grind/sand concrete shop floor?

[Kevin Gregoire]

okay, im using the shop my father built around 20 years ago on the backside of our garage. there was already a strip of concrete poured on the backside of garage the entire width and out three feet or so. so he formed up the new pad for the shop and connected it to the existing pad already there. dad floated it i guess for maximum traction and it is very rough i must say!

i have an office chair in the shop and the wheels are about wore down to the axles. i want to know is there a machine that can grid/sand the concrete surface down smooth? and what would i use to fill in the seam between the two pads? my mobile bases get caught up on it all the time and it makes for a big PITA!

i dont really want to move my TS or wood supply to grind/sand the floor but i can move the other tools around and then i would like to epoxy i guess after im done.

so main question is there a machine to grind/sand and what to use to fill in the gap?

thanks

[Dan Hintz]

Would it not be easier (and less messy) to fill with a skimcoat rather than sand down?

[Jon van der Linden]

Basically you use a diamond grinder. For something the size of a floor, it's not cheap to do yourself because of the consumables.

If you're thinking about epoxying the floor, find out if you can do it over the existing surface. Even if it will take some extra epoxy, that might be worth it over the cost of grinding.

[David Christopher]

you can get a troweling machine with grinding rocks on the blades, but Dan is correct...skim coat trowel smooth

[David Giles]

Try a thin coat of self leveling cement. Officially, it's not rated for outdoor use. But I poured some on the driveway low spots 5-6 years ago and it has held up perfectly. Much better, in fact, than the surface repair concrete products.

[Kevin Gregoire]

skim coat with what? self leveling cement? who does that sort of thing? and what
does it normally cost? i didnt want to move my TS but just work around it.

[David Christopher]

most any concrete finisher will do that kind of work, or you can do it yourself

[Thomas Bank]

I like USG's product (http://www.usg.com/durock-multi-use-self-leveling-cement-floor-underlayment.html) or LatiCrete's product (http://www.laticrete.com/architects/products/self_leveling_patching_mortars/productid/4.aspx).

[Brendan Davis]

I am no expert, so dont get me wrong, but if you grind the concrete floor, chances are, concrete dust isnt good for the inner workings of a TS. Due to the abrasive nature. I would move it out either way, you should get better quality results, so if you ever decide to more the saw, you dont have just one rough patch. Not to mention, if you ever sell the house, that rough spot could effect the value. I mean these can all be fixed later, but why kill a bird with two stones, when you can kill it with one?

Just my two cents for what its worth.

[John Coloccia]

My opinion:

Throw down some outdoor carpeting where you use your chair and call it a day.

[Chris Damm]

Believe me when I say if you are going to grind the floor move everything you want to keep out of the building! The dust will destroy that TS in nothing flat. My neighbor had his driveway ground a couple of years ago and the dust was horrendous! I would move everything out and pour some floor leveling compound on it and then put down some plywood. It makes for a much nicer surface to work on.

[Jerome Stanek]

You can rent a blastrac floor grinder from home depot

[Kevin Gregoire]

is there any kind of prep work to do before people lay down plywood?
what size and type is best to use??