AZ Surface Preparation
Why is surface preparation so important? Because most concrete sub floors were poured wrong to begin with. Adding to the problem is soil subsidence. The soil in our valley is composed of “expansive soil.” This means that when the soil absorbs water, perhaps from an extremely rainy cycle, the soil will expand. This exerts enormous force on the concrete, causing it to heave and crack. When it comes time to remodel your flooring, usually with wood, laminate, ceramic, porcelain, or stone, this will cause problems. All manufacturer’s have a guideline to what is acceptable and what is not. This guideline is usually 3/16″ in 10 linear feet. It is critical to observe this guideline, especially if you plan on living in your home for many years. A floor that is prepared properly is very secure and very strong.
Having un-level floors isn’t the only problem. Many of the homes in Phoenix, and other areas were poured a very
long time ago, some of them before carpet was really available. You may recognize this concrete as being colored green, red, or brown. These concrete slabs are very polished, and have many layers of wax or other coatings. Adhesives, glue, and leveler products will not stick to this concrete without scarification. Many times these same slabs have had a black glue applied to its surface to hold down old Vinyl Composition Tile (VCT). If you ever want to see flooring come un-secured, then try installing any hard surface flooring over this.
This is why we’ve invested in professional concrete grinding and concrete leveling equipment. We own two Edco 10″ Turbo Grinders, twelve PulseRm Industrial Vacuums, and six standard 7″ grinders. With all the accessories needed to operate this equipment, our investment totals nearly $200,000. When getting quotes from others, make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Someone with one 7″ standard grinder could never grind the amount of concrete we could in the same amount of time. Remember, grinding is usually charged by the hour, and the company with the best equipment is your best value.
We used to grind concrete with water. This works well in not producing dust, but it comes with other sets of problems. For one, it produces an incredible amount of “concrete sludge.” This is very similar to a milk shake consistency. It has to be disposed of, and that consisted of digging a “sludge pit” on the premises, trying to wash it into gravel, or dumping it in the alley. What a mess! Plus, all the down time that is involved with wet grinding adds to your cost.
Our industrial vacuums can grind non-stop, never clogging the filters, until the vacuum is full. This usually takes about 4 hours or so to fill up the vacuum. In less than 5 minutes the vacuum can be emptied outside and ready to be hooked up to the grinder. Our competitors usually own a basic “shop vac,” which clogs the filter in about 2 minutes. Usually, they won’t stop grinding when the filters clog, and the dust will begin escaping into the surrounding air. Once again, when getting quotes make sure you are comparing the same services and equipment. You’ll be surprised that very few companies own the proper equipment.
We have a unique way of grinding that is unlike any of our competitors. While grinding on your project, if it takes longer than 15 minutes to grind down a hump, we will switch to another machine. Why is this important to you? Because our blades cut the concrete best with a blade that is not over heated. This translates into a much quicker grind for you and us. This saves you money, and keeps our equipment from being overworked. Everyone wins!
Serving the Phoenix Metro areas, including Ahwatukee, Apache Junction, Casa Grande, Chandler, Central Phoenix, Desert Mountain, East Valley, Gilbert, Gold Canyon, Maricopa, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Peoria, Phx, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Tempe, Prescott, Prescott Valley, Cottonwood, Sedona, Flagstaff.