SERVICES

DIAMOND GRINDING

DIAMOND GRINDING

Using the highest quality grinding and dust extraction equipment, we can grind away residues such as coatings, adhesives and epoxies, and smooth out imperfections, preparing your concrete slab for a new surface.

Diamond grinding is the first step in almost every floor preparation job we do. Using planetary grinders fitted with diamond and PCD tooling, we cut back the top layer of your concrete slab — removing whatever the last floor left behind and opening up the surface so primers and levelling compounds can bond properly.

Skip this step and the levelling compound bonds to old adhesive or laitance rather than to the slab itself. That is the most common cause of floor levelling failure, and it usually shows up months later as hollow-sounding patches, lifting edges or cracking through the new floor covering.

What We Grind Off

  • Tile and slate adhesive, including thick hard-set beds left after tile removal
  • Carpet glue and underlay residue
  • Vinyl and lino adhesive, including bitumen-based black adhesives
  • Epoxy and polyurethane coatings
  • Paint, sealers and curing compounds
  • Waterproofing membrane in bathrooms and balconies
  • Laitance — the weak, dusty surface layer on new slabs
  • High spots — trowel marks, concrete spills, edge curl and pour joints

Grinding Reduces What You Spend on Levelling

On a slab with significant deviation, grinding down the high points before pouring is usually cheaper than filling up to them. Levelling compound is sold by the bag and priced by the millimetre of build-up across the whole floor area. Take 5 mm off the high spots and you may take a full coat off the entire pour.

Grinding also protects your floor heights. In apartments and units, door clearances, lift thresholds and existing skirtings often leave very little room to build up. Cutting down rather than filling up keeps the finished floor where it needs to be.

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Planetary diamond grinder removing tile adhesive from a concrete slab

PROCESS

  1. Site Assessment:
    We inspect the slab, identify what is bonded to it and check the surface for deviation with a straight edge or laser. We also confirm access, power availability and whether the building is occupied.
  2. Tooling Selection:
    Different residues need different tooling. Soft carpet glues and coatings come off with PCD attachments; hard tile adhesive and concrete high spots need metal-bond diamond segments. Choosing wrong either glazes the tooling or gouges the slab.
  3. Set-Up and Dust Containment:
    We mask off adjoining areas, protect door frames and fixtures, and set up industrial dust extraction before any tooling touches the floor.
  4. Coarse Grinding Pass:
    The first pass removes the bulk of the residue and knocks down the high spots. We work systematically across the full area so the surface profile stays consistent.
  5. Refining Passes:
    Further passes with finer tooling clean up what the first pass left and even out the surface texture, giving the primer a uniform profile to key into.
  6. Edges and Detail Work:
    Hand grinders and edging machines reach perimeters, doorways, corners and around fixed cabinetry — the areas a walk-behind machine cannot reach.
  7. Vacuum and Inspection:
    We vacuum the slab thoroughly and inspect it for missed residue, remaining high spots and any cracks or defects that need patching before levelling.

BENEFITS

  1. Reliable Adhesion:
    Grinding opens the pores of the concrete so primer soaks in and levelling compound bonds to the slab itself, not to a residue layer.
  2. Lower Levelling Costs:
    Removing high spots reduces the depth of compound needed across the whole floor, cutting both material and labour.
  3. Protected Floor Heights:
    Grinding down instead of building up keeps doors, thresholds and skirtings working as they should — critical in apartments and units.
  4. Faults Found Early:
    Grinding exposes cracks, delamination and moisture problems while they can still be dealt with, not after the new floor is down.
  5. A Contained, Clean Site:
    Industrial dust extraction keeps dust off the rest of the building and lets the trades behind us start on schedule.
  6. Clean Waste Handling:
    Ground residue is collected, contained and removed from site rather than swept into the surrounding areas.
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GALLERY

Self-levelling compound poured across a prepared concrete slab
Levelled sub-floor finished and ready for new floor coverings
Concrete slab after diamond grinding, cleaned back to bare surface
Self-levelling compound being spread with a smoothing trowel
Floor levelling work in progress across a large open interior
Primer applied to a concrete sub-floor before levelling compound
Fresh levelling compound flowing out to a smooth, even finish
Concrete sub-floor prepared and primed ready for pouring
Levelled floor surface with a clean edge along the perimeter
Floor preparation underway on a Sydney commercial fit-out
Completed level floor finished ready for the flooring installer
FAQ

FAQ

Almost always. Any slab that has had a floor covering on it will have adhesive, paint or membrane residue bonded to the surface, and new slabs carry laitance and curing compound. Levelling compound poured over any of these bonds to the residue instead of the concrete, and eventually lets go.

Usually only 1-3mm, enough to strip residue and open the surface. Where we are cutting down high spots to reduce levelling depth it can be more. We never grind deep enough to expose reinforcement.

Our grinders run connected to industrial dust extraction, so the vast majority of dust is captured at the head. We also mask off adjoining rooms. Most clients stay in the property while we work.

A standard two-bedroom unit is generally a single day. Larger areas, heavy adhesive beds or difficult access can extend that. We give you a firm timeframe with your quote.

No, diamond grinding is for concrete. Timber sub-floors are prepared differently, and our sub-floor levelling service covers the right approach for them.

We can. Our take up and disposal service pulls up the existing covering and removes it from site, then we grind and level in the same visit.

Related Services

Grinding is usually the middle step. Before it we can take up and dispose of your existing floor; after it we level the sub-floor ready for your new covering.

Over 15 years industry experience, we work to ensure you can achieve your required deadlines, with exceptional customer service and communication throughout the entire process.

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Contact Information
0422 703 744
admin@levelfloors.com.au
Sydney, NSW 2000
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