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Not All Diamond Pads Are Created Equally
Kevin M. Padden
AZ School of Rock and
KM Padden Consulting
How long did your very first set of diamond pads last when you started polishing natural stone? Did you (like me and many other guys in the natural stone industry) expect that - Because you had "a" set of "diamond pads" you could work miracles on any kind of stone? Did you jump from granite to marble and then limestone and get the same quality level of polish using the same set of diamond pads?
This is a scenario that many just getting started as Fabricators fall into: they buy one set of pads and expect them to perform at the same level, regardless of the stone that they are using the pads on. Granite, marble, limestone and Engineered Stone ALL will behave differently depending upon the type of polishing pad that you use on the product. It has been my experience that the species and type of stones highly influence the ability of a polishing pad to perform at it's optimum level.
Some important variables that I have learned over the years about what makes a diamond polishing pad work, are the "bond" or the material (usually a plastic or resin that the diamonds are suspended in on each pad), the diamond quality, size and consistency, and the hardness or flexibility of each pad- it's ability to conform to a surface that is not flat, like a full bullnose profile.
Out of these variables, probably the most important one that will determine the life span of a diamond pad (in my opinion) would be the bond that holds everything together for each pad. When you look at a diamond pad, you'll notice that most pads are made of a plastic or resin matrix that makes up the pad. The diamonds that are contained within each pad are mixed together with the diamonds and are molded into the finished pads that you see. The diamonds are actually "suspended" within the body of the pad. The plastic or resin that makes up the bulk of a diamond pad is known as the "bond." The bond is designed to wear down and expose more diamonds as the pad wears. When you look closely at a 50 grit pad in a bright light, you can actually see the diamonds reflecting light and sparkling when you move the pad around.
As the bond wears, in the case of a 50 through 200 grit pad, more diamonds are exposed to keep removing stock. The 400 through 3,000 grit pads are more (again in my opinion) for polishing.
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The cardinal rule (as I was taught) of diamond tooling and the relationship of the bond to the tool is as follows:
The HARDER the STONE - The SOFTER the Bond.
The SOFTER the STONE - The HARDER the Bond.
This would explain why you get varying degrees of longevity when you use the same set of diamond pads on different species of stone. Having learned this valuable lesson-I now have at least SIX different sets of diamond polishing pads-all designed for various types of stone: light granite, dark granite, light marble, dark marble, Engineered Stone and a set for rigid surface polishing.
It is only after 25 years of Slab Fabrication that I've finally figured out the "mystery" of the "right diamond pad for the job." The next time you are ordering a new set of diamond pads from Braxton-Bragg or your favorite supplier, think about what kind of stone you'll be using the pads for, and ask your rep to help you purchase the "right" pads for the job. As the saying goes... you'll be glad you did.
Until Next Month,
Best Regards & Happy Fabricating!
Hands-On Fabrication Training is a service that is provided by AZ School of Rock. For more information, contact Kevin M. Padden at www.azschoolofrock.com , by at 480.309. or via at
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