The garage floor in my uncle's place looked brand new after 22 years

Went back to my hometown in Boise last weekend to help my uncle clean out his shop. That slab he poured back in 2003 had oil stains, tire marks, and this weird dark patch near where he always parked his harley. He told me he got tired of looking at it so he rented a grinder for two days and went over the whole thing with a 30 grit diamond cup. I figured he just sealed it and called it done but he actually put down two coats of a densifier and then polished it up to a 800 grit finish. The difference was unreal, same concrete, same cracks in the corners, but it looked like a showroom floor. I've been doing flatwork for 14 years and never thought about grinding down an old slab instead of just pouring over it. Has anyone else tried giving an old driveway or garage floor a second life this way, or is that more of a headache than it's worth for residential jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

jana3091mo ago

Used to think grinding was a total waste unless you were doing commercial work, but this makes me want to try it on my own garage slab. Props to your uncle for putting in the time, that finish sounds killer.

morgan.rose1mo ago

We ran a diamond cup wheel over our 2-car garage last spring and the dust alone nearly made me quit, but the shine after three passes was unreal. Still, grinding concrete is a workout, not a magic trick, so if you try it, rent a decent grinder with vacuum hookup or you will be cleaning dust for a week. Your uncle clearly knew what he was doing, so take notes from him and start small with a test patch before you commit to the whole slab.