FAQs

Raised access flooring creates an open plan, versatile and flexible environment. It delivers power, telecoms, data and services precisely where required in a hidden but accessible space which is easily re-configured.

Access floors play a number of different roles in today’s increasingly high-tech environment and it is important to identify the proposed function of your installation. A key point is that a floor void in a busy comms area will need to be accessed almost daily, while a floor in a general office area will only need to be lifted occasionally. Please take a look at our products to select the best solution for each area of your project or feel free to call us on 01480 281000 for an initial discussion.

This really depends on how your floor will be used, but in our experience a few extra millimetres at the design stage will save a load of problems later. A common mistake is not to make enough allowance for tolerances in the construction of the sub-floor, especially with concrete planks which are cambered. We can install flooring systems down to a minimum of 60mm overall for refurbishment projects, but this does reduce the usable void to 30mm, which will restrict potential use. If space permits we would recommend a minimum design void of 100mm to accommodate power and data, increasing to 150mm if you plan to include pipe-work for radiators.

Comms and data areas should be slightly higher as there are always extra services required at some later stage and the extra void enables cabling to be turned up into cabinets more smoothly. Large comms rooms may need to have a 600mm void or even higher to accommodate underfloor air conditioning – we have done at least one installation that we could walk under without bending down!

All the systems we supply are fully adjustable within their designated ranges. The various types of steel pedestals each have a designated range and an accurate pre-installation laser level survey identifies the quantity of each size required. Using this type of under-structure, the installation of an access floor can convert your uneven sub-floor to a flat and level working platform for following trades.

We have done plenty of installations on plywood, chipboard and other wooden sub-floors provided these are reasonably level – if you’re in any doubt, please ask us to have a look. As our under-structure needs to be bonded with an adhesive which sticks well to concrete, wood, or steel, we usually recommend removing vinyl or lino floor coverings prior to installation. Concrete planks should not pose a problem as long as the manufacturer of the planks is made aware that a raised floor is to be installed on them and prepares the surface accordingly. We have also done several installations directly on to beam and block floors, but we always recommend that you check the point load specifications with the relevant beam and block manufacturer.

There are different schools of thought on this one. Access flooring should ideally not be considered until the building is watertight and plastering and other wet trades have been completed. As regards co-ordinating underfloor services, we would usually expect to see heating pipe-work installed prior to the access floor. Electrical services and data cabling are a slightly different issue – these are often quite fragile and can be damaged if not protected by the floor. A good compromise is to install containment just before our works, with panels then being lifted to fit the more fragile components. Suspended ceilings are just before or just after us and skirtings need to follow behind. We are always happy to help with the co-ordination of the works.

No – all kinds of premises have access floors nowadays. We have completed a 4000m2 installation in a college block with all the services in the floor, eliminating the need for a suspended ceiling. Schools, shops, police stations, fitness centres, hospitals, production facilities and museums all feature in our list of previous installations.

We’re often asked if our raised floors will support partitions or whether they need to be built off the sub-floor. The answer is that office partitioning usually increases floor loading by no more than 1kN per m2, which can easily be carried by any of our systems. This in turn will make the routing of services in the underfloor void much simpler and means that office re-configuration at a later stage will not leave holes in the raised floor.

If you are installing carpet tiles in a general office area it is usual to use the standard (and usually cheaper) 500 x 500mm tiles for the access floor. Lifting the floor does mean lifting two rows of carpet tiles for each row of access panels, but as long as the carpet has been correctly fixed with tackifier adhesive this is not difficult. It is usually a mistake to use loose carpet tiles in a comms room – we really prefer a bonded vinyl finish as this is harder wearing and much easier to clean, but factory bonded 600 x 600mm static conductive carpet tiles are also an option.

We are happy to supply components for repair and replacement of any type of raised floor.

The MOB PS/PSU specification was introduced in 1982 by the now defunct Property Services Agency in response to problems that occurred in the early days of access flooring, and this has helped considerably to make installations in the UK probably the best in the world. The use of access flooring has changed vastly since the standard was written – or last modified in 1992 – and it is fair to say that a fair amount of it is not really relevant to ordinary office use rather than the main frame computer rooms which brought about the birth of raised floors. The requirements of the PSA standard have resulted in the use of steel encased panels rather than the edge-banded panels with steel stuck to the top and bottom which are more widely used in Europe. The experience of our Special Works team in reinstating old floors has given us a strong preference for fully encased panels due to their long-term performance.