Today, the “Need for Speed” (NFS) has become an expression spoken, heard, and read everywhere. So much, in fact, that if one Googles it, in roughly 1.16 seconds, over two billion NFS links will pop up. Regarding accelerating processes within the construction sector, it has become more than evident, especially for those closely monitoring timelines, that professionally managed scheduling ultimately satisfies so much for so many.
A large, new urban multi-family high-rise project is about to break ground; the overall construction schedule begins. Think about how many different skilled trades must perform at the same job site from groundbreaking to grand opening. Ideally, when each of these trades is finished with their respective assignment, the next contractor “in line for that area,” is immediately alerted to be “up,” and their people promptly begin. If this regimen is adhered to, ultimately everyone is pleased…in particular, the building ’s owner.
Generally speaking, what must be considered in expediting this NFS?
• Following manufacturer and industry guidelines
• New user-friendly products must be accepted by contractors
• Educating contractors more today than yesterday is imperative
• Financial risk is unacceptable
• Labor shortages must be acknowledged
• Compression of the construction timeline
• Pursuit of perfection (a mindset of “no room for mistakes”)
• The need for new surfacing installation products that save on installation time, offer self-leveling, sound-dampening, and more.
“We acknowledge and embrace the importance of this new reality,” stated Scott Banda, Bostik ’s Director of Marketing and Business Development. “The marketplace needs high-technology solutions for every stage of surfacing installation (surface preparation, applying mortar, grouting, and sealing). Hardwood installation products also must cure as fast or faster than ever before. This expedites the process, allowing flooring contractors the luxury of ‘confidently leaving early’ and makes it possible for the next trade in line to begin their magic on schedule.”
New floor-prep underlayment products are making their way into the marketplace that offer fast-setting, low shrinkage, and superior leveling qualities that make them ideal for time-sensitive applications in on-, above-, or below-grade applications.
These NFS-type products are what helped get wood specified for one of the most focal of all American commercial projects in 2018, The National Veterans Memorial Museum in Columbus, Ohio, a project which was first featured in the June/July issue of Hardwood Floors.
Regarding that project, Tony Stalford of The Final Floor, a commercial flooring installation specialist from Sugar Grove, Ohio, stated, “At first, when we checked out the exact RH (relative humidity) in the concrete flooring, it was very high. So, we spoke with Chris Hardsaw of Lanham Hardwood Flooring Distributors, and Adam Abell of Bostik. Collectively, we decided it would be best to use a covering product that would be appropriate for the moisture conditions in the slab and because we knew that moving forward, the NVVM would have an enormous amount of indoor foot traffic.”
Like it or not, we all must accept that NFS (Need for Speed) today is a necessity and the “Need for Rapid Flooring Installation” is part of that within the commercial construction sector.
Scott Banda summed it all up by stating, “We’re all business people. And because of that, we know that time is money. We want our contractors to be successful in not only continuously providing impeccable flooring installations, but to also be successful financially. By correctly utilizing state-of-the-art installation systems that address today’s NFS, each and every project ends up being successful…and ultimately, everybody involved wins.”
Ron Treister is the President/Owner of Communicators International Inc. He can be reached at rlt@communicatorsintl.com.