Cup Wheels & Diamond Tooling

What a diamond cup wheel does before a coating

Epoxy and polyaspartic grip concrete mechanically. A troweled or sealed slab is too smooth and too closed for that grip, so the coating sits on top and lets go. A diamond cup wheel for concrete cuts the surface open and leaves a profile the base coat can key into.

The Turbo Supreme is 16 to 18 grit, built for removal, not polishing. Its turbo segments strip laitance, curing compounds and old sealers, and leave the ICRI CSP 2 to 3 profile Everflow epoxy and polyaspartic systems need. Vent holes through the body move air and dust off the cutting face, so the segments run cooler when you grind dry. Most epoxy failures trace back to prep. The epoxy floor problems guide covers what happens when the profile is missed.

5 inch vs 7 inch diamond cup wheel

Most crews carry both. The 7 inch runs across the floor and a 5 inch stays on a second grinder for the perimeter, so the edge ends up with the same profile as the field.

Which diamond tooling for which prep job

A cup wheel on an angle grinder is the edge tool. The open floor belongs to a walk-behind machine. Match the tool to the job:

On a floor machine the segment bond has to match the slab: soft bond for hard concrete, hard bond for soft concrete. Get it backwards and you glaze the tooling or burn through it. Floor grinder tooling is quoted with the machine, so tell us your slab hardness. Sizing the machine is covered in the concrete floor grinder buying guide.

After the grind

Degrease oil spots before you grind, not after, or the grinder drives the oil deeper. Once the profile is open, fill cracks with EF-135 crack filler, test the slab for moisture and vacuum it clean. Do not wash it with water before coating. The full sequence is in how to prepare concrete for epoxy coating, and the moisture tests are in concrete moisture testing before epoxy. A damp slab takes a moisture vapor barrier before anything else. A dry one takes a primer. Then size the job with how much epoxy do I need.

Buying diamond tooling from Latux

• Shipping. Cup wheels ship UPS Ground, free on orders of $150 or more. Angle grinders and floor grinders are sold by quote and ship by freight.
• Pickup. Free pickup at 2201 N Andrews Ave, Suite 108, Pompano Beach.
• Contractor pricing. Need a full set? Contractor, Distributor and VIP tiers apply to your account. Apply for a trade account.
• Talk to someone. Call (800) 413-1427, Monday to Friday 8 to 5. We speak English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Authorized dealer for every brand we carry. The rest of the prep, coating and topcoat lineup is on epoxy flooring supplies.

Common questions

What grit diamond cup wheel for concrete prep?

For opening a slab before epoxy, a coarse wheel. The Turbo Supreme is 16 to 18 grit and leaves ICRI CSP 2 to 3. It is a removal tool, not a polishing tool.

Will it fit my angle grinder?

If the spindle is 5/8-11 UNC and the grinder is rated for the wheel size, yes. That is the standard US spindle thread. Never put a 7 inch wheel on a grinder rated for 5 inch.

What does CSP 2 to 3 feel like?

ICRI Concrete Surface Profile 2 to 3 is roughly the texture of 60-grit sandpaper. You should feel it with a fingertip, and the ground slab should look evenly matte with no shiny spots.

Can I prep a whole garage with a cup wheel?

No. A hand grinder is for edges, corners and stairs. For a full floor, rent or buy a floor grinder.

How do I control the dust?

Dry grinding concrete makes silica dust. Run the angle grinder with a dust shroud and a HEPA extractor. See dust extractors.