I’m rehabbing an older apartment and we’re trying to update it a little. I got a deal on 12″ X 12″ black granite tiles (about 3/8″ thick) that I thought would work great for the kitchen counter and backsplash. The only issue is polishing the exposed edges.
Can I get a decent (apartment-grade) job with belt sanders, orbital sanders, etc. with progressively finer grits? I really do not want to invest in the diamond wheels for this one job.
Thanks!
Jim
Replies
Have you tried polishing compound?
I'm planning on doing it this weekend. I figured compounding with my buffer would be the last step. I'm more concerned about getting the factory cut edge smooth enough for compounding.
Heck, I'll skip compounding if the sanding works- it's a rental!
Jim
If your just concerned about the exposed edges, go to local tile supply and get three or four diamond grit faced sponges of gradually finer and finer grades. With some elbow grease and a little water from a spray bottle, you should be easily able to get a nice polished edge on the tile in just an hour or two.
Can I get a decent (apartment-grade) job with belt sanders, orbital sanders, etc. with progressively finer grits? I really do not want to invest in the diamond wheels for this one job.
Even with a set of diamond disks for a wet grinder it's not exactly an easy process since granite is quite hard.
Unless you are under-employed and don't value your time, it's probably more cost effective to get your tiles polished at a stone countertop shop. They'll charge something like $2-5 a foot for a simple polish to $5-10 for a round over and polish.
If you know a tile installer that does a lot of natural stone, they'd have a wet grinder and might do it for less, but not likely.
In the amount of time it would take to do the same with carbide sand paper you'd be able to get a small job and make enough to pay for a set of diamond pads that could be used on a variable speed grinder.
Of course many people learn best by doing. So, if you want to use simple carbide sandpaper to see how miserable it really is I'd hate to stand in the way. :-)
Regardless of which method, if you're doing it solo, hand pick the exposed edges that will be polished. The depth of saw marks makes a huge difference in how much material will need to be removed. Huge difference indeed.
Without the full set of super fine diamond pads your edge won't be smooth enough to look glossy, but a coat of a shiny/glossy stone sealer will make the edge look 100% better. Some are advertised for just such things.
Cheers
You might try a glazier supply house such as CR Laurence for carbide sanding belts such as they use on glass to smooth/polish edges. I know they come in 1x21 size (for makita baby sander) and 4x24 or 3x21 size. They are suprisingly inexpensive for what they are.
I have them because some dimwit round here sometimes gets a little more precise with glass measurements than the glass folks do.
Eric
won't work for this weekend, but on ebay for about 25.00 you can buy a pad and some diamond pads that go on your 4.5 grinder.they work great and last a long time. i polished approx 50' of 1" with one pad of each grit. if you want to slow your grinder down go to harbor frieght and buy a variable speed router control and plug your grinder into it.time wise i did the 50' in about 4 hours.larry
hand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
However you approach it, remember that granite dust is BAD! Break out the double filter mask for this operation, and if possible have a helper holding the shop vac hose close to the tool - assuming you don't end up doing the grinding wet.