Concrete Grinding & Surface Prep in Nashville
The flooring job is won or lost before the first plank goes down.
Request a Slab AssessmentWritten and reviewed by Ronell Moore — IICRC WRT/ASD certified, licensed Tennessee general contractor, owner of 180 Degree Floors & Moore since 2008.
Why It Matters
Why Slab Prep Decides Whether Your Floor Lasts
Most commercial flooring failures aren't flooring failures — they're slab failures that showed up later. Adhesive that never bonded because the surface profile was wrong. LVP that cupped because nobody tested moisture. Self-leveler poured over contamination that should have been ground off.
When a floor fails at month eight, the manufacturer's first question is: show me the slab prep documentation. If there isn't any, there's no warranty claim — there's a change order.
We prep slabs to the specification your flooring system actually requires, and we document it. Surface profile, moisture readings, flatness. That documentation protects your warranty, your schedule, and your budget.
180 Degree Floors provides commercial concrete grinding, coating removal, and slab preparation across Middle Tennessee. We grind it, test it, and prep it — then we install the floor on it. One contractor, one warranty, no finger-pointing between your prep sub and your flooring sub.
Self-leveling compound application — slab prep before flooring installation
Services
Our Concrete Grinding Services
Surface Preparation for New Flooring
Grinding to the correct concrete surface profile (CSP) for your specified system — glue-down LVP, carpet tile, epoxy, polished concrete, or self-leveling underlayment. The wrong profile voids adhesive warranties. We grind to spec, not to "looks clean."
Coating & Adhesive Removal
Glue-down carpet adhesive, mastic, epoxy coatings, paint, thinset, and failed overlayments — removed mechanically, not chemically. Mechanical removal means no solvent residue interfering with your next adhesive bond.
Moisture Testing
Relative humidity probe and calcium chloride testing (ASTM F2170 / F1869) before installation. Nashville slabs — especially in renovation work on older hospitality and multifamily properties — routinely fail moisture spec. Finding that out before install costs a test. Finding out after costs a floor.
Slab Prep After Water Damage
When a slab has been wet, drying the structure is only half the job. Residual adhesive breaks down, efflorescence appears, and moisture readings stay elevated. As an IICRC-certified water mitigation contractor, we handle the dry-out AND the slab restoration — one crew from extraction to new floor.
Polished Concrete
Sometimes the best floor is the one already there. Mechanically polished concrete for retail, restaurant, and back-of-house commercial spaces — durable, low-maintenance, and competitive with LVP on lifecycle cost.
OSHA Silica Compliant
Dust-Free Grinding
Concrete dust isn't just a mess — respirable crystalline silica is a regulated hazard under OSHA's Table 1 standard. Every grinder we run is connected to professional H-class HEPA dust extraction.
For hotel operators and property managers, that means we can grind in one wing while guests sleep in another. No dust migration into occupied units, HVAC systems, or finished corridors.
For general contractors, it means your silica exposure control plan has a sub that's already compliant — equipment, documentation, and method.
No Temp Power Required
Self-Powered Crews
Renovation properties often don't have live power — panels are pulled, units are dark, or temp power isn't run yet. Our crews bring 13,000 watts of generator capacity to the job. We grind on your schedule, not the electrician's.
This matters most on hotel and motel renovations between ownership transitions, vacant multifamily turns, fire and water losses where power is disconnected, and fast-track retail build-outs.
Recent Work
Hotel Guest Room Slab Prep
Multi-room hospitality renovation, Nashville: adhesive removal and surface prep across guest room slabs, ground to profile for new flooring installation, with HEPA extraction throughout and generator power on a building with no live electrical. Slab prep and flooring installation under one contract.
Our commercial portfolio includes work for Marriott properties, Louis Vuitton Green Hills, SEIU Labor Hall, and Mt. Gilead Missionary Baptist Church.
Clients
Who We Work With
General Contractors
Slab prep that hits your schedule and your spec, with the documentation your closeout package needs.
Hotel & Hospitality Operators
Occupied-property protocols, dust containment, and the ability to run prep and install as one scope.
Property Managers
Unit turns, common area refreshes, and emergency response when water damage takes a floor out.
Insurance & Restoration
Post-loss slab restoration as part of a complete mitigation-to-rebuild scope.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Get Your Slab Assessed Before You Bid the Floor
Send us the square footage and a few photos of the existing slab. We'll tell you what's on it, what it needs, and what it costs — usually within one business day.
Request a Slab AssessmentCall or text: 615.788.1379
Also serving Franklin, Brentwood, and Murfreesboro.