Full Refurbishment Service

Tecomak Furniture Solutions offers a full educational and science lab refurbishment service which goes beyond our furniture supply and installation service.  Not all our clients want or need our full refurbishment service, opting instead for either “supply only” or “supply and install”. Here we go into more detail about the elements that are included in our full refurbishment service and when this may be of benefit to you, enabling you to make the right choice for your particular circumstances.

There are a number of elements covered by our full refurbishment option which are not covered by our other services:

Stripping Out

An important part of any classroom or science lab refurbishment is the removal of existing fixtures and fittings. This is far from simply a demolition job however, and requires significant expertise:

Safety – Where there are existing power, water and gas supplies then relevant outlets need to be treated appropriately, with supplies switched off safely and left in a good condition for new fittings to be installed. This requires appropriately skilled trades to be coordinated with people responsible for dismantling cabinetry and so on.

Disposal – Strict regulations cover the proper disposal of trade waste, so this must be carried out by a contractor with the proper processes and procedures in place. Regulations aside, the quantity and bulk of materials generated as part of a strip out makes this a job for professionals equipped with the right tools and vehicles.

Making Good – Stripping out inevitably results in a certain amount of disruption to walls, floors, ceilings and so on, which will need to made good in readiness for the installation of new furniture or fittings, so it’s a significant advantage in terms of time and final quality of finish to have this element included.

Building Work

A classroom or science lab refurbishment will usually involve more than simply replacing benching, cupboards and seating. If you require any of the following, then our full refurbishment service is recommended:

Flooring – Installing new flooring can often be required, either for safety reasons (e.g. non-slip, chemical resistant materials) or simply due to wear and tear. This needs to be carried out prior to installation of cabinetry and can therefore become a bottleneck in the overall project timescales.

Ceilings – Ceilings frequently require work as part of a refurbishment, perhaps to raise or lower them, or as part of installation of new lighting. They may also be used to hide cabling and ductwork for utilities, and so ceiling work needs to be well coordinated with utility installation to avoid delays.

Partitioning – If you need partitions moved, removed or installed as part of your design, then this will need to be carried out prior to installation of furniture. As well as the physical work itself, there are likely to be a number of building regulations to be adhered to along the way. It is helpful, therefore, if these issues can be dealt with at the start of the refurbishment process to avoid delays.

Decoration – Most refurbishments will require an element of new plastering and paintwork to achieve a high quality finish. These all take time and skill and more importantly need to be scheduled into the overall project from the start to ensure timescales are achieved.

Installing Utilities

Unless you are going to keep exactly the same number of sinks, water taps, power sockets, gas fittings and data outlets, and in the same positions, your project will need to arrange for qualified trades to carry out any changes required. Even if the overall level of provision is to remain the same, any changes to the lab layout may mean that outlets need to be moved.

A common reason for many school laboratory refurbishment projects is to cater for more students (requiring additional sockets or workstations) and/or to upgrade services for a modern curriculum (e.g. provision of internet connections or inclusion of fume cupboards).

Also bear in mind that positioning of utility sockets, taps etc has to integrate with the installation of the furniture as well (sinks and power sockets are often inset into worktop surfaces), so it aids efficiency if the same people are responsible for both aspects of the refurbishment.

Do You Need a Full Refurbishment Service?

Every refurbishment is unique, and many schools need assistance in developing and finalising the extent of their refurbishment plans, so we fully understand that you may not be in a position to decide what level of service you need right away.

We begin every project – whether supply only, supply and install, or full refurbishment – with a detailed site visit and discussion with the client. This allows us to understand your requirements and your priorities. Selection of the appropriate level of service will usually become clear as a result of those discussions.

However, as a guide, our full refurbishment service is likely to be the best option if one or more of the following apply to you:

• You don’t just want classroom or laboratory furniture replaced, but you need to completely overhaul or redesign the whole area.

• You would prefer to have a single contractor to fully project manage the complete end-to-end process, rather than having to find and coordinate the different trades yourself. We work with tried and trusted trades and suppliers, coordinating them on your behalf to maximise efficiency.

• You want a warranty which covers all the work, including what you can’t see, such as utilities and building work.

• You know or suspect that some alterations will be necessary – e.g. installing or moving partitions, ceilings or flooring.

• You require significant changes or upgrades to services such as power, water, gas and data.

• You have challenging timescales and you need to minimise all possible delays or bottlenecks.

Classroom & Science Lab Refurbishment – To find out more about whether our full refurbishment option is right for your school, academy or college, please contact us now with your requirements.