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Should I grind wet or dry?

Many people ask should I grind dry or wet? here we cover what is the reasons why we grind dry or grind wet and what are the advantages and disadvantages

Diamond grinding has been around for many years and the traditional method of grinding was always wet. This was because the concept of grinding concrete came from the days of polishing marble and terrazzo which to this day is still done wet.

With the introduction of purpose built vacuums and dust extraction machines for concrete we can now control the dust and have advantages that out-weight the disadvantages by far.

The advantages of Diamond Grinding wet are;

  • No Dust is airborne thus reducing the need for respirators or dust collectors and vaccums
  • The diamond segments or tools run cooler and don’t glaze over as easy
  • You can use the amount of water to govern the rate of wear on the diamonds.

The disadvantages of Diamond Grinding wet are;

  • Makes a horrible mess often having to have another machine picking up the slurry
  • If the floor is to be coated in any way, the floor must be dried for many days after wetting to ensure a moisture free substrate is achieved before coating.
  • The slurry will often stick into the pores of the concrete and when dried and then coating applied it cant stick to this dried slurry causing debonding issues.
  • Disposal of slurry water is often restricted more than dust is
  • The machine becomes very dirty and has to be cleaned after use to maintain it
  • If there is bearings under the machine they will fail early due to water ingress if they are not protected.

The advantages of Diamond Grinding Dry are;

  • The job is easier to clean and keep clean
  • No run-off & slurry problems
  • The surface is dry and ready to vacuum and coat immediately
  • You can see the results immediately while grinding.
  • The machine is a lot easier to maintain and bearings and components generally last longer

The disadvantages of Diamond Grinding Dry are;

  • Dust is a health hazard and must be controlled to prevent inhalation and respiratory health risks
  • Dust can be hard to collect using cheap vacuums and requires purpose built dust collectors to maintain air flow
  • If the incorrect tooling is used they can overheat easily and cause glazing

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