When you decide your building needs a serious floor upgrade, you can’t just hire any old commercial flooring company and hope for the best. You need a reliable company that will coordinate schedules, prepare the site, manage moisture and movement, and ensure that every layer performs as intended.
Understanding how the installation process works will help you plan your budgets, reduce downtime, minimise frustration and ensure that the floor lasts as long as it should. Here are some of the things you can expect to happen as part of the installation process:
Assessing and Preparing The Substrate
Before the tiles or mats go down, a good installer will carefully study the subfloor. They will check for things like moisture and structural cracks, correcting any issues before applying the new flooring. Poor preparation at this stage is a common cause of failure.
For example, if the underlying slab is too damp, the installer might apply a moisture-control membrane to prevent future adhesive failure. Or if the floor surface is uneven beyond tolerance, they might grind or level it to get it perfect.
Layout and Planning On Site
Next, the installation team will mark critical lines, such as centrelines, expansion zones, wall junctions, and doorway thresholds, before positioning any flooring materials. They will coordinate where expansion joint covers, control joint strips, tactile indicators, and stair nosings will sit relative to walls, columns, doorways, and corners.
This stage is important to maximise performance and aesthetics. When properly aligned, movement joints will allow thermal expansion to be accommodated without cracking finishes.
Product Installation
Depending on the material, such as vinyl, entry mats, stair nosing, or joint strips, the crew proceeds with the respective technique:
- For vinyl flooring, they spread adhesive, position sheets or planks, and roll the surface to remove bubbles and ensure a strong bond.
- For entry mats or joint strips, they may fasten frames first, then insert the mat module or trim to size.
- For safety stair nosing and tactile indicators, these are fixed at the edges before adjacent flooring is laid to ensure proper alignment and slip resistance.
Each product has specific tolerances in terms of its placement, alignment, edge clearance, and movement allowance. The most experienced teams will adhere strictly to manufacturer instructions to ensure the best results.
Inspection, Finishing and Clean-Up
Once installed, the surface will be inspected under different light angles. Any gaps, raised edges, bubbles, or adhesives creeping out will be corrected during this stage. This is also when things like transition mouldings and skirtings are fitted. Finally, the floor will be cleaned of any remaining residues and dust.
Depending on the type of flooring and its application, a protective coating or seal may also be applied to finish it off. After final checks for safety and alignment, the surface will typically need to undergo a curing or dwell period before it’s ready for use.
What You Should Expect In Your Engagement
When you work with a professional commercial flooring company, expect to see a clear timeline with dependencies and a defined scope covering substrate work, installation, and inspection. You should also expect regular site walkthroughs with the contractor to check on moisture levels, alignment, and product compatibility.
If you want your next project installation handled precisely by a professional commercial flooring company, contact Sun Synergy to discuss your flooring, joint covers or safety product needs.
