Metal-bond diamonds are grinding tools with industrial diamonds set in a metal matrix. They’re aggressive and used for the early, coarse grinding steps. They flatten the floor, remove coatings, and expose aggregate. Resin-bond diamonds take over for the finer polishing steps.
What Metal-Bond Diamonds Mean for Your Floor
If polishing concrete is like sanding wood, metal-bond diamonds are the coarse sandpaper. They’re the standard choice for coarse grinding, the stage that does the heavy lifting on your slab.
That stage decides a lot about how your floor turns out. It’s where old coatings and glue come off, high spots get knocked down, and the crew grinds deep enough to show sand or stone. How deep they go sets your aggregate exposure, from smooth cream to full stone.
It also affects your quote. A slab with thick coatings, heavy glue, or an uneven surface needs more metal-bond grinding, and that means more time. Crews also match the tool’s hardness to how hard your concrete is, so the same job can go faster or slower depending on the slab.
Metal-Bond Diamonds FAQ
What is the difference between metal-bond and resin-bond diamonds?
Metal-bond diamonds are the coarse, aggressive tools that grind and flatten the slab. Resin-bond diamonds are finer and softer, and they polish the floor to build shine. A polishing job uses metal first, then resin.
Do metal-bond diamonds make concrete shiny?
No. They leave the floor smooth but dull, with a visible scratch pattern. The shine comes later, when finer tools remove those scratches step by step. A floor that stops after metal-bond grinding is usually sealed rather than polished.