The average public school in the United States has over 500 students enrolled at any given time. That’s over 500 pairs of feet wearing down a school’s flooring surface every day! Because K-12 schools experience so much foot traffic throughout the year, it’s important for school systems to carefully choose the right flooring materials for their facilities.
Polished concrete is one of the more popular flooring styles among K-12 educational complexes because it is durable, easy to clean, and aesthetically pleasing. Polished concrete can come in a variety of styles and colors, so each school can customize floors to unique specifications.
To extend the life of your concrete floors and reduce the risk of trip-and-fall injuries, it’s important to carefully maintain flooring surfaces at all times. A walk behind concrete grinder is one of the best tools for keeping concrete floors safe, clean, and attractive.
Let’s talk about how schools can incorporate a concrete grinder into their maintenance routines to support the health and safety of students, teachers, faculty, and guests.
What is a Walk Behind Concrete Grinder?
You may already be familiar with handheld concrete grinders, but did you know that there’s a more efficient option available? A walk behind grinder delivers the same basic functionality of a handheld grinder but has wheels that enable a user to push it throughout a job site.
There are two primary types of concrete floor grinders: rotary grinders and planetary grinders.
- Rotary grinders use a single, large pad that rotates at high speeds to remove epoxies, stains, coatings, and contaminants from concrete surfaces.
- Planetary grinders use multiple pads that rotate at different speeds. These grinders don’t just remove the finish from a concrete flooring surface but can actually refinish the floor during use.
Where Can I Use a Walk Behind Concrete Grinder?
A concrete grinder can be used on any concrete flooring surface in your school. Concrete floors are often found in high-traffic areas like:
- Hallways
- Multi-purpose rooms
- Cafeterias
- Classrooms
- Libraries
- Offices
- Athletic facilities
In addition to their usefulness on concrete surfaces, concrete grinders and polishers can also be used on terrazzo and other polishable stone floors. The versatility of these machines makes concrete grinders an incredibly valuable tool for school maintenance crews.
How to Choose the Right Concrete Grinder
When looking to invest in a walk behind concrete grinder, there are a few different factors to keep in mind.
First, you must find a machine that offers the right size cleaning path for your school facility. If the concrete grinder is too large, you may be unable to clean flooring surfaces in some portions of your facilities.
Similarly, if the machine is too small for your space, you will have to invest additional time into your maintenance process to account for the extra labor needed for grinding concrete.
It is also important to consider the amount of storage space you have available for cleaning equipment. Bulky concrete grinders may not fit your school’s storage closets or be too difficult to transport between buildings or facilities.
Transportation is particularly important for teams tasked with maintaining large educational complexes. If a facility is multi-level, you’ll want to ensure the machine can fit into an elevator or is lightweight enough to be carried up a flight of stairs for the next surface preparation job.
Concrete Grinders From Intelligent Design Manufacturing
Intelligent Design Manufacturing specializes in developing efficient, ergonomic cleaning solutions for today’s maintenance crews.
We offer multiple models of walk behind concrete grinders that professionals can use for leveling, smoothing, resurfacing, and maintaining concrete floors in schools. Let’s take a look at each of IDM’s concrete grinders.
The Mustang 20
The Mustang 20 is a single-phase planetary grinder designed for open and confined spaces.
This lightweight yet powerful concrete grinder is operator-friendly due to the compact control panel, adjustable handlebar, and adjustable iron weight. It features a 20” cleaning path and includes a floating dust shroud and vacuum hose connection for maximum dust control.
- We recommend watching this video to see the Mustang 20 in action performing floor grinding.
The Mustang 22
The Mustang 22 features the same functionality as the Mustang 20 but offers a larger 22” cleaning path.
This machine offers three multi-function grinding heads for increased productivity and a detachable head for easier transport, as well as a built-in water tank that allows operators to grind wet or dry.
The Mustang 27
The Mustang 27 is IDM’s most powerful concrete grinder and polisher and can restore even the most damaged concrete surfaces with a single treatment.
This single-phase/three-phase planetary grinder boasts a 27” cleaning path and even features a USB port for easy charging. Despite its large capacity, the Mustang 27 is still easy to maneuver and transport, so even large cleaning jobs can be completed quickly and efficiently.
Discover Modern Concrete Grinder Solutions From IDM
If you’re looking for a long-lasting, top-quality walk behind concrete grinder, look no further than our Mustang line. Our concrete grinders are built to deliver unparalleled results while requiring only minimal maintenance.
To learn more about our machines, contact our team to request additional information. We can also schedule a demo to showcase these powerful machines for your educational cleaning needs.