TIME: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Have you ever been on a construction site, huddled in a group of people with a couple of those people passionately discussing how the as-constructed conditions of the concrete slab do not meet the requirements for installing floor finishes, while the other party is passionately defending how their concrete slab meets the specified tolerances, while the Contractor/Construction Manager, Owner and Consultants stand by helplessly pulling their hair out or wishing they were having a root canal instead of being involved in this conversation again?? You are not alone, no matter which one of the participants you are!!
But there is hope...
This session will address common misconceptions associated with acceptable concrete finishing tolerances resulting in unacceptable substrate tolerances for applied floor coverings. We will discuss the industry recognized differential between these two Work Results and identify potential solutions to avoid claims, reduce scheduling delays and appropriately identify specification components to appropriate trades.
Years of division between the affected trades and an under appreciation of the methods they use to assess their work has contributed to animosity and negative attitudes that do not help to resolve the differential tolerances that arise due to the natural tendency of concrete to deform as it cures and dries. The typical approach when out-of-tolerance conditions are identified is to “make someone fix the problem at no cost to the project”. This is unfair and typically results in costs being included by several trades on the same project to offset that risk without the knowledge of the Owner. In other cases, costs for corrections may not have been included and will be performed at the loss of the trade tasked to correct the differential tolerances.
Corrections to align naturally deformed concrete that meets concrete finishing tolerances to meet the tighter tolerances required for installation of finished flooring do not always form a part of the specification and can become costly when encountered on projects. Awareness of the contributing factors can be addressed in the specification and create opportunities for Contractors and Consultants to work collaboratively to present cost effective solutions to Owners before problems arise on the job site. The goal being to keep the “surprise” costs to a minimum through coordination, appropriate allocation of risk and recognizing the role of specialty floor preparation requirements in the specifications.