DeWalt 5 in. Surface Grinding Dust Shroud

Why I reached for this shroud

Grinding concrete indoors is a quick way to turn a small job into a respiratory hazard and a cleanup nightmare. I picked up the DeWalt 5-in. dust shroud for a series of prep tasks—knocking down high spots, removing thinset ridges, and cleaning up mastic—because I needed dust control I could trust without turning the grinder into a fussy, heavy contraption. After several sessions across a basement slab and a kitchen demo, I’m convinced this shroud is a practical solution with a few caveats you’ll want to plan around.

Setup and compatibility

I mounted the shroud on a DeWalt DWE402 grinder with a 5-in. diamond cup. The clamp-style collar and quick-release lever make attachment straightforward: position the shroud over the grinder’s spindle, align the depth ring, and lock it down. It effectively replaces the grinder’s factory guard, and the lever makes tool-free removal easy when swapping wheels or cleaning. The included spacer ring helped dial in the wheel spacing so the cup sits properly within the bristle skirt.

Fit on my DWE402 was solid with no wiggle. If you’re running an older grinder, particularly the older DW402 or off-brand bodies with a narrower guard collar, check the collar thickness before you buy. The clamp expects a fairly standard guard seat; if your grinder is out-of-spec, you may need a bushing shim to get a tight lock. In short: works best on modern 4-1/2 to 5-in. DeWalt grinders, but confirm your collar diameter if you’re mixing brands.

Hose connection: what you’ll actually need

The shroud has a twist-and-click style port that is meant to “lock” to a vacuum hose, but in real-world use you’ll want the DWV9000 universal connector to make that promise true. Without it, expect to cobble together reducers or resort to tape on standard shop-vac hoses. With the DWV9000 installed, the hose connection is secure and won’t pull free when you hang up on an extension cord.

Plan on pairing the shroud with a vacuum that has a good filter and enough airflow. A HEPA dust extractor is ideal, but I also ran it with a stout 5–9 gallon shop vac. The key is keeping the filter breathing. A cyclone pre-separator or bucket trap between the shroud and vac dramatically improves runtime by catching the heavy fines that quickly load a pleated filter.

Performance and dust capture

When used flat to the surface with a compatible vacuum, dust capture is excellent. The bristle skirt seals well, and the suction creates a consistent, contained grinding zone. I can’t say “no dust at all” because that depends on your vacuum and technique, but the amount that escapes is small enough that a quick sweep finishes the job. The big difference in air quality is undeniable—no silica haze hanging in the room, and no gritty film settling over every horizontal surface.

There is a learning curve. If you tilt the grinder prematurely or lift a side to peek at your progress, you break the seal and dust escapes. Work in overlapping passes, keep the shroud flat, and pause only after lifting completely off the slab. If your vacuum is especially strong, the shroud can feel “stuck” to the concrete. Crack the vac’s bleed (if it has one), or lighten up on your feed pressure and let the wheel do the work. I found a sweet spot where the shroud glides without starving the cup of airflow.

Edge work and the flush door

A small but very welcome feature is the hinged door for flush-edge grinding. Swing it up and you can bring the cup right against a wall or threshold. On my installs, this saved a lot of hand-chiseling around doorways. You do lose some suction efficiency with the door open, so expect slightly more dust near edges. I position the vacuum port trailing my direction of travel to keep hose drag from fighting me and to improve how fines get swept into the port.

The bristle skirt holds up better than I expected. After a couple of rooms, the tips showed wear but remained even, which keeps the seal consistent. Do avoid running the bristles into sharp rebar cutoffs or screw heads—like any brush, they don’t enjoy that.

Ergonomics and visibility

At roughly the size and weight you’d expect for a 5-in. shroud, it doesn’t make the grinder feel nose-heavy. The footprint is compact, and the nose profile gives you decent sight lines to your path. You can’t directly see the cup contacting the slab because the skirt is doing its job, so mark high spots and reference lines beforehand. The quick-release lever is easy to reach with gloves, and the housing survived a few clumsy tip-overs without cracking.

Noise is dominated by the vacuum, not the grinder. If you’re sensitive to high-pitched vacs, consider ear protection rated for both the grinder and the extractor—long grinds add up.

Real-world productivity

On high-spot leveling with a 5-in. cup, I could make steady, controlled passes without dust plumes forcing me to stop and ventilate. For mastic and thinset ridges, containment stayed effective until the vacuum filled or the filter loaded. Without a pre-separator, a smaller shop vac fills faster than you think; with a cyclone, I could grind for long stretches and empty a bucket instead of constantly tackling a caked filter. That difference alone pays back the cost of a separator if you do more than a one-off job.

The flush-edge door expands what you can do in occupied spaces because cleanup isn’t a multi-hour affair. I ground within inches of painted walls and finished cabinetry without coating everything in gray talc. That’s a big deal for remodelers working in lived-in homes.

Durability and maintenance

After each session, I pop the shroud off, blow out the inside, and clear the pivot door of packed fines. The latch and hinge hardware haven’t loosened, and the body hasn’t warped despite warm grinding dust and occasional knocks. The bristle ring is a wear item in any shroud; with reasonable care, it should see multiple projects before you’re thinking about replacement.

Limitations and gotchas

• Hose interface assumes the DWV9000 adapter. Budget and plan for it.
• Compatibility is best on DeWalt’s current 4-1/2 to 5-in. grinders. Older or off-brand grinders with narrower collars may need a shim or won’t clamp securely.
• Suction can make the shroud feel sticky on high-CFM vacs; manage airflow or your technique.
• Open the edge door only when you need it—dust capture is strongest with the door closed.
• This is a plastic accessory at a premium price. It’s well made, but you’re paying for a safety and cleanliness solution more than a lifetime heirloom.

Safety note

This shroud is a major step toward safer concrete grinding, but compliance with silica standards depends on the whole system: a compliant vacuum (high-efficiency filtration), proper hose/adapters, and your work practices. Wear a respirator when appropriate, especially in enclosed spaces.

Who it’s for

• Remodelers and flooring installers who need efficient, low-dust slab prep.
• DIYers tackling a basement or kitchen floor who want to keep the mess contained.
• Pros who already own a capable vacuum and want a reliable, quick-on/quick-off shroud.

If you’re running a collection of mixed-brand grinders or you don’t want to fuss with hose adapters, you’ll need to do a bit more homework to ensure a trouble-free setup.

Recommendation

I recommend the DeWalt 5-in. dust shroud. It captures dust effectively, installs and removes quickly, and the flush-edge door adds real utility around walls and thresholds. The two qualifiers are important: plan to buy the DWV9000 connector (or a proper reducer) for a secure hose fit, and confirm your grinder’s guard collar size if you’re not on a recent DeWalt body. With those boxes checked and paired to a decent vacuum—ideally with a pre-separator—the shroud turns messy, lung-irritating grinding into a controlled, predictable task. For the cost, you get cleaner air, faster cleanup, and fewer apologies to anyone sharing the workspace.