puts added strain on load-bearing beams. The resulting lack of structural integrity also reduces the value of your property, making it harder to attract potential buyers.
Should I Get Floor Levelling or Concrete Grinding in Melbourne?
Whether to get concrete grinding or floor levelling depends on your flooring issues and desired outcome.
You need concrete grinding if:
- Your floor has imperfections like cracks or chips
- You want to remove old adhesives or coatings before installing a new floor
You need floor levelling if:
- The slab has dips, holes, and uneven spots
- You need a level surface for flooring installation
But if you’re planning to get floor levelling, concrete grinding can also help the self-levelling compound adhere better to the surface.
Get Professional Concrete Grinding and Floor Levelling in Melbourne
If you’re dealing with an uneven concrete floor with cracks and chips, concrete grinding and floor levelling are viable options. Concrete grinding removes old coatings and eliminates imperfections, so new flooring adheres properly.
Floor levelling addresses voids and dips to ensure that weight is distributed evenly across your concrete slab. To know which one you need, it’s best to call an expert like Epoxy Gurus Melbourne.