The beauty and stunning look of Granite Marble Stone Or Concrete countertop lies in its flawless shine, perfectly cut and polished edges and invisible joints. An installation or fabrication of countertop mandates shaping polishing honing to make your countertop appear absolutely stunning and beautiful. Choosing the right ideal diamond polishing pads is one of the most important part that will give you the ultimate finish for your granite marble or concrete counter tops and the perfect value for money too.
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Stone Or Concrete Polishing Needed on Edges Or Flat Surface Square footage to polish Need For Stock Removal Onsite or Offsite Polishing
The above five determines whether you need a wet polishing pads or dry polishing pads, and if you go with 3 inch, 4 inch, 5 inch or even bigger size pads. A thicker or thinner, rigid or flexible pads meet your need best or cheaper or costlier pads is best for your use case.
Wet polishing is preferred over dry polishing technique for its better finish and lower cost of finish. Many project may not be suitable for wet polishing for the fact, it creates water based slurry which can squirt during polishing. A polishing in a open hotel lobby may need usage of dry polishing instead. Analyze you work area if wet diamond polishing pads is suitable, and accordingly determine the right polishing technique for your specific project.
To choose the correct diamond polishing pad, you need to give due importance to the size. A smaller size polishing pads are easy to work with and can access intricate places and lighter to perform fine finishing. However a smaller size polisher less area per rotation. For example, a typical 3 inch pad area coverage per rotation is 7 square inch approximately 1/4 of a 6 inch pads. That means a 6 inch diamond polishing pads polisher approximately four times faster at same RPM. So, you have a bigger area that is open, you must choose a bigger size pads. A 4 inch or 5 inch diamond polishing pad could be very good choice for most of the projects. A larger sized diamond polishing pad is considered to be more stable on flat areas. However when you are considering small and narrow spaces, you should ideally go in for a small polishing pad.
Most of the countertop needed edges, to polish edges round shapes (Sink roundabouts), a flexible polishing pads is preferred over rigid, where as a rigid one works equally good on flat surfaces as a flexible ones. If you need to polish both, a flexible pad is always preferred. Where as either of them is perfect for polishing only flat surfaces. Flexible polishing pads are available in thinner as well as thicker polishing pads, a pad thickness typically varies from 1.2 mm to 5 MM. While thick pads are considered to be long lasting, they can become stiff at times.
The look of an establishment&#;s flooring is essential in the property&#;s overall cleanliness and appeal. A dirty floor can make your visiting clients uncomfortable, while a shiny one can make them feel warmly invited and accommodated. This is why it&#;s necessary to keep your property&#;s flooring not just clean, but also shiny.
diamond polishing pads make shine possible. A color-coded set of pads polishes various types of flooring, such as concrete, natural stone, and terrazzo. Cost-effective because you need not purchase chemicals, these pads consist of microscopic diamonds that can bring a dull, worn-out floor back to its former luster.
This type of polishing pad is available in different sizes, colors, and levels of aggressiveness. It&#;s important that you know what to use for the specific type of flooring in your establishment.
Color
The pads&#; level of aggressiveness or scrubbing capability depends on their color. For instance, lighter color pads, such as white, off-white, and beige, are intended for light cleaning and burnishing. They&#;re also used for buffing, since a high speed is required. Further, because they are light in color, they don&#;t stain the floor.
If a more aggressive cleaning is desired, darker pads like green or blue are best. They are used at a slower speed to avoid damaging the floor. The same goes for red or pink. Remember that you should never use a red pad for high-speed scrubbing because it may leave red marks on the floor.
For stripping, coarse pads are recommended and are usually black. Keep in mind that when stripping, the speed should be as slow as 175 rotations per minute to enable the coarse pads to effectively strip the layers of polish, wax, or other buildup from the floor.
Grit
The grit on polishing pads creates the gloss and shine on your floors. The number of a pad&#;s grit ranges from 50 to 3,000. The lower the number of grit, the coarser the pad.
When shining a floor, you need to start at the lowest grit volume to even the surface out. This will remove the scratches, after which you can use a 200-grit pad to dull the surface and eliminate dirt or wax buildup. Higher-volumes of grits are necessary to produce extra-glossy surfaces.
Choosing the right pad can be a challenge because of the variety of colors and grits. However, you can always turn to a reliable manufacturer of diamond polishing and floor buffing pads, among other cleaning tools, for guidance in choosing the pad just right for your kind of flooring.
Sources:
Selecting The Right Floor Pad
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Benefits Of Choosing The Right Floor Pads
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Each answer will impact your pad choice. When selecting a diamond polishing pad, pay close attention to certain characteristics such as size, thickness, and quality. Choose correctly, and your diamond polishing pad will work wonders. If you overlook these important aspects, your entire project could be at stake.
In this guide, we&#;ll explore the different types of diamond polishing pads available and how to choose the most suitable pad for your next project.
Ever wondered how professionals achieve attractive, shiny surfaces on concrete and marble? The secret lies in the diamond polishing pad. A diamond polishing pad is a specialised abrasive tool that can be used to polish and refinish stone, concrete, and other hard surfaces.
A diamond polishing pad is crafted with diamond particles set in a resin or metal matrix. These tiny diamonds work their magic, smoothing surfaces, and eliminating imperfections to achieve that flawless finish we all admire.
With different grit levels available, the pads cater to various projects, whether it&#;s rough grinding or fine polishing. So, whether you&#;re renovating your concrete floor or giving your marble countertop a fresh look, a high-quality diamond polishing pad is a must-have companion for any stone-related project.
Keep your surfaces shining without the use of chemicals or wax. Diamach is home to a wide variety of industrial-grade diamond polishing pads and stone masonry tools in Sydney.
Unlike the diamonds used for jewellery, diamond polishing pads are made with industrial-grade diamonds. These industrial diamonds are synthetic and have specific properties that make them highly effective for the polishing process.
The main difference between diamond polishing pads and conventional polishing pads lies in the abrasive material used. Conventional polishing pads typically use materials like silicon carbide or aluminium oxide as abrasives. While they can work well for certain applications, they are not as efficient and long-lasting as diamond polishing pads.
Diamonds, being one of the hardest materials on Earth, have superior abrasive properties, making them highly effective in grinding and polishing hard surfaces like concrete and stone. Diamond polishing pads are known for their exceptional durability and ability to achieve high-quality finishes. They can efficiently remove scratches, imperfections, and surface irregularities, resulting in a smooth and shiny surface.
In contrast, conventional polishing pads wear out more quickly and may not deliver the same level of precision and smoothness that diamond polishing pads can achieve. They are better suited for softer materials and lighter polishing tasks.
Diamach offers exceptional diamond tools in Sydney for use across all industries and specialisations. Browse our specially designed diamond polishing pads in Sydney perfect for maintaining and resurfacing concrete surfaces.
No two pads are the same, and understanding this will help you tailor your choice to your specific needs and desired outcomes. From the type of stone you&#;re working with to the thickness and size of the pad, every detail counts.
Diamond polishing pads are available in a variety of sizes and grits which allow for a wide range of applications. To start with, diamond polishing pads can be divided into two main categories: wet polishing pads and dry polishing pads.
Wet polishing pads are often credited with giving an overall better shine, however, with dry pad technology catching up, there isn&#;t a whole lot of difference. Location will most likely be the main factor in choosing your equipment; for instance, working in an industrial setting vs at home.
Wet polishing is often restricted to fabricators&#; workshops due to the amount of slurry it produces. This can often stain surroundings, with dry polishing being the favourite for on-the-job polishing.
When working with dry pads, as a precaution, always use personal protective equipment (PPE). Additionally, certain materials, such as Caesarstone, should not be polished dry due to the potential risk of silicosis&#;a potentially fatal condition resulting from exposure to dust particles.
Aside from wet and dry, diamond polishing pads can be distinguished by size, thickness, pattern and diamond quality.
Larger pads with a diameter of 7 inches offer significantly improved stability on large, flat surfaces compared to their smaller counterparts. However, when it comes to narrow sections of concrete, the larger pads lose their stability and struggle to maintain a flat surface. Using 7 inch diameter pads on the vertical edges of countertops proves to be challenging.
A good all-around size is a 4-5 inch diamond polishing pad. These smaller pads provide the stability and control needed for polishing tight edges while still offering the power and speed of a larger pad on large surfaces. This way, you can tackle both hard-to-reach areas as well as larger flat surfaces with one set of tools.
Diamach has a wide range of diamond polishing pads in Sydney of all sizes ideal for the cleaning and maintenance of marble, granite, polished concrete surfaces and terrazzo.
Diamond polishing pads are available in various thicknesses, ranging from approximately 2mm thin to 8mm. Thicker pads will last longer, but thicker pads are stiffer and may become misshapen when they dry.
On the flip side, thinner pads don&#;t last as long (especially when aggressively polishing), but they are more flexible. This is a big advantage when polishing curved stone.
When choosing a diamond polishing pad for a specific application, it is important to consider the size of the surface area being polished and the desired finish. For larger surfaces, like floors or countertops, thicker pads are best suited. They provide better coverage and more consistent results than thinner pads.
The pattern or grit grade moulded into the cutting surface of a diamond polishing pad plays a significant role in the lifespan and the cutting quality. Here&#;s a brief guide to different grit levels below:
30/50 grit (Heavy Grinding) &#; Primarily utilised for eliminating deep scratches, heavy damage, or removing the scratch pattern from earlier metal grinding stages. These aggressive grits result in a rough surface with visible scratches.
100/200 grit (Honing) &#; Employed to remove moderately deep scratches or damage, these grits leave the surface smooth to the touch but still offer anti-slip properties when wet. The scratches left behind are barely visible.
400/800 grit (Fine Honing) &#; These grits mark the initial steps in the polishing process. They are used to eliminate light scratches, acid etching, and general wear damage. The outcome is a dull to satin shine.
/ (Polishing) &#; The final stages of polishing. These grits are too fine to remove any damage and focus on producing shine. If surface damage is present, using a lower grit is recommended. With the correct process, a mirror shine can be achieved.
/BUFF (Fine Polishing) &#; Although not always necessary, some materials respond differently to polishing. In such cases, these grits serve as a final buff, providing an added touch of shine.
As a general rule, start with a lower grit number, which is more coarse, and gradually move to a higher grit for a finer finish. Each successive grit removes the scratches from the previous stage. Skipping grits can lead to inconsistent polishing and may leave scratches on the surface.
Searching for the correct diamond polishing pad for your next stone project? From grit sizes to expert advice, contact the friendly team at Diamach.
While it&#;s very easy to see the thickness and channel pattern in a diamond pad, it&#;s nearly impossible to assess the quality of the diamonds used. Ultimately it&#;s the diamonds that do the cutting, and they are what gives it a higher price tag. The better the quality of the diamond, the better the grading.
You can come across $1 pads and $100 pads that appear nearly identical at first glance, however, the difference lies in the quality of the diamonds used. To make sure you receive the right product, it&#;s essential to trust your supplier and rely on them to provide accurate information about the materials used.
Low-cost pads use low-grade diamonds, which are prone to more flaws and have poorer gradation. These pads might have fewer diamonds overall, and their gradation can be less precise. For example, a 100-grit pad may contain a mix of smaller diamonds (like 70 grit) alongside coarser diamonds. As a consequence, these pads lead to lower surface quality, with more visible scratches, and slower cutting due to the amount of smaller diamonds in the pad.
Diamach&#;s premium range of diamond polishing pads last 10 times longer than ordinary pads. With over 25 years of experience supplying diamond-based tools and equipment, you can trust the team at Diamach to stock only the highest-quality products for purchase. Explore our wide range of polishing pads and stone masonry tools in Sydney.
The art of stone polishing requires patience and practice, but with the right pad and technique, it can be mastered to perfection. Keep in mind the below tips and tricks for a desired result:
Slow and Steady: One of the most important things to remember when using diamond polishing pads is the need for a steady hand. The speed and pressure applied during the polishing process can significantly affect the outcome. Too much pressure can wear out the pad prematurely, while insufficient pressure may not give the desired finish. Experts recommend a balanced, medium pressure for best results.
Stay Close to Water: Another essential tip is to ensure an adequate water supply when using wet diamond polishing pads. Water acts as a coolant, preventing overheating and potential damage to both the pad and the stone surface. Conversely, ensure to keep the surroundings dry when using dry pads to prevent the risk of electric shock.
Use the Right RPM: Choosing the right RPM (Rotations Per Minute) on your grinder or polisher is also crucial. While a higher RPM will speed up the process, it can also increase the risk of overheating and cause the diamond grit to detach from the pad prematurely. Most experts recommend starting with a lower RPM and gradually increasing it as needed.
Break in Your Pads: The &#;break-in&#; process is another aspect often overlooked. The idea is to start the first few minutes of polishing at a reduced speed to allow the diamonds to expose themselves, resulting in a smoother and more efficient operation.
Keep em&#; Clean: Finally, remember to clean and maintain your diamond polishing pads regularly. After each use, rinse them under running water and use a nylon brush to remove any residual stone dust. This prolongs the lifespan of the pads and ensures consistent performance.
Quality Diamond Tools in Sydney
Industrial products need to work as hard as you do, which is why our range of diamond polishing pads are designed to last. To find out more about our modern and innovative range of stone masonry tools in Sydney, browse our online store here. As always, if you need product advice or technical help, send us a message or call (02) .
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What is the material type?
Do you need to achieve a high-gloss polish on the surface?
Wet or dry, diamond polishing pads are available from a typical 3-inch pad to 7-inches size. A good one, however, is a 4-inch or 5-inch diamond polishing pad as it is stable on most flat surfaces and covers a proportionate area. While a smaller sized polishing pad is easiest to work with as it can be used in intricate areas because of its small size, a large diameter pad has its own uses. But, it is the 5 inch diamond polishing pads that is known for larger area polishing and is a favourite amongst buyers.
The points to consider while buying diamond polishing pads are:
Diamond count: a polishing pad with higher diamond concentration and better quality diamond though costlier is a good buy
Pattern knowledge: Choose pads that have narrow channels on it. These are typically used for polishing. Avoid patterns that are coarse.
Are you interested in learning more about diamond pads for concrete? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!
Binder hardness: The binder that binds the diamonds in a polishing pad are equally important as they determine the longevity and performance of the pad. Ceramic binders work better than resin binders as they can withstand high temperature.
Know your slab type: While there are many polishing pads that work on all types of stones, yet there are some that are specifically designed to polish a certain kind of stone. Do not mix up.
Flexible or rigid pads required: Depending on whether one needs to polish flat surfaces or round shaped edges, polishing pads need to be purchased. A flexible pad is purchased if one needs to polish both types.
Kind of polishing: While wet polishing is preferred over dry polishing for its better finish and economical value, yet at times due to the squirmy site that it creates, dry polishing is often taken as the recourse.
The Size of polishing pad: Whether a customer chooses a 3-inch pad, 4-inches, 5-inches, 6-inches or 7 inches pad, it all depends on the customer&#;s requirement as per the given area that he has to polish. While a smaller polishing pad can reach even the intricate areas, larger dimension polishing pads are better on large areas as they can be stable on them.
This offers as a guide to help prospective customers choose the right diamond polishing pads for your countertop. So now when you want to buy a polishing pad, do not be in a hurry to settle for one that is cheap. Use the above information discreetly and invest in a good buy.
The ultimate way to achieve the perfect shine for your granite concrete marble stone countertops and edges is to use diamond polishing pads. And to select the right diamond polishing pad is most important to get the good finish that you desire for your granite concrete marble stone slab. This also includes getting it at an affordable price. Trust this product to give you the sheen and do not rush to choose any other. Several factors help choose the kind of diamond polishing pad required; the material whether stone or concrete, whether polishing is required on the edges or on the flat surface and the like. According to your requirements, you can choose from wet or dry polishing pads.
Diamonds are an integral part of making concrete countertops &#; they&#;re used for rough grinding, shaping, honing and also polishing. However, there is a wide variety of diamond polishing pads on the market, and the concrete countertop contractor has little guidance as to which product will perform the best for his money.
It&#;s possible to find identical-looking pads that cost as little as $2 or as much as $100, so how can you tell what will give you good value and performance? Which is better wet or dry? And are thick polishing pads superior to thin ones?
Since concrete countertop makers grind, hone and polish concrete, it&#;s natural to look to two closely related industries for guidance: the polished concrete flooring industry and the granite countertop industry.
Polishing countertops vs. floors
Let us first look at the polished concrete flooring industry. Here diamonds are used in all aspects of refining a concrete floor to yield a mirror finish. Concrete floors are first ground and flattened, then progressively honed to remove scratches, and finally polished to achieve a smooth, glossy surface. This sequence can also be done on concrete countertops, so it&#;s natural to use the same grits of diamonds as are used with floors.
Thicker pads will last longer, but are stiffer and commonly prone to cupping when they dry out. Cupped pads don&#;t wear evenly, and often the outer area doesn&#;t actually make contact with the concrete. Photos courtesy of The Concrete Countertop Institute
However there are several key differences that separate the polished concrete flooring industry from concrete countertops, and these differences are important to choosing the right diamond products for processing concrete countertops.
The first key difference is the concrete. With polished concrete floors, the concrete is nearly always several weeks, months or even years old, which means the concrete has had time to cure and gain strength.
Another difference is that the polishing contractor usually isn&#;t the one who has poured the concrete, so the concrete&#;s makeup, its strength and other characteristics aren&#;t often known. Good polishing contractors perform hardness tests to match their diamonds to the concrete so they get the best results.
And finally, the machines that do the polishing are very different. Floor machines are big and heavy, with large polishing heads that use diamond tooling that comes in different shapes, including blocks, plugs, segments or discs. Each machine manufacturer has brand-specific tooling carefully designed to work with their machines. Tooling design and grit sequence are chosen by the manufacturer to provide optimum performance and results. The bottom line is that when polishing a floor, all you have to do is follow the manufacturer&#;s instructions for diamond selection and you&#;ll get good results.
Unlike floor polishing, the concrete countertop maker doesn&#;t have the luxury of working with or waiting for fully-cured concrete, so finding the right tooling and knowing when to use it is paramount to producing a high-quality surface.
Polishing concrete vs. granite
The other industry close to concrete countertops is the granite industry. Here there are many similarities, not only with the tooling but with what is done to the material.
Processing concrete countertops generally means using a hand-held polisher to grind, hone and polish the surface of the concrete. With granite it&#;s no different, and in fact many of the electric and air polishers are shared by both industries.
The main difference between granite and concrete lies in the physical makeup of these materials. While there are very many different types of stone that fall under the commercial term &#;granite,&#; they all are more similar to each other than they are to concrete.
Granite is a solid slab of stone made up of tightly knit mineral grains. These grains are mostly quartz and feldspar, two minerals that are very hard. In fact, quartz is 70 percent as hard as diamond, and both quartz and feldspar are harder than steel. So the diamond tooling designed for granite has to deal with efficiently wearing away a very hard, solid material. Additionally, most granite fabricators need to polish only the edges of cut slabs, since the surface of the slabs comes pre-polished from the quarry.
Concrete is very different. It is a nonuniform material made up of harder aggregates bound together by a softer cement matrix. The aggregates vary in size, shape, surface roughness, hardness and mineralogy. The cement matrix varies from mix to mix, and more importantly, its properties vary day by day, since most concrete is very young and still gaining strength when it is being ground and polished.
A dry polishing pad with a resin binder. Inexpensive pads can use soft resin binders that wear quickly. Buying a more expensive, higher-quality pad can save you money in the long run versus buying multiple cheaper pads.
When to polish
The challenge faced by all concrete countertop manufacturers is to be able to produce a smooth, scratch-free surface (polished or not) as soon as possible after casting.
Once the concrete has gained enough strength, the cement paste is strong enough to keep the aggregates from tearing out and also hard enough to be cut smoothly without eroding. Concrete cuts evenly and responds more like solid stone only when it is hard and strong enough. A sure sign of this is when the aggregate and the cement paste are cut smooth and flush with each other during processing.
Usually it takes about two days of curing for most concrete used in countertops to be strong enough to grind without damaging the pad or the concrete. It often takes more than four to five days for the concrete to become hard enough to begin the polishing process.
If concrete is processed too soon, the cement paste is too soft and too weak to bind the aggregates. Diamonds grab and tear the small sand grains out of the paste, causing them to tumble between the concrete surface and the diamond pad. This quickly chews up the concrete, leaving a rough and uneven surface, and it rapidly wears away the diamond pad. Even the best diamond pads will wear away far more rapidly than they should if the concrete is too young and too soft for processing.
Dry polishing pads with a ceramic binder, shown here, can help prevent smearing and glazing.
Choosing your pad
What makes a good polishing pad for concrete?
There are many different sources, names, styles and prices for diamond pads on the market. This can be very confusing, and what often happens is selection comes down to price. This is unfortunate, because in many cases a cheap pad will cost you more in the long run.
Shopping by price may be tempting, since so many diamond pads look alike and all are described similarly, often being sold &#;for granite, engineered stone and concrete.&#; However, choosing the right pad matters, especially if you want the pad to cut well, last long and not cost a fortune.
Diamond quality
Diamonds are the expensive part of the pad, so it&#;s fair to gauge quality with price. However there are some very expensive pads designed for polishing stone that would be a waste on concrete, simply because concrete isn&#;t the same as stone and the benefits from buying and using such an expensive pad would never be realized.
The industrial diamonds used in polishing pads and in other diamond tooling (such as turbo cup wheels and profile wheels) come in different grades and grits, just like sandpaper. For example, a 200-grit pad uses smaller diamonds than a 50-grit pad, so it makes smaller scratches and produces a smoother surface.
However, not all 200-grit pads are the same. Cheap pads may have some diamonds in them that are a 200-grit size, but most of the diamonds may be much smaller. Even worse, there may be a handful of larger diamonds that got by due to poor quality control. So the bulk of the diamonds in the pad are too fine to cut like a 200-grit pad should, and the few larger diamonds will scratch and gouge the surface.
High-quality diamond pads use carefully graded diamonds that are all nearly the same size, and the density of the diamonds in the pad is higher too. This results in faster cutting and better surface quality, making the more expensive pad a better value.
The binder
The binder that encapsulates the diamonds is just as important as the diamonds, and it has a profound effect on the performance and longevity of the pad. Binder materials range from metal to ceramic to resin, and different materials are used for specific applications. Binder hardness matters too &#; a binder that&#;s too soft will wear away quickly when processing an abrasive material like concrete.
Metal binders are generally reserved for highly abrasive cup wheels, in which very coarse diamonds need a hard-wearing matrix to bind them. Metal-bond cup wheels are thick, rigid and designed for aggressive and rapid material removal. These usually don&#;t have grit numbers but are similar to a 15- to 30-grit equivalent.
Cup wheels designed for grinding granite and hard stones generally have a softer metal matrix. Hard stone calls for a softer matrix so new diamonds are continually exposed as the matrix wears away. A hard matrix wouldn&#;t wear away fast enough, and the cup wheel would glaze over.
Opposite to this are cup wheels designed for limestone, marble and concrete. In these tools the matrix is harder. Soft concrete is very abrasive, and this requires a harder matrix with a slower wear rate that extends the life of the tool without affecting cutting performance. Using a soft matrix tool on softer (often very young) concrete will shorten tool life.
Nearly all wet polishing pads use a resin binder, and here too resins vary. It&#;s very rare that a pad distributor will describe the pad makeup with any meaningful detail, so here personal observations and reliance on trusted recommendations are necessary to make a good choice.
Too often the least expensive pads use soft resin binders that wear away quickly. If you end up using three times as many pads as you would with a pad that costs twice as much, you are not saving money in the end.
Ceramic binders tend to wear better and stand up to higher temperatures than resin pads. Many dry pads use a ceramic binder, which helps to prevent the smearing and glazing that can occur when a resin-based dry pad is run at a speed that&#;s too high.
Size matters
Larger-diameter pads (such as 7-inch) are much more stable on large, flat areas than smaller-diameter pads (3-inch and 4-inch). However, larger pads become unstable on narrow sections of concrete.
A 7-inch diameter pad won&#;t stay flat or cut evenly on a 3-inch-wide strip of concrete. They are also difficult to use on the vertical edges of countertops. Only larger, more powerful polishers can use 7-inch pads. Most electric and all air polishers are lighter-duty, best suited for 4-inch and 5-inch pads.
Small-diameter pads are less stable and more likely to gouge when processing large areas on a big polisher, but with a smaller polisher (especially a pneumatic polisher) they work very well for processing edges and narrow sections.
A good all-around size is a 5-inch diameter pad. Many low-cost polisher package deals come with 4-inch pads. These can be difficult to control with hand-held polishers on concrete. Smaller 4-inch pads are really meant for use on hard stone, which is much less prone to gouging than concrete.
Thickness matters too
Cupping caused uneven wear on this thick pad.
Diamond pads come in a variety of thicknesses, from around 2 millimeters to 8 millimeters thick.
Thicker pads will last longer, but thicker pads are stiffer and commonly prone to cupping when they dry out. Cupped pads don&#;t wear evenly, and often the outer area of the pad doesn&#;t actually make contact with the concrete, so although you are paying for a 7-inch pad, it&#;s wearing like a 5-inch pad.
Thin pads don&#;t last as long as thick pads (especially when aggressively cutting), but they are more flexible. This is a big advantage when honing or polishing inside curved integral sinks. Thin pads are easier to keep flat with a rigid backer pad. Thin pads are the most versatile when matched with the right backer.
The pattern
The pattern molded into the cutting surface plays a role in the life span and the cutting quality.
Generally pads used for coarse honing (30 and 50 grit) should have an open pattern with wide and deep channels. Pads with open channels allow the abrasive cutting residue to be ejected quickly and effectively. This greatly increases the life span of the pad when aggressive stock removal is performed.
Pads with many narrow channels are best suited for polishing. Narrow channels clog more readily when aggressive cutting is performed and when insufficient water flows out from under the disc, but polishing (using grits 400 through 3,000) only generates small amounts of cuttings, so clogging is not an issue when polishing. Some well-made pads that have large open channels can also be used for polishing.
As you can see, there are many factors to consider in choosing a diamond pad. Start with assessing what you plan on doing with it.
Are you using it for heavy stock removal?
Is it for general honing?
Are you polishing the concrete to a high gloss?
Then consider the variables I&#;ve outlined to make your choice. Only then should you look at price.
Using the right diamond pads for the job will make it faster and easier for you to create a high-quality finish for your concrete countertops.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of diamond grinding block. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.