Floor GrindingFloor grinding is the process we use to restore old marble floors to a new condition. Floor grinding not only leaves natural stone floors with a perfect surface finish but also rejuvinates black grouting to a white, fresh condition.
Our floor grinding process involves using a heavy (160kg) 3 phase arch grinding machine fitted with special grinding stones which take 3 to 4mm off the surface. Normally all furniture is removed from the area being worked on and we take around a full day to carry out approximately 60 to 70m2.
| Click on images to view larger full size image |
 |
 |
 | Several passes are carried out with the machine starting with very rough stones and finishing with very fine stones. Surfaces are normally left with a 400 grade finish which gives a semi-mechanical shine. For a full mechanical shine (i.e. without the use of chemicals) diamond pads are used to take finishes up to a full glass reflective result (up to 10,000 grade).
Water is used in the process to facilitate the grinding. Water serves several purposes but mainly helps to reduce friction and heat and hence eliminate the possibility of scratching. Our machines are fitted with special protective guards so that splashing on wall surfaces is minimised.
Once the grinding process has taken place, it is then necessary to thoroughly dry out the marble before carrying out the floor polishing. Dry out time for most floors is ideally around a week. Although dry out can occur over shorter time frames, 3 days would be the recommended minimum.
Floor grinding differs from floor polishing in that it is a restoration process rather than a maintenance process. Floor polishing is ideally carried out once a year to keep the protective film in good condition and therefore minimise surface wear and tear. When a natural stone floor has not been treated for extended periods of time, (for example, 8 years), floor grinding is required to restore the natural beauty of the stone. |
