Floor Prep & Leveling

Every floor we install is only as good as the surface under it. Most of the problems people blame on flooring, like seams opening, tiles cracking and planks clicking or lifting, start with a floor that was not flat, not clean or not dry. Prep is the part of the job nobody sees once it is covered, and it is the part we will not rush.

Old flooring rarely comes up clean. Carpet glue, vinyl mastic and old thinset leave a layer on the concrete that new adhesives will not bond to reliably. We remove it by grinding the slab with dust collection running, which also opens up the surface so patch and leveler can grip. Black adhesive in older buildings can contain asbestos, so we ask for it to be tested before anyone grinds or scrapes it.

Cracks, holes and low spots get filled with a cement-based patching compound and feathered out flat. When a floor is out of flat across a whole room, we prime the concrete and pour a self-leveling underlayment. It flows out to a flat surface on its own, but only if the slab is clean and primed, the edges and openings are dammed and the mix is right. Poured over a dirty or unprimed slab, it can crack and come loose under the new floor.

Moisture is the other half of prep. Concrete can feel dry on the surface and still be pushing water vapor up from below, and that moisture is what breaks down flooring adhesives. We test slabs before glue-down installations and compare the readings with what the flooring and adhesive manufacturers allow. When a slab is too wet, we tell you and lay out the options: more drying time, a moisture-control treatment or a different flooring system.

On wood subfloors, prep means refastening loose sheets, replacing water-damaged sections and sanding raised seams. In occupied offices, schools and homes we plan the loud and dusty work with you ahead of time, and we leave the site clean at the end of every day. When the prep is right, the new floor has nothing to fight, and that is most of what makes a floor last.