Profiling Concrete & Wood SubFloors To Remove Thinset, Staples, Paint, Contaminants
An important key to a long-lasting, beautiful floor is to have the concrete or wood subfloor professionally “profiled.” This is a mechanical grinding process that removes all contaminants from the surface such as stains, sealers, paint overspray, and various types of glue or adhesives to leave a surface that is flatter and more easily bonded to the new flooring material.
Here is a video that shows how we profile concrete after we removed carpet, padding, and tackstrip to remove old adhesives, sealers and other contaminants that interfere with bonding.
Concrete profiling also helps to significantly flatten your subfloors prior to the installation of new flooring. Please note that companies who use Ride-on-floor scrapers can’t provide these types of results.
Complete removal of all foreign materials from the subfloors is preferred, but the actual requirements depend on the replacement flooring. Laying carpet is more forgiving than all types of tile or stone will be when it comes to needing a level and clean subfloor.
If one is thinking of going with an industrial look achievable with a concrete stain, even more care must be given to the concrete with the removal of all staples, paints, varnish, and adhesives.
Decorative flourishes are available for commercial or residential properties. These can be as simple as adding a colored cement or a stain to the top layer when resurfacing or designing intricate patterns with the use of metallic pigments, quartz aggregates or color chips, and concrete dyes. Each of these choices adds a unique touch to any home or business.
When one decides on the industrial look for their floor, they believe it to be as simple as grinding the concrete flooring and adding the chosen stain or flourishes. This assumption is costly and can be very time-consuming. One could find soft concrete or other issues that delay and vastly increase the necessary budget to apply a decorative concrete finish.
Most of these possible issues are not easily seen until the complete removal of all floor coverings, such as Slate, Saltillo, Travertine, Wood and the subfloor is visible. The homeowner or business should always have a second choice ready if the budget is not great enough to cover the additional charges repair or leveling can incur.
Since an assortment of tile, luxury vinyl plank, hardwood, or stone is the most popular flooring options right now, one should understand these choices require the subfloor, whether wood or concrete, to be completely cleared of contamination and flat so the new materials properly adhere to it.
Wood subfloors are most often found on staircases or in upstairs areas. These need to have the paint splashes, protruding staples or nails, and the previous thinset or other adhesives removed before proceeding with a renovation. The process is essentially the same as profiling concrete subfloors, and just about as messy and dust-producing.
Here is a video that shows how we prepare the wood subfloors before your new flooring is put down.
Proper profiling of the subfloors is very important when the new floor requires adhesion to a level surface. Without a clean subfloor, there can be loose or hollow sounding tiles caused by bonding issues leading to expensive repairs, and sometimes, even pulling up specific areas or replacing all the new flooring.
The subfloor will have a sidewalk-like quality to it after the profiling, bringing it back to bare concrete. It is now ready for the next step of the remodel with the best surface possible for a strong bond between the subfloor, the chosen adhesive, and the new flooring materials.
The process of grinding concrete or wood subfloors causes a great amount of dust and debris when done correctly.
Here is a video showing how we profile stairs:
Here is another video showing profiling wood subfloors:
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has very stringent requirements to be followed on all projects which create concrete silica dust, as it is a known carcinogen.
Silica dust causes lung cancer, COPD, kidney disease, and ultimately, death. Although the worst of the effects come about by repeated exposure to respirable silica, any inhalation of the dust causes irreparable harm. Silica dust is created by any grinding, cutting, drilling, sawing, or crushing of concrete, tile and stone, rock and brick, or thinset and mortar adhesives; the majority of these are involved in flooring.
The video below shows what it looks like removing an actual subfloor during a tile removal project:
The silica dust created by demolition circulates through a home or business for months after the initial remodeling project. As each square foot of flooring removal generates up to a pound of dust during removal, even a 97% capture rate (as offered by many demolition businesses) can leave pounds of silica particulates floating through each room and in air conditioning vents and units long after the job is done.
Having a licensed contractor remove the flooring and professionally profiling the wood or concrete subfloors is important so the flooring removal is done correctly, and to minimize the aftereffects of silica dust and debris.
DustRam® Certified Contractors have the knowledge, processes, and equipment necessary to complete these tasks dust free and in compliance with all OSHA requirements. These contractors do not use plastic sheeting, water, or fans to minimize dust; they are able to capture the dust at its point of creation so zero particulates are released into the living space.
DustRam® premium equipment includes a wide assortment of products to be used together to create a dustless removal experience. These items are sold as a package or even individually to licensed contractors looking to distinguish themselves from the everyday competition and provide a dust free promise for their crew members and elite clientele.
When used for the profiling of wood and concrete subfloors, DustRam® hardware removes hundreds of micro high spots, easily and cleanly helping to add flatness to the area, so the subfloor is immediately ready for the next step of the flooring project.
PulseRam® is the vacuum system designed to collect all dust and much of the debris created by the profiling of the subfloors. It complies with OSHA requirements to have 99.97% efficiency for its filtration as well as HEPA filters with even greater efficiency for jobs that must be done in hospitals, clean environments, or other job sites that require all dust to be captured.
By using the SurfRam® grinding shroud and either the large or small size of the EdgeRam® used for closer edging, the operator is assured of a speedy, dust free process with the best results. The grinding shroud also meets OSHA requirements and helps the crew member to ensure the dustless profiling of the subfloor.
EdgeRam® allows the operator to get closer than ever before to walls, cabinets, and appliances without causing damage. A DustRam® contractor offers a better profile job with the use of these and other tools available, all dust free.
If one is looking for decorative flair, additional investigation into companies able to provide the best services is required. General profiling can certainly get the subfloor to bare concrete, but more effort will be necessary to have it ready for the designer’s look.
The wood and concrete profiling provided by DustRam® Certified Contractors leaves the subfloor clear of dirt, protruding (staples, screws or nails), adhesive glues, paint spills, and even pet stains, so it is ready for the brand-new flooring the homeowner desires. They also complete the whole job dust free at a comparable price for the value offered with the results being superior to any other methods for removal available.
Follow the link to find a certified DustRam® Contractor to complete your removal project dust free or to find out more about certification for crew members and the equipment available for speedy, clean flooring removal.
You may complete the form below and upload pictures of your project:
Arizona Home Floors Tile Removal - Contact Form - Free Project Estimate
This form is for homeowners or businesses, new and existing, who have questions about a dust-free tile or flooring removal project. The more information we have about your home and the flooring you have, the more accurate we can be when giving an estimate on removal costs. Please fill out the form below or give us a call today.