How To Sand A Concrete Floor

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How To Sand A Concrete Floor

14 January 2016
 Categories: , Blog


Instead of opting for expensive wooden flooring, many homeowners are choosing to sand and finish exposed concrete flooring instead.  With a little effort and basic DIY experience, you can transform your plain, concrete floor into a smooth, shiny surface. 

Read on to find out more.

What you'll need

  • broom
  • vacuum cleaner
  • floor sander (hire one from a tool hire shop if you don't have one)
  • sanding discs (one coarse grit and one fine grit)
  • eye protection
  • dust masks
  • mop and bucket
  • epoxy surface treatment
  • paint brush

How to do it

  1. The first thing you need to do is to prepare your work area.  Remove all furniture from the room, and sweep the floor to get rid of any dust and debris.  Vacuum the floor to pick up any residual fine dust.  When you're ready to begin sanding, open all external windows for ventilation and close internal doors to prevent dust from spreading around the house as you work.  
  2. Put on your eye protection and dust mask, and then fit the coarse grit sanding disc to the sander, following the supplier's instructions.  The coarse grit paper will get rid of any existing paint and will smooth out any rough, uneven areas.  
  3. Begin in the farthest corner of the room away from the door.  This means that you won't have to walk over the area you've just sanded, spreading dust and debris as you go.  Work methodically in sections until the whole floor has been sanded.  
  4. Sweep up all dust and debris, and then vacuum the floor.  
  5. Now change the sanding disc to the fine one, and repeat the process twice more as described above in steps #3 and #4.  This should finish the surface and leave it nice and smooth.  
  6. Mop the floor with clean water to get rid of any remaining dust.  Allow the floor to dry completely overnight.  
  7. Now that the floor is clean, smooth and dry, you can finish it off and seal it using epoxy surface treatment.  Epoxy surface treatment should be applied using a standard paint brush.  Begin painting in the corner farthest away from the door.  Ensure complete and even coverage by using lavish, circular strokes of the paintbrush.  Allow the first coat to touch-dry before repeating the process to apply a second coat.

In conclusion

You can transform a dull and uneven concrete floor into a smooth, shiny, waterproof surface in just a weekend by following the floor sanding guidelines set out above.

About Me
Hardwood flooring installation

I love the look of hardwood flooring. It gains character as it ages and you see the warmth of the wood come out. It's not as easy to install as some of the new laminate floors, but I can guarantee you that 10 years down the track the extra work you put into installing the flooring is obvious in the better condition of the flooring. If you are contemplating hardwood flooring this blog will be a useful resource. It has a guide to choosing the right types of wood and tips to make sure your installation is as flawless as possible.