Should prep be inside the square-foot install rate?
Only if the rate states what prep it includes. A rate that silently includes “whatever we find” cannot be compared with a rate for installation on a ready substrate.
Under the finish
Define substrate prep or exclude it
Flooring bids pick up unexpected money in the substrate. The honest estimate either describes the prep that was measured or excludes prep that nobody has seen. A blanket “5% patching” is a guess dressed up as a quantity.
Say which substrate the drawing shows
Slab-on-grade, a topping, wood joists, a gyp-concrete pour, and an existing finish left in place are different starting points. The demo of the existing finish is its own area.
- Existing floor to be removed, by material, in square feet
- Flatness or levelness only if a number is specified
- Fastener pops, adhesive residue, and sealers called out in the spec
- Leveling compound only where a depth or a survey supports a volume
Worked leveling volume as an allowance
Labeled as an allowance because no survey was assumed.
- Area the specifier marked “feather as required”: 400 sq ft.
- Allowance depth written on the sheet: 1/8 inch average = 0.0104 ft.
- Volume allowance = 400 × 0.0104 = 4.16 cubic feet.
- The bid calls this an allowance, not a measured quantity, and says a survey replaces it.
Self-leveling is a volume
Area times an assumed depth is only as good as the depth. If no survey exists, exclude leveling or carry an allowance the bid labels as an allowance, with the depth written next to it. Do not convert that allowance into a firm quantity.
Moisture and flatness are different tests
A flat slab can still be too damp for the adhesive, and a dry slab can still be too uneven for large tile. Keep the moisture scope and the flatness scope on separate lines. The moisture page on this site explains the test methods.
Related reading: repair examples, moisture tests, tile on an unready floor.
Questions this page answers
Do you deduct columns from patching?
Patching follows the condition, not the room area. Columns matter when you are measuring the floor finish. They do not create a patch quantity by themselves.