Short post, because the list is short. Ten minutes of preparation the night before is the difference between us starting at seven and us spending the first hour of daylight moving your things.
Everything comes out
Everything. Cars, bikes, the lawnmower, the trash barrels, the shelving, the bench, the second fridge, the boxes in the corner that have not moved in four years.
The reason is that we grind the entire slab including the perimeter, and anything against a wall means a strip of unground concrete under it. That strip is where the floor would eventually let go.
Where it goes: driveway, lawn, a neighbour's garage, a rented pod. If you have nowhere, tell us at the quote. It is a solvable problem and a much easier one to solve a week ahead.
Anything fixed to the floor
Bolted shelving, a floor mounted lift, gym flooring glued down, an old carpet strip. If it is attached to the slab, tell us before install day rather than on it.
Some of it we can remove and some of it changes the scope. Either way it is a conversation, not a surprise.
What can stay
Wall mounted cabinets and shelving are fine if they are high enough to work under. Ceiling storage is fine. Anything on the walls that we can mask around is fine.
What we need from the building
- Power. A standard outlet is usually enough for the vacuum. If we are bringing the big grinder we will discuss it beforehand.
- Water. An outside tap is ideal.
- A clear path. Equipment is heavy and comes in on wheels, so the driveway approach matters.
- Somewhere to put the dust extractor. Just outside the door, usually.
The two things that delay a start
A wet slab. If snow has been melting off cars for a fortnight, the concrete holds water and we cannot bond to it. Clearing the cars out two days early makes a real difference in winter.
A floor that is not empty. This is the one, and it is why it is at the top of this list.
What the day sounds like
Grinding is loud for a few hours and it runs with dust extraction, so the mess stays in the machine rather than in your house. It is worth mentioning to a neighbour if they work from home.
After grinding the day gets quiet. Repairs, basecoat, flake and topcoats are all comparatively undramatic.
When you get it back
You can walk on it that evening. Cars go back on in 24 to 48 hours depending on temperature, and we tell you which before we leave. Do not put a rug, a mat or a cardboard box down on it for the first week, because the coating is still hardening and anything sitting on it can print.
Related
- The full process, step by step
- Winter installs and what a wet slab means
- How to look after it afterwards
Reference
Substrate condition, including moisture, is part of the preparation requirement rather than a detail of scheduling. The International Concrete Repair Institute covers substrate assessment alongside its surface profile guidance.