In addition to existing flooring removal, Nu-Look is also subcontracted to perform concrete preparation services for different flooring companies. Contractors and customers alike call on Nu-Look for preparation needs. Nu-Look carries various different types of concrete preparation equipment. Some contractors use Diamond Grinders to prepare concrete surfaces for coatings, while others use Steel Shot-Blasters to prep the floor, but what’s the difference?
Shot Blasting
Shot blasting is the most common way we prepare a concrete surface for a coating. CSP (Concrete Surface Profile) plays a vital role in the longevity of a coating, the weaker the Preparation the more likely a coating will debond from the concrete. Many customers and designers overlook this vital step when deciding on coatings. Shot-Blasting produces a CSP level of 3. CSP levels range from 1-10, with 1 being the least profiled and 10 being the most profiled. The thickness of a coating and the amount that penetrates deep into the pores of the concrete depends on the CSP level, the greater the profile the greater the penetration, equalling better bond strength to the concrete. Additionally, most Coating Manufacturers recommend a CSP of 3 or more for coatings that carrier a Moisture Vapor Barrier (MVP) which our coating does. We shot-blast every surface that has a coating applied to it. It is through our training and experience that coatings last longer and can tolerate greater abuse on a shot blasted surface than that of a diamond ground surface. We have various different types of shot blasters ranging from 8” machines to 20” machines.
Diamond Grinding
Diamond Grinding is also another common way to prepare concrete for a resinous coating. Grinding works by running a large floor grinding over the desired surface you are prepping, the weight of the machine coupled with the aggressive diamonds removes anything on the concrete surface. Grinding floors with a Diamond grinder will produce a CSP (concrete surface profile) of 2, where as a shot blasted floor will be a 3. We have found through our experience that Shot-Blasting floors also creates a cleaner prepared surface to work with. Diamond grinding floors is likely to create an amount of dust, whereas Shot-Blasting will create a minimum amount of dusting. Diamond grinding is ideal for surfaces that have an existing coating already on them, glue mastic or thinset residue. Diamond grinding can also be done on surfaces that won’t be exposed to heavy traffic, or don’t need a CSP of 3 for a Moisture Vapor Barrier.