Floor preparation — commonly shortened to "floor prep" — encompasses all work performed on an existing substrate to make it suitable for new flooring installation. This includes patching cracks and holes, grinding high spots, filling low areas with leveling compound, removing old adhesive residue, and mitigating moisture emissions. Floor prep is consistently one of the most difficult line items to estimate accurately in commercial flooring, because substrate conditions are often unknown until demolition exposes the slab.
The challenge with floor prep is that actual conditions are often concealed until existing flooring is removed. A concrete slab that looks acceptable through existing VCT may have extensive cracking or high moisture emissions once the tile is pulled up. Experienced estimators build contingency into prep line items or include explicit contract language defining what prep is included and what conditions trigger additional charges.
One of the most common sources of cost overruns in commercial flooring contracts is underestimated floor prep. Clear scope language — specifying what prep is included at the bid price and what triggers a change order — is essential to protecting project margin.
Novi Bid is built for commercial flooring stores — from takeoff to signed contract.
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