Tedesco Construction of Reno, Nevada, was presented an interesting challenge to start the year - build a warehouse floor for a distribution center for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals with the unusual specifications of Ff60/Fl60! To achieve these numbers, Greg Tedesco, the owner of Tedesco Construction, turned to the two companies that had provided him equipment for doing flat and level floors for the last several years - Somero Enterprises and Allen Engineering.

Although Tedesco Construction has consistently produced high F-Number floors in Northern Nevada for years, Greg realized this job would present a special challenge. To help meet that challenge, Greg brought in Nathan Somero of Somero Enterprises as a special consultant.Besides the challenge of the high F-Numbers, Tedesco Construction was also faced with the problem that these slabs were to be poured in exposed conditions in Reno, where the temperature ranged from the low 20s to the high 50s and wind could be a major problem. The average pour was also 60' wide by 270' long (16,200 sq. ft.), increasing the difficulty of achieving the numbers, especially the Fl numbers as it is difficult to bump cut such a wide pour. To overcome these obstacles, Greg Tedesco choose the Somero S-240 Laser Screed and Allen Razorback Riders.

To improve floor levelness (Fl) Tedesco used two Somero S-240 Laser Screeds to double strike off the floor. After extensive bumpcutting, to improve floor flatness (Ff) Tedesco used two Allen Pro 1200-NOL-SFC-22KA riders with pans, followed by a HP100 with pans. The floor was panned at least twice by each pan machine, and panned in at least three different directions. Tedesco then sealed the floor with an Allen Pro 1200-OL-SFC-22KA and used two more Pro 1200 overlappers and a HP100 to burn the floor in. After a little trial and error on strikeoff and troweling techniques, consistently high numbers were achieved. The first two pours were in the low to mid 80s on both Ff and Fl, but subsequent pours averaged in the mid to high 90s, with one pour having F-Numbers of 118.1/85.46 and another 98.1/104.7. The overall average for the job was Ff 95.6/Fl 92.5 for a floor totaling almost 100,000 sq. ft. No area of any of the pours fell below the specification.Greg Tedesco said he choose Allen Razorback Riders because of their reliability and service record.

Victor Moreno was the general superintendent and Jim Rhinehart was the concrete superintendent for Tedesco Construction. United Construction Company was the general contractor. Tedesco purchases its Allen Equipment through White Cap Industries in Sacramento, California where Richard Massi is the sales representative and Charles Blunt is the concrete equipment specialist. Milt Rousseau is the Allen Regional Sales manager covering Nevada.Long known as the leading flooring contractor in the Reno/Carson area, Tedesco Construction is expanding and recently poured a laser screed floor using Allen Riders for a Safeway market in Maui, Hawaii.

Job story report and photos by Milt Rousseau.