Having never seen one before, I bought a (MasterForce) "Rub Brick"
(6"x3"x1", $9.99 at Menards) thinking it may help to clean up my concrete
garage floor which is to be my workshop floor. I "applied it to about 6
square feet in an inconspicuous area using also a bucket of water and a
towel. It provides decent exercise. I may try using it to smooth some
Quikrete repairs someone else did in the past--actually, I tried it in one
spot and the result looked pretty good (not sure if I weakened the repair,
but I'll be mixing some Quikrete, sand and vinyl, in the spring anyway.).

I am thinking now that I may work around the edges (and the water softener,
etc) with the plan of bringing in an electric concrete grinder in the spring
to do the rest of the floor.

I think the rub brick may be giving me a good idea of what I might expect
from the concrete grinder (true?). Don't they use the same sort of stone
(although I know "diamond" is available for the powered units)???

I noticed in the last few minutes, online, that the tool is often used to
help prepare concrete for tiling. Is there anything inappropriate with the
way I am using it? P.S. I wore a dust mask, but, once I started using
water to help get the dust out of the brick, I don't think there was much
need. Should I be concerned about how flat the cutting stone stays (I'm
mostly only taking off paint, grime, etc.--that is, I'm not cutting deep)?
I am probably doing things the hard way, no?

Thanks!
Bill

On Oct 12, 8:34*pm, "Bill" wrote:
snip of stuff about rub bricks"
*Should I be concerned about how flat the cutting stone stays (I'm
mostly only taking off paint, grime, etc.--that is, I'm not cutting deep)?
I am probably doing things the hard way, no?

Yes. :-) I'd use a pressure washer to remove the paint & grime. Then
rub the concrete if you still need to.

"Luigi Zanasi" wrote in message
...
On Oct 12, 8:34 pm, "Bill" wrote:
snip of stuff about rub bricks"
Should I be concerned about how flat the cutting stone stays (I'm
mostly only taking off paint, grime, etc.--that is, I'm not cutting deep)?
I am probably doing things the hard way, no?

Yes. :-) I'd use a pressure washer to remove the paint & grime. Then
rub the concrete if you still need to.


Thank you for your reply Luigi.

I have never used a pressure washer, but I am surprised to hear that they
are able to remove paint from concrete (which is very porous).

I am assuming that by grinding, I am providing an epoxy covering a really
good surface to adhere to. I am also concerned about what a pressure washer
might do to my treated and untreated wallboards. A related personal issue
is
that I cannot tolerate being around fumes like ammonia (which I think
may be an ingredient in that approach).

37 years of grime from autos, a boat, welding, etc. You can probably
visualize
the picture. I covered the floor with newspapers the first day I moved in
to avoid
any of it being tracked into the house which is full of light carpet...
Even seeing
just some of the floor get cleaner tonight was satisfying (I am almost able
to see
the light at the end of the tunnel..). Up to now, it's been all talk!

Regards,
Bill

"Bill" wrote:

I have never used a pressure washer, but I am surprised to hear that
they
are able to remove paint from concrete (which is very porous).

A 5,000 PSIG washer will clean your concrete slick and claen, no soap
or cleaner req'd.

If you get careless, it will blow your drywall off the wall.

You don't want to go there.

Anything less than 3,000 PSIG is little more than a toy.

BTDT.

Lew

On Oct 12, 10:21*pm, "Lew Hodgett" wrote:
"Bill" *wrote:
I have never used a pressure washer, but I am surprised to hear that
they
are able to remove paint from concrete (which is very porous).

A 5,000 PSIG washer will clean your concrete slick and clean, no soap
or cleaner req'd.

If you get careless, it will blow your drywall off the wall.

You don't want to go there.

Anything less than 3,000 PSIG is little more than a toy.

BTDT.

IME, even the lower pressure ones work OK, they just take longer. But
go rent a good one, cover your drywall with plastic & go for it. Like
Lew said, no soap or other stuff needed, just water. And it doesn't
use all that much, so you don't need to expect a flood.

After that, Lew will direct you to what zero-emission/no-smell/
hypoallergenic epoxy you could use on the floor. :-)

Luigi

On Oct 13, 1:38*am, Luigi Zanasi wrote:

IME, even the lower pressure ones work OK, they just take longer. But
go rent a good one, cover your drywall with plastic & go for it. Like
Lew said, no soap or other stuff needed, just water. And it doesn't
use all that much, so you don't need to expect a flood.

I'd still cover the walls with plastic and tape down the edges - there
is overspray, and point the spray out the garage doors. A push broom
will help with moving the water and paint chips out the door when
necessary.

After that, Lew will direct you to what zero-emission/no-smell/
hypoallergenic epoxy you could use on the floor. :-)

Do you mean the self-applying one or the glow-in-the-dark?

R