Sometimes lifting concrete slabs with polyurethane is about more than just making something structurally sound and level again. In every town there are buildings sitting empty because the floors are not in sufficient shape for use by a business. Imagine the service a concrete leveling contractor can provide by bringing slabs back into tolerance and allowing an empty space to become a revenue stream for the building owner. This is what our contractor in Omaha Nebraska,The Rite Touch, did recently.
In downtown Omaha there are a lot of historic buildings. Located on the site of the old stockyards, there is a building constructed in 1911 that had been used as a parts depot for many years; including parts for World War II era Jeeps. Some of those are still there. The owners of the building have converted some of it into a commercial laundry equipment distribution facility, but there was a section with sagging floors that really couldn’t be used effectively.
Some research on the internet led them to our customer in Omaha, The Rite Touch. They have been doing concrete lifting and leveling for a few years now (in addition to spray foam and polyurea flooring systems). This particular lift was a little tricky because the concrete literally had a belly, or sag, down the center. The owner’s idea was to create an office space with partitions / cubicles for small businesses. However, the current floor condition would have everyone’s office chair rolling to the center of the building. Not good! How would the floor react as they tried to bring it up a couple of inches? I was onsite as a consultant to help them find out!
We gave ourselves a reward to shoot for if the lift was successful; a big slab of Omaha prime rib. With that as a motivation we got to work slowly working our way across the floor and back. Using zip levels, dial indicators, and instinct developed from other jobs, we slowly brought the old floor back into tolerance. The product we selected for this project was AP Lift 430 and it worked beautifully. The new MixMaster Pro injection gun performed as advertised and allowed for an efficient installation of the poly foam. Although we had to drill multiple holes for the targeted injections, we only used three total injection ports.
Now the final touches are being added to this soon-to-be office space. The owners will have multiple tenants paying rent and a once unusable space as a revenue generating property. If you’re a property owner with a similar issue, call us to get hooked up with a contractor who can help. If you’re a contractor, keep your eyes peeled for similar opportunities. They are all over the place. Now, about that prime rib….