Seamless Flooring Surface Preparation

A critical step in a truly seamless flooring installation is the expert preparation of the substrate surface for the application of the floor coating. The long life of your new floor depends on it. By preparing the surface with the right amount of profile or tooth, we can ensure a proper bond of the coatings to the substrate, extending your floor’s strength, durability, and beauty.

Surface Solutions considers a number of factors when determining the type of surface preparation required for the installation of your industrial flooring:

• Surface type. The industrial flooring surfaces we encounter most often are concrete, aluminum, and galvanized or ferrous metal and steel.
• Facility environment. We evaluate temperature, moisture, traffic, and cleaning schedule.
• Flooring system or coating selection. We ensure compliance with the manufacturer’s specifications.
• State of contamination. We will ensure all surfaces are clean and free of dirt, rust, sealers, loose paint, glossy coating, chemicals, grease, oil, and other contaminants prior to the application of a new flooring system.

Surface Solutions’ flooring specialists get to work removing, dulling, spot-priming, and cleaning the existing surface. We use a variety of preparation techniques and equipment:

Cutting

We perform routing of cracks and joints to provide a smooth surface for the application of the floor coating. We also use specialized saws that allow us to make decorative cuts, including arcs and tuckpointing.

Shot blasting

Shot blasting is a cost-effective method of preparing concrete and steel surfaces that enables us to strip, clean, and profile simultaneously without requiring additional drying time or the costly disposal of materials. We achieve an array of surface profiles by adjusting the shot size, flow rate, and speed.

Grinding and polishing

Planetary grinders, diamond grinders, and polishers are used to quickly cut through heavy, built-up adhesives, elastomeric coatings, and waterproof membranes. We prepare concrete for decorative or functional applications by removing surface imperfections, coatings, and residues, and then smooth and flatten the slab. Especially useful when applying thin coatings, grinding machines also polish concrete to a high shine and restore old slabs for architectural finishes such as staining or densifying.

Scarifying

Used for concrete, asphalt, and steel surfaces, scarifiers use steel or carbide-tipped cutters to fracture or abrade the surface, removing oil, contaminants, traffic lines, and paint.

Scraping and stripping

Ride-on scraping machines remove tile, mortar, grout beds, tough mastics, adhered membranes, and floor coverings. An array of scraping teeth are used to remove carpet, tile, wood, vinyl composite tile (VCT), and more.

Dust Collection

Dust collectors and vacuums are designed for surface preparation projects to reduce airborne dust and particulate for a cleaner, safer work environment.

Surface Solutions partners with these exceptional equipment suppliers to ensure customized surface preparation:

SASE Company, LLC

SASE engineers and manufactures industrial concrete preparation and polishing equipment, including the PDG 8000 for durable, precision grinding; and industrial vacuum technology for maintaining a clean, dust-free environment essential for high-performance flooring installations.

Blastrac®

A global leader in portable surface preparation technologies and equipment, including shot blasting machines (centrifugal wheel blast) and dust collectors that are economical and environmentally friendly.

See a showcase of completed projects and contact our Indianapolis headquarters using the form below or request a free quote.

INDUSTRIAL FLOORING CASE STUDIES

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