Top 5 raised floor tips!
16 October 2020
The saying goes ‘preparation is key’ and that is particularly accurate when considering installing raised access flooring. Having over 100 years industry experience across our contracts and sales team has ensured we have seen the good, bad and the ugly of the world of raised flooring. We have compiled our top 5 tips surrounding the topic of preparing to install raised flooring to help support your future projects, so here goes;
- Programme
This seems like a logical one and clearly thought out prior to anyone setting foot on site, however consulting your raised flooring contractor on the programme prior to starting the project is crucial. An expert in raised flooring will be able to advise if your expectations on install timeframes are logical and can be met, they will also challenge unreasonable expectations in advance to ensure there are no surprises further down the line.
- Sub Floor
If you place a table on a cobbled floor the chances are it’s going to rock, the same goes for raised floor hence the requirement to prepare it properly. A pre-start meeting with your raised flooring contractor will set expectations on what if any additional preparation is needed, such as filling in large holes and the potential requirement to ‘pack’ pedestals to level the finished raised floor.
- Services
The very nature of raised floor is that it allows for a considerable amount of services to be routed through it, however consideration must be given to when these services go in – before or after the raised floor. If considerable services go in before the raised floor you may need to allow for additional cost for working over services and a longer programme on the installation.
- Stock
The availability of materials is a particularly key consideration now more than ever and many supply chains have been impacted by the pandemic. If you are working with RMF and opting for our RMF Eco range product it is worth noting that there is no ‘recycled floor’ shop and it is subject to demand so it is key to engage in early discussions.
- Offload
There are a variety of points to consider around getting all raised flooring products into the project, firstly what delivery access is there on site and are timings restricted? Secondly are there ramps or steps into the building or the requirement to build a ramp? Lastly is there a lift or hoist with sufficient capacity to carry pallets of flooring up to the required floors? All site logistics should be considered prior to any works or deliveries commencing to avoid any programme delays or unnecessary cost.
As you can see the above tips give a simple overview of some of the considerations required prior to installing raised flooring. It also highlights how important it is to pick an experienced raised flooring contractor with a broad portfolio of working across a variety of sectors.
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