How to Adjust Your Tools for Better Performance
This article is based on an episode of the WORX+ TechTalk series. You can watch the full episode here.
Sometimes when you’re on the floor, you just don't get the results from your tools. At WORX+ we’re all about equipping contractors with the know-how to get great results out on the floor and because of this, our team help lots of contractors problem-solve. One such customer was having trouble getting scratches out of their concrete floor.
Let’s explore the problems this client faced and discuss the right solutions, so if this happens to you, you’ll know what to do.
THE PROBLEM
Our regional customer was working on a concrete floor. Let’s call him Steve. After Steve did the first cut with 30-grit diamonds, he successfully exposed the aggregate. He then moved on to a 50-grit to remove the scratches left by the previous pass. It was then that he encountered problems. Adding moisture, grout or WORX+’s Cut Sikk still wouldn’t help him improve performance and get the scratches out of the floor. What’s gone wrong?
PROBLEM SOLVED
It’s likely Steve was working on very hard concrete and there wasn’t enough weight on his machine to get the 50-grit diamonds to remove the scratches. Our team suggested Steve use a half set of singles and a half set of twins from our XO (Xtra Output) series which have 30-grit diamonds but a supersoft metal bond. This would mean there were diamonds in every position on the disk, but they would alternate between twins and singles creating extra pressure and less wear. This worked a treat, and we didn’t hear any more from Steve.
TAKEAWAYS
This scenario highlights that when you’re faced with a situation where your tools just aren’t performing, it’s important to step back and consider your options. Contractors need to have a variety of tooling options available, especially if they’re in a regional area and don’t have immediate access to suppliers. This way, instead of wearing out your tooling and getting rid of any concrete profile you can work with, you can experiment with different tooling combinations to fine-tune performance. In Steve’s case, using a mix of twin and single XOs allowed him to adjust the pressure on the concrete and wear on his tools.
We encourage contractors to understand how things such as grout, moisture and products like Cut Sikk can improve performance on the floor, including in situations where your tools don’t match your concrete, and you need to reduce heat and wear till you can get some more. These situations are common out on the floor and part of our mission here at WORX+ is to help you feel totally confident in your concrete grinding and polishing results.
Our team are the best in the business, so let us help you find a method that totally WORX. Give us a call on 1300 897 873.
Hang on, we’ve got more for you!
Check out our other TechTalk articles below, where we address common issues contractors face and the nitty gritty of the concrete grinding and polishing industry.