What are the differences between dry grinding and wet grinding of stone?
Dec 12, 2025
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- Grinding stone without adding water is called dry grinding, while grinding with water is called wet grinding. What are the differences? How to choose?
What are the differences between dry grinding(polishing) and wet grinding(polishing)?
- Different grinding pads are used.
In stone processing, surface grinding and polishing are generally referred to as grinding for coarse surfaces, and polishing for fine and mirror surfaces. In this article, we will refer to both as grinding.
Currently, the mainstream market trend is towards abrasive grinding, mostly made of synthetic diamond particles and resin binders. Diamond is commonly referred to as diamond, while resin, broadly speaking, is a general term for various high-molecular polymers and can be used as a raw material for plastics.
Stone grinding involves friction between the grinding pad and the stone surface, generating high temperatures under the machine's speed and pressure. This temperature can melt ordinary resin. Poor-quality grinding pads are prone to deformation as a result.
Wet grinding of stone adds water to accelerate heat dissipation, and the requirements for the grinding pad composition are slightly lower. However, when dry grinding stone, there is no water to help dissipate heat, so the resin used in dry grinding pads must be high-quality and able to withstand higher temperatures.
Huice Company supplies high-quality dry polishing pads, using wear-resistant diamond and high-temperature resistant resin raw materials
Simply put:
due to their composition, dry grinding pads can be wet-ground. Ordinary wet grinding pads cannot be used for prolonged dry grinding, while grinding pads made with high-quality resin can be used for both dry and wet grinding.
How to choose Diamond Polishing Pads?
When dry-grinding stone, no water is added, resulting in slow heat dissipation. Therefore, the resin used in dry-grinding pads must be a high-quality, high-temperature resistant resin.
When wet-grinding stone, adding water accelerates heat dissipation, and the requirements for the pad composition are slightly less stringent.
Due to their composition, dry-grinding pads can be used with water, while ordinary wet-grinding pads cannot be used for prolonged dry grinding. Pads made with high-quality resin can be used for both dry and wet grinding. Dry grinding is not absolutely without water. If dark-colored stone appears white when dry-grinding, adding a small amount of water during grinding will improve the results.
When to wet diamond polishing pads?
The high temperatures generated during stone polishing can damage the stone's crystalline structure. Stone subjected to high temperatures is prone to a series of problems such as loss of shine, cracking, and powdering.
Adding water during stone polishing accelerates heat dissipation, reducing damage to the stone. Wet polishing at natural temperatures produces a soft, lustrous shine.
Dry polishing, on the other hand, because the heat generated by friction can damage the stone's crystalline structure, results in a shine that is glaring, abrasive, dry, and lacks translucency.
When to Dry Diamond Grind polishing pads?
01. Unprotected Stone:
- Unprotected stone is prone to absorbing water. If wet grinding is used to open the stone surface, the stone's absorption of water will prolong the construction period. Therefore, for unprotected stone, dry grinding can be used to open the surface and apply the protective agent before applying it.
02. Stone Grinding and Polishing Stage:
- Wet grinding is used for leveling and optimizing the stone. Dry grinding is used for polishing to accelerate the gloss process. (Specifically, after wet grinding to 1000 grit, the stone can be semi-dry ground or completely dry ground with little or no water. In practice, this is a very practical technique that helps to achieve a glossy finish.)
03. Walls, Edges, and Countertops:
- Walls must be dry ground because wet grinding is not feasible. Imagine this: a client's beautiful living room, brand-new furniture, but their hand-held polishing machine is splattering water everywhere...
- After the stone grinding is complete, finishing work such as along walls and in corners where large machines can't reach can be done using dry sanding. Dry sanding is also much easier for finishing lines, small imperfections, and repairing countertops.
Huice Company has many years of experience in the production and manufacturing of diamond polishing pads. The company is located in Shuitou Town, the hometown of stone materials. There are a large number of stone product factories gathered here. Our company not only supplies diamond polishing pads to domestic stone product factories, but also exports to European, American, Southeast Asian, and Latin American markets, with stable performance and high cost-effectiveness.
This article gathers years of experience in the stone grinding and polishing industry, which is highly worth reading in the field of stone grinding.
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