Tips: sand concrete in conservatory (DIY)

[Femtiotalshuset]

Hello! New here, hoping for some tips...

We have cast a foundation with heating coils, but the grinding/leveling wasn't done so well. In some areas, the concrete is rougher, especially in a few corners. The largest uneven area is about the size of an A4 sheet.

We then missed informing our builders that we intended to use the concrete as flooring (without tiles etc.), so the scaffolding left black marks as well. The concrete is currently untreated, but it should be dust-bound, varnished, or something.

I tried to get two companies to grind the floor, but they think it's too small a job and that we can do it ourselves. Rent a machine and do it yourself, they say. Someone mentioned that having a shop vacuum is important too. So this is what I need help with now. What machine should I rent? Is it possible to do it ourselves? And what should we treat it with to make it a bit more durable?

Thanks for the help!

Emma

 

[Liteavvarje]

Search for equipment rental and you can see where it is available, maybe near you, there are large and small ones for grinding concrete, you can find out what is best for you, let them know what kind of surface you want.

 

[Demmpa]

Now I can't see (via the phone) where in the country you live but here is an example
http://www.brg.nu/mobile/webshop/index/84-slipmaskiner
http://www.brg.nu/mobile/webshop/index/95-rengoringsutrustning

 

[Andreas_kalmar]

What surface do you want, besides smooth, should it be glossy or matte?

 

[Femtiotalshuset]

We live in Malmö. The idea is that the surface should at least not be dusty. We have not discussed gloss/matte yet because we have not understood the "systems." We went into a paint store, but they only had dust binders. It didn't really treat it at all.

 

[Banvaktarn]

Rent a larger machine, flexing as it's called with a small machine will only result in an uneven surface, the disk takes quite significantly.

Those who grind concrete floors do polish the floors?? and gradually use finer discs to achieve the right finish, correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Andreas_kalmar]

A matte floor is more forgiving of visible flaws so it might be preferable in that case, shouldn't be too hard to get someone to fix it.

 

[Femtiotalshuset]

@Andreas_kalmar -what do we use to achieve a matte finish? Is it a matte floor varnish? Where should I go to get help and make a purchase? Golvpoolen? A better paint store?

Dad looked at the floor tonight and suggested it probably needs filling in some places and sanding in others. Can we handle that ourselves? Rent a smaller machine and fill in where needed? We're not very handy...

 

[Femtiotalshuset]

Rent a larger machine, flexing as it's called with a small machine will only result in an uneven surface, the disc takes quite a bit.

Those who sand concrete floors polish the floors?? and gradually use finer pads for the right finish, correct me if I'm wrong.

They smoothed the surface with steel but did not treat it further. At that time, it was not planned exactly how the conservatory would look. The foundation has since stood without a roof and cover all summer. Still, it looks good but we discovered that the smoothing wasn't done all the way out. I guess they thought the frame would be thicker or that the leca underneath (at the edges) created smoothing issues. Unclear.

 

[Andreas_kalmar]

The problem with lacquer is that you can't putty the floor without getting ugly spots, so you sand as much as possible concerning the material. I don't know what you can buy in consumer retail; the most common on surfaces like these we've done is a matte waterborne PU lacquer.

 

[henke_benke]

@Andreas_kalmar -what do we use to get a matte finish? Is it a matte floor varnish? Where should I go to get help and shop? Golvpoolen? A better paint store?

Dad looked at the floor tonight and suggested it might need filling in some places and sanding in others. Can we take this on ourselves? Rent a smaller machine and fill in where necessary? We're not very handy...

if you both fill and sand. you will have a very strange floor with many different shades and appearances.