5 Tips to Sand Concrete After It Dries

5 Tips to Sand Concrete After It Dries

Concrete is the building block of any construction project. From the ancient Great China Wall to Burj Khalifa, every building has been made with concrete. 

In the following guide, we will mention 7 ways to sand concrete for a smoother finish.

How to Sand Concrete?

Go through the following tips to achieve a sanding concrete finish:

Tip # 01: Concrete Preparation

Check for any area where the concrete is not smooth. This practice will let you fill up all holes that might be present over the surface. For this purpose, you need to clean the hole or cracked area so that there remains no dust in it.

After that, use a concrete filler because it binds with the previous concrete strongly. With that, it makes your changes less visible.

At the end, slightly dampen the floor and then use a trowel to smooth the final surface. Leave the sanding concrete floor for at least 24-48 hours to set properly.

Related: To estimate how much concrete you need to fill certain cracks in the floor, you can use the concrete calculator for this job. The tool will predict the maximum number of concrete bags needed to get the job done, including wastage as well.

Tip # 02: Tool Selection

Tool selection is a major parameter to consider when you sand concrete. For this purpose;

  • Use a handheld orbital sander or concrete sander if you are sanding concrete floor in the bathroom or countertops
  • If your project is a garage floor, you need to use a belt sander
  • For outdoor spaces including patios or driveways, use a walk-behind grinder or concrete grinder

Tip # 03: Prepare the Work Area

After you select a reliable tool for sanding concrete, the next step is to prepare the area for work. 

For instance, consider you need to sand the concrete floor of a room. 

  • Remove all precious objects there
  • Cover those items that can not be moved. You may use plastic stain sheets for this purpose.
  • If your room comprises three to four or more sections, divide them and work on only one area at a time.

Tip # 04: Put On Protective Gear

Remember that when you sand concrete, dust, and debris fly in your surroundings. Now if you do not wear any mask, it will travel with air to your lungs where it can cause cancer.

This is why you need to do a couple of things, including:

  • Wearing a goggles
  • Wearing a debris mask

Tip # 05: Start Sanding Now

With a proper costume and prepped floor, you can initiate sanding concrete floor. Begin with your coarsest sanding pad that is about 30 or 60 grit.

Additionally, it would be a good choice to sand a wet concrete floor. It will dust less and the chances of any reaction reduced by more than 50%.

Tip # 06: Clean the Area

After sanding, wash the floor with soapy water and leave it for a couple of days to dry off properly.

Tip # 07: Apply Sealant

After everything is done, apply a sealant to make your concrete floor look more glossy and even. It will also make the floor crackproof.

Why Sand Concrete?

Sanding concrete floor offers you many benefits, including but not limited to:

  • Edge rounding
  • Imperfections fixing
  • Evenly finished floor

Can You Sand Concrete with Regular Sandpaper?

Not at all! A regular sandpaper is not strong enough to polish concrete. For this job, you need to use either of the two papers that include:

  • Concrete polishing pads
  • Diamond sandpaper