Most people buy a grinder wrong in one of two directions. They buy too small, and then spend three days doing a one day job while the machine runs hot. Or they buy too big, and own a machine that cannot get through a residential doorway or run off the power that is actually available on site.

The machine is only part of it. A grinder without matched tooling and dust extraction is not a working system, it is a rental waiting to disappoint you. Here is how to size all three.

Start with the work, not the price

Before looking at any machine, answer these four:

• How many square feet is a typical job, and how many do you do a month? Occasional residential garages and steady commercial slabs are different machines.
• What power is actually on site? This kills more purchases than budget does. A three phase machine on a residential job is a dead machine.
• What are you removing? A light polish is not the same as taking off old mastic, tile adhesive, or a failed coating.
• How does it get into the building? Doorways, stairs, elevators, and loading docks decide more than spec sheets do.

Grinding width, and what it is actually for

Our small and mid range covers the BG battery series and the PG 280 through PG 540 planetary machines. The large and industrial range runs PG 690 through PG 830 and the BMG 555 through BMG 780 planetary grinders. Browse everything in floor grinders.

Power is the constraint people forget

• Single phase. What a house or a small commercial suite actually has. Limits how much machine you can run, and that limit is real, not a suggestion.
• Three phase. Where the production machines live. Confirm it is on site and that you can reach it before you buy.
• Propane. The answer when there is no adequate power at all, common on large slabs and new construction. Needs ventilation, so it is not an every-job solution.
• Battery. The BG series. Genuinely useful for occupied buildings and spaces where cords and fumes are a problem.

Dust extraction is part of the machine, not an accessory

Grinding concrete produces respirable crystalline silica. Dry grinding without extraction is a health issue and a regulatory one, and it also makes an unbelievable mess of a building you have to hand back to a client.

Match the extractor to the grinder, not to the price. An undersized vacuum on a large machine chokes, the filter loads, suction drops, and you are back to making dust. Our Lavina extractors are sized for 30 and 32 inch grinders with four stage collection and a HEPA H13 final stage capturing 99.95% of particles from 0.15 to 0.23 micron, in propane and three phase electric. The Husqvarna DE series covers portable single-phase and industrial pairings, and the HTG dust collectors handle high volume extraction. Everything together is in dust and slurry equipment.

Tooling decides your results more than the badge does

A good machine with the wrong diamonds does bad work. Segment bond and grit have to match the concrete you are actually on: soft bond for hard concrete, hard bond for soft concrete. That is the rule that surprises people, and getting it backwards means you either glaze the tooling or burn through it.

Your prep target for a coating is an open profile, commonly around ICRI CSP-2, so the base coat keys into concrete instead of sitting on a closed surface. See cup wheels and diamond tooling, and tell us your slab hardness when you order so we can match the bond.

Remote control and ride-on

On large open floors, remote control machines such as the PG 690 RC and PG 830 RC keep the operator off the machine and cut fatigue over a long shift. The HTG-820RC is a 32 inch remote control unit built for that work. This only pays back at real production footage, so it is a question of how many large floors you run per year.

Brands we carry

Husqvarna and HTC planetary grinders and polishers, from compact single-phase to heavy three-phase and remote control. HTG grinders for grinding, polishing, and coating removal. Lavina for smooth, consistent grinding and polished concrete. Metabo hand grinders for the edges and corners the big machines cannot reach.

How buying works here

Machines are sold on a quote basis rather than added to a cart, because freight and lead time depend on the unit and the destination. Freight and lead time are quoted per order.

To get a useful quote fast, send us: your typical job square footage, the power available on site, what you are removing, how the machine gets into the building, and whether you already own an extractor. Call (800) 413-1427 or use the contact page.

Common questions

Should I rent or buy?

Rent while you are still learning what your work actually looks like. Buy when rental invoices start looking like payments and you are turning down jobs on scheduling. Tell us your monthly footage and we will give you a straight answer rather than a sales one.

Can one machine do everything?

No. Every crew ends up with at least two: something open-floor and a hand grinder for edges. Plan for the pair from the start instead of discovering it on job three.

Do I need a grinder at all for one garage?

For a single DIY garage, renting is usually the right call, and acid etching is a distant second choice that does not produce the profile a grind does. If you are coating professionally, grinding is not optional.

Talk to an equipment specialist

We will match the machine, the extractor, and the tooling as one package rather than selling you a grinder and letting you figure out the rest. Call (800) 413-1427 or use the contact page.