Beginner’s Guide: Scarifying Concrete

Trying to figure out what concrete preparation solution will work best for you? Scarifying could be a great option!

Here’s a beginner’s guide to scarifying concrete!

What is Scarifying?

Scarifying concrete is a process that uses spinning metal blades on a machine to chip away at the top layer of a concrete surface, removing coatings and creating a level space.

How Does it Work?

Scarifying machines work by spinning carbide-tipped (or hardened steel) blades, attached to a rotating drum, at high speeds.

The blades scrape and chip away at the concrete, which is then suctioned into a dust collector.

How is it Different From Shot or Sandblasting?

Sandblasting and shot blasting are great at cleaning and texturing, but scarifying is specifically geared towards leveling your concrete.

This is due to a difference in how the machines operate. Blasting machines propel sand or metal beads at a high velocity towards the concrete, stripping the top layer of contaminants and stains.

However, the blades in a concrete scarification machine are fixed to the drum, meaning they’ll only cut the material to a certain depth.

Often, scarifying concrete is done to prepare a surface for shot or sandblasting, where it will be smoothed out and deeply cleaned.

What Type of Projects Is Scarifying Best For?

Scarifying concrete is a great option when you need a clean AND very level surface. As we mentioned before, it often happens before shot or sandblasting.

Generally, scarifying concrete is used to prepare surfaces for bridge and road construction, parking garages, industrial flooring, and sidewalks and driveways.

To be specific, scarifying is great when you need to cut deeper than ⅛ of an inch into the concrete.

These projects often involve stripping away old coatings (like epoxy or paint), or leveling the concrete so it can be textured by shot or sandblasting.

Safety Advantages

Having level concrete is crucial to providing a safe surface, especially if there will be people walking or operating machinery on it.

By creating a level surface, scarifying concrete removes tripping hazards such as bumps, uneven joints, or ridges.

Scarifying provides some additional safety advantages due to the grooves it creates in the concrete. These grooves can act as a non-slip preventative measure, providing people and vehicles with more traction.

Efficiency Advantages

Scarifying concrete is a great method to quickly remove old coatings or imperfections from your surfaces. It’s powerful, quick, and doesn’t require a lot of cleanup!

Just like shot and sandblasting, scarifying machines utilize a dust collector to instantly pick up and contain dust particles that are kicked up during use. This will save you valuable cleanup time!

Additionally, using a Multi-Purpose Chassis for scarifying will save you an enormous amount of time when you need to switch to another process like shot blasting, for finishing touches.

What does Scarifying Concrete Cost?

The operating cost of scarifying concrete is affected by a few different things. Some of these are:

The size of your workspace
The model of machinery you use
How long you operate the machinery

Our experienced team can help point you in the right direction when trying to figure out your exact cost! Contact us with any questions; we have a great selection of equipment to meet your needs and budget.

Concrete Scarification Equipment

Scarification machines come in a few different models to best suit your workspace and budget needs. These are categorized into walk-behind and ride-on models.

Walk-behind models are great for projects with a smaller surface area and tighter spaces. They provide excellent maneuvering and control.

Ride-on models are great for medium and large projects with lots of surface area.

It sounds like a lot, but our experienced team is here to help! Contact us with any questions about scarifying equipment, workspace details, and what that means for your cost.

The Multi-Purpose Chassis

It’s so good that it demands a second mention. We are the only manufacturer with an all-in-one interchangeable chassis for your concrete surface preparation needs.

You’ll be shocked at how effortless it is to switch between scarifying, shot blasting, and diamond grinding, saving you time and energy.

You’ll no longer have to wait for additional equipment to be delivered, since you’ll have one machine that can handle it all.

With the Multi-Purpose Chassis, your business will finally have the power to execute tasks with multiple capabilities faster, and with great results.

Project management will become streamlined since you’ll be able to switch between scarification, shot blasting, and diamond grinding operations without bringing in new machines.

Your maintenance and repair costs will also be reduced, now that you’ll only need to maintain a single chassis, rather than multiple machines.

By saving you precious time and money, and improving your performance capabilities, BW Manufacturing’s equipment will empower you to bid for more jobs.

Want to learn more about the Multi-Purpose Chassis? Click the link and see how you could be doing your job better than ever before.

Conclusion

Scarifying concrete is great for removing coatings and creating a level, safe surface.

This powerful and efficient process will provide you with concrete that has excellent grip, due to the grooves the machine carves. Additionally, you’ll remove tripping hazards such as uneven joints or bumps.

Walk-behind and ride-on models are built to provide you a variety of options for workspace conditions and sizes.

Using an incredible Multi-Purpose Chassis, you’ll be able to switch between scarification, shot blasting, and diamond grinding with ease!

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