Our people are passionate and form competent, compliant teams for major projects. We cultivate growth and development for sustainable careers.
We cover the whole spectrum of labour, trades and professionals, enabling us to create bespoke solutions for countless projects.
Following our recent Investments in plant and equipment, we have an enviable portfolio of plant and equipment to call upon to carry out our works to the very highest standards with the very best machinery.
The machines available currently include 2no. S-22E, the latest Laser screed and we have invested in the Roller flow head to achieve the best level and flatness and improve finishing properties of the concrete.
We also have 2no. SXP-D machines, 3no. SXP machines, 2no. S240's, along with other variations of the Laser Screed machines capable of laying in smaller areas and on top of upper floors and mezzanines.
Our main Laser Screeds can produce up to 3,000㎡ of high quality, high tolerance floor slabs, on a daily basis per machine.
With careful selection of equipment, methodology and bay layout we can achieve very high tolerance concrete floors, regularly achieving FM1. More generally FM2 tolerances (Free Movement where mechanical handling equipment can move over all areas of the slab) are specified and are easily achieved by our skilled and experienced workforce. This is a common specification for distribution centres and warehouses.
Similarly on defined movement (Very Narrow Aisle, High Bay Racking - high tolerance specified in warehouses that are over 13m in height) DM1 tolerances can be achieved with minimal grinding.
Our Laser Screeds can work with steel fibre and conventional mesh specifications producing slab designs in accordance with latest concrete society TR34 (2013) 4th edition.
Ground bearing, suspended slabs, & even slabs to falls can be constructed using Laser Screed machinery.
Generally achieving flatness tolerances FM3 & FM4. Outputs for our manual lay techniques are normally up to 1,200㎡ being poured on a daily basis.
Our hand laying techniques can also be adopted to produce areas laid to falls allowing water etc. to run off to drainage discharge points, e.g. linear drains or gullies. This is particularly useful in warehouses producing drinks, in fish and meat processing areas etc. Areas of up to 1,000㎡ per day can be achieved dependent upon layout and falls.
Tighter tolerances can be achieved with careful planning and use of narrow bay construction.
We have a highly skilled and experienced workforce that is capable of working not only mechanically but manually as well.
The skill sets and training of our teams allows us to carry out various hand laying methodologies with ease and in comfort knowing that whatever construction technique is adopted, our teams can execute the works with skill and achieving all the requirements of specification.
Reinforcement for this technique can also be traditional mesh and steel fibres. Traditional rebar solutions can also be catered for heavily loaded, suspended floor slabs.
We Hand Laying construction techniques can also be used for producing External Hard standings. Using this construction technique daily productivity can be doubled easily over the traditional long strip method. External areas are normally brush finished to provide a textured surface for traffic and ease grip during winter conditions.
Our teams are sometimes called upon to use a traditional long strip method of construction whereby shuttered forms are laid out in long narrow strips, around 4-5m wide. This allows for greater level control typically down VNA racking areas where DM1 tolerances are called for and where the large bay Laser Screed methodology cannot be used. The narrow strips allow heavy highway floating and flattening techniques to be carried out across the long strip length of the individual slabs. Very high tolerance slabs used to be known as 'Superflat' or 'Cat 1 slabs'.
Out put per day using this method is restricted to around 500-700㎡ per day per team.
Our highly skilled workforce often works on upper floor slabs on metal decking, pre-cast planks and many other different forms of decking.
Reinforcement can be positioned prior to casting slabs and usually takes the form of traditional mesh and some rebar located at strategic locations.
We do not supply the metal decking which is normally installed by the decking manufacturer prior to our arrival on site. We then install the reinforcement and place concrete. Output is normally based upon around 800㎡ per day although larger areas are possible under ideal circumstances.
To add value engineering to your contract, We can offer a design and build package that is bespoke for any particular floor slab. We employ a number of external structural engineers who are able to design the most economical floor slab construction for the specified slab loadings.
We have our own Professional Indemnity (PI) insurance which is backed by our external design engineers.
This approach can not only make your floor slabs more economical in terms of the designed depth and reinforcement but it can also reduce the construction period on site by gearing the design to the chosen construction technique.
Our designers are all very experienced in floor slab construction and design and regularly work with us and they are therefore fully aware of our preferred techniques and methodology.
Our design build packages provide an initial interrogation of the design requirements, full design calculations and detail construction drawings and as built drawings upon completion.?Where suitable we can provide a full design & warranty solution backed by our PI insurance and that of our consultants.
We source designs from consultants having an extensive history specifically in the design of concrete flooring and also with long working relationships with us.
Where a full design is not required we can also provide assistance and outline suggestions to find the quickest, most economical solution to give to your designers
We have the knowledge, expertise and skilled tradesmen to rectify all types of un-wanted floor slab issues. We can also up-grade your slabs breathing new life and appearance into a well-used investment.
We can generally respond rapidly to maintain, upgrade and repair slabs that are showing signs of distress, wear or simply require an aesthetic uplift:
Slab polishing: We are able to offer a system of diamond polishing a slab's surface to produce a bright shiny, easy to clean and extremely hard and durable finish.
We employ several solutions to make good floor joint arris damage which can disrupt the speedy flow of mechanical handling equipment. Arris damage can cause damage to the wheels and suspension of forklift trucks and can be a dangerous health and safety hazard. Badly damaged joints can even cause a racking aisle to be closed down until repairs are completed.
Cracks in concrete floor slabs are a common occurrence. Most cracking is simply a case of drying shrinkage, however more serious cracking can be as a result of overloading or high impact damage. We can inspect your slabs and advise you on the likely cause of cracking and the best way to make them good using tried and tested robust crack repair methodology.
Repairs to surface damage, for example from spillages, wear or delamination
If a concrete floor slab has surface damage from spillages, wear, impact delamination etc. We can inspect, report and make good using a variety of techniques to cover most issues.
If a floor slab is dusty, hard to clean and needs a re-seal we have several sealers that can be applied to help with your cleanliness and maintenance.
If you have removed existing racking, bollards or even had an accident where something cast into the slab has been hit and damaged then we have the expertise to make good most issues using a variety of techniques and materials to renovate the slab and bring it back into serviceability.
External slabs can lose their textured brush finish due to a variety of reasons and this can cause health and safety issues with vehicles and MHE skidding particularly in wet conditions. We have solutions that can re-texture your external slabs to re-instate texture and therefore grip.
External yards can suffer surface frost damage causing concrete to 'pit', break down slab edge joints resulting in arris damage etc. Jointing materials may become aged and lose or exceed their flexibility. We can make good damage and replace jointing materials as necessary
Our experienced teams are fully trained in all types of materials: two and three-part epoxy resin systems, cementitious, MMA type materials and a variety of other solutions.
Dry Shake Sprinkles are a blend of aggregates and cements bagged into 25kg bags or supplied in bulk 1 Tonne bags which are mainly used for application by a dry shake spreader machine.
The dry powder material is applied to freshly laid concrete and relies on the free water in the parent concrete to hydrate the cements in the powder blend. The hydrated material then bonds monolithically with the sub concrete to form a hard wearing, abrasion resistant and sometimes coloured surface to the slab.
Why use Dry Shake Sprinkles?
Dry Shakes have been used for many years and have a proven track record. It is important though to use an experienced installer.
Some of the advantages of using a dry shake sprinkle include:-
To provide a fibre suppressant in steel fibre reinforced concrete floor slabs.
Steel fibre slabs have steel fibres reinforcing the concrete three dimensionally. Inevitably fibres are then present in the top and on the top of the concrete slab. These fibres need to be covered over to provide a consistent finish to the slab.
To provide an enhanced abrasion resistance making the wearing surface of the slab less likely to wear quickly under normal working conditions.
Dry shake material composition and careful selection of aggregate types. Aggregates can vary from natural sands, quartzites, metallic and titanium aggregates being used.
Each aggregate type will impart different properties into the finished surface.
To provide a corporate or decorative colour to the concrete surface finish.
Dry Shake Sprinkles come in a variety of colours and clients can choose a colour they desire.
Light Reflectance can be increased with careful selection of the dry shake colour, aggregate and cement.
Wet on Wet or as it is sometimes known as Fresh on Fresh has been around for a number of years. Due to the advent of Laser Screed and large bay construction techniques that are employed by concrete specialists over the past 20-30 years, wet on wet went out of fashion.
Traditionally wet on wet was laid in small area 'long strip' panels that allow greater control of the application of the topping onto the freshly laid concrete. Faster construction builds dictated that floor slabs are installed much quicker by using large pour construction techniques usually using mechanical equipment like Laser Screed. This made it much more difficult to construct a wet on wet system.
Fairly recent improvements and construction techniques now allow wet on wet toppings to be constructed on large pour floor slabs once again, if carried out by experienced teams.
Wet on Wet put simply is concrete being poured into a floor slab being prepared and then receiving a 'batch' of specialist aggregates and cements that have been mixed in a static pump mixer for the correct period to the correct consistence. The 'wet screed' is then treated to lay it to level and screeded to the required flatness to cover the entire area of hardening concrete to encompass the full slab range. Timing of the laying process is critical as the 'screed/topping' has to bond monolithically to the parent concrete.
Once the 'screed/topping' has been laid it has to be left until it is ready to start the finishing techniques. Finishing is slightly different to normal power floating of concrete. Timing and the type of equipment is varied to actually finish the wet on wet screed/topping successfully. Hand floating is required at edges and around obstructions i.e. columns, pits, pipes etc. Power floating is normally carried out on main open areas.
When power floating and power trowelling is complete and the topping has hardened it should be immediately cured normally using a water based curing membrane.
The Wet on Wet material can achieve a compressive strength of up to 80N/mm depending on the aggregates, cements and mix proportions. This results in a very hard dense surface finish.
Very high compressive strength topping finish
Very high abrasion resistance
Scratch resistant
Dust resistant
Impact resistant
Can be used in a variety of colours
Material choice can be specially selected to the clients requirements within his working environment.
Wet on Wet toppings can be used in many types of working environment e.g.
Light, medium and heavy-duty warehouses and industrial units.
VNA and wide aisle warehouses in logistical buildings.
Workshops.
Power stations
Military installations
Pharmaceutical units etc.
What is Polished Concrete?
Polished concrete is different to power floated or power trowelled concrete. Polished concrete starts off with a power trowel finish and is then subject to a polishing process that can take in up to 7 different stages of diamond polishing interspersed with a densifier application and a sealer application. The result is a highly polished, dense, abrasion resistant, light reflective floor finish.
Polished concrete can be treated with varying grades of diamond to provide a finish from 'salt and pepper appearance' up to a highly polished 'super or premium' type finish or anything in between.
Polished concrete can be used on old existing concrete slabs or indeed on newly constructed slabs that have been prepared and installed with the polishing process to follow in mind.
Old and tired concrete floors can be 'refurbished' by the specialist polishing process. This will take a dirty, dusty, stained existing slab to a brand new looking highly polished, bright light reflective surface that is easily cleaned.
New concrete floors can be laid with a view to the final appearance being 'built in' to the concrete slab. For example an aesthetic enhancement can be added to the slab by using special or coloured aggregates and even different cements. A wet on wet topping using decorative aggregates could also be applied at a depth of 10mm that could be ground down and polished to provide an aesthetically pleasing elegant surface finish. There are so many options available on a newly laid slab.
Aesthetically pleasing
Easily cleaned
Easily maintained
High abrasion resistance
Scratch resistant
Stain resistant
Light reflective
Durable
Numerous levels of polish available
Commercial buildings
Industrial buildings
Pharmaceutical
Surgeries
Offices
Retail units
Car showrooms
Fortel Group save our clients time and money by looking at creative and flexible ways..
Our people are passionate and form competent, compliant teams for major projects. We cultivate growth and development for sustainable careers.
Our promise is to be pillars of our industry by creating a social legacy with foundations built on our activity and measurement.
Our progress is forged by the use of innovative technology, supporting our teams and collaborating with clients to drive results.
