The before, during and after; flooring and substrate review within restoration projects.

The before starts when you arrive at the jobsite and perform the following: assess, evaluate and inspect the site for what is required within your scope of work. A detailed scope of work is produced along with the estimated costs, then a final review is performed to identify additional details of what is required to bring the site back to pre-loss condition.

As a Restoration Contractor, you review all the aspects of the building, from the floor to the roof and the walls therein, determining the 3 components; restore, clean and/or replacement is in order.

Analyzing the 3 options, this discussion is relative to flooring and substrates, the physical condition as appearance, physical structure, current damage and pre-loss damage, what testing is required prior to the installation of moisture sensitive flooring products and what is required to bring it back to pre-loss condition.

Each flooring product, carpet, area rug, wood, laminate, resilient (LVT/P, VCT sheet goods, etc..) ceramic or porcelain tile, marble and stone flooring; all have different qualities and specialized restoration cleaning methods and systems. During the initial review, a discussion is required and perhaps a test cleaning, versus a decision based on theory, to determine the correct action to perform. If the damage is easily seen or identified to the intensity of restoration, replacement may be the only option. Then of course the presence of biological growth, if discovered, a discussion with options for testing and remediation, (cleaning), is required, prior to any replacement process.

Once a decision on the floor covering is determined, the process of remediation, cleaning or replacement is finalized and the work commences.

Cleaning is just that, damage is more likely superficial, however if a restorative cleaning is required, the cleaning agents and equipment may be more advanced and specific to the level required.

Restoration as an example would be a marble or stone floor that requires honing, grinding the top layer off, of the surface, perhaps 1/64”-1/32”. Wood floor would be sanding; the grit count of the paper is relative to the condition of the planks. Then the re-coat material is applied. Ceramic and Porcelain would be a brush and vacuum system with cleaning agents. Resilient can also be a brush assist with vacuum; however, a detail inspection of the product construction and content is required first. All these flooring products would be best served if test cleaning is first performed.

Substrate is the surface or layer to which a floor covering is applied or installed. Concrete, wood, metal all have specific requirements for a successful bond between the substrate and flooring product.  

Concrete must be free of contaminates and foreign materials that can prevent a bond, it must be flat to the ratio as required by the installation method and manufacturer directions. Moisture sensitive floor products require concrete testing for moisture content prior to installation or application. This may require scarifying, sanding or shot blasting to prepare the surface.  Existing trench work is also a consideration for corrective work actions. Consideration for existing adhesives is important as removal can be a challenge due to content.

Wood substrate also should be tested for moisture content, depressions formed by framing distance, as 16” or 20” on center spacing, should be measured to determine if an additional layer of materials is needed or a self-leveling cementitious material applied.

The before of any project is the identification and classification of the work required to accomplish the desired result, returning the building to the original condition or a replacement with like, kind and quality based on the budget you must work with.