Step 02
Floor preparation.
The stage that decides how well a commercial floor sits, performs and lasts.
In detail
What this step covers.
More commercial floors fail from poor preparation than from anything else. Skip it or rush it and the consequences arrive months later: edges lifting, hollow patches underfoot, moisture pushing through, and wear showing up in all the wrong places.
So every subfloor gets stripped, ground, levelled and moisture-tested by our team before any flooring goes down, using specialist removal and dust-extraction machinery. Having the preparation in our hands means the quality, the sequencing and the timing are being looked after from day one.
- 01
Assessing the Slab and Testing for Moisture
Nothing starts until we have looked over the existing subfloor and run moisture testing on it — the flooring system only gets committed to once we know the base underneath is dry, solid and fit to take it.
- 02
Removal & Strip-Out
A ride-on removal machine lifts the old coverings and adhesive, which clears large commercial floor plates far quicker and far more cleanly than working by hand.
- 03
Grinding Back and Correcting the Surface
High spots, laitance and leftover residues are ground back until the slab is clean and mechanically sound, which is what new adhesives and flooring systems need to bond to.
- 04
Levelling & Screeding
Professional levelling and screeding compounds bring the substrate back to a genuinely flat plane, so the finished floor reads straight to the eye and wears evenly once heavy foot traffic starts.
- 05
Prep Done Clean and Site-Ready
Dust is pulled off at the source by industrial extraction gear, which keeps the work area cleaner and safer — a real advantage on staged, occupied or still-trading commercial sites.
Prep & subfloor systems we trust
The right prep products under every floor
A high-performing commercial floor starts with the substrate beneath it.
Nothing gets laid until the slab underneath has been checked and brought up to the standard the chosen flooring system needs. Depending on what we find, that means grinding back, levelling, moisture testing required to create a level, dry and sound surface.
Working with established preparation and levelling products, we build the right foundation for commercial flooring designed to perform under demanding conditions and ongoing foot traffic.
The prep brands we trust
Our equipment
The machinery we own, and why it matters
Owning our commercial floor preparation equipment means we are not waiting on anyone else to start work.
With removal and dust-extraction machines on hand, our team can go straight from stripping the old floor into preparing the substrate, instead of building hire schedules into the programme.
Ride-on removal machine
Built for clearing large commercial floor plates, a ride-on removal machine lifts old coverings and stuck-down adhesive in a fraction of the time hand tools would take.
- Big floor areas cleared in far less time
- Less hand-stripping, fewer hold-ups on the programme
- Old floor coverings and adhesive both come up cleanly
- A substrate ready to move straight into grinding
Industrial dust-extraction unit
Any grinding or surface preparation throws up serious amounts of dust. Our industrial extraction unit draws it away right at the head of the machine, keeping the work area cleaner and much easier to control.
- Grinding and prep done without the mess
- Far less dust left hanging in the air
- Better for anyone else working in or using the building
- Workable on sites that are still trading or occupied
Spec support
Got a subfloor that needs sorting?
Old covering to strip, high spots to grind, a slab to level, or moisture to test for — our team can get the substrate right and then supply and lay the new commercial flooring, all as part of the one coordinated job.