Acid Etching Basics

Diamond Grind or Acid Etch: Best Prep for Epoxy Garage Floor Coatings. Concrete acid etching uses an acidic solution, typically muriatic acid, to dissolve the top layer of concrete, creating a slightly roughened surface that might seem like an easy option for preparation of your epoxy garage floor coating in Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, the GTA, Scarborough, and Brampton. This is a fairly simple and easy process where the acid does all of the work for you, as the process is strictly chemical and requires minimal equipment, but it affects a very thin layer of the surface and does nothing to level the concrete or develop an actual scratch profile that supports a strong bond with residential epoxy flooring.

Grinding Advantage

Concrete grinding, on the other hand, employs mechanical tools with diamond grinding pads to physically remove the top layer of concrete, offering a more effective approach at removing deeper imperfections and creating a more consistent and even surface profile that’s ideal for coatings with concrete coating services. It is a much more involved procedure requiring quality equipment for actual grinding as well as dust control measures to keep the workspace clean, making it a preferred method for professionals with epoxy flooring Toronto.

Optimal Choice

Which is optimal for concrete depends fully on the purpose that it’s being done—brief cleanup or low-wear sections like walls for painting might be fine with etching, but any type of protective coating requires grinding to ensure success. Diamond grinding not only roughens up the surface, which is necessary for a mechanical bond of a coating to prevent failure, but it also evens it out, which is especially important for both the longevity of the coating and the aesthetic appearance that enhances your garage floor coating across the GTA. We always grind concrete prior to application of any coating, and shotblast it for industrial applications where extra roughness is needed, ensuring the best results with your garage floor coating. Optimize your concrete prep for your property—contact us for professional concrete coating services!