Flooring is one of the last trades on site, so it is easy to treat it as one of the last decisions. On a multi-residential build, that is usually where the problems start. Lead times, price rises, floor preparation and site access all land on the program at once, and by then the easy options have gone.
Kawana Flooring supplies and installs flooring on apartment buildings, commercial fitouts and multi-residential projects across Southeast Queensland. This guide walks through what our commercial team sees on these jobs, from the tender package to the end of the defect period, and what developers and site managers can do early to keep flooring off the critical path.
When Should You Bring In a Flooring Contractor?
As soon as your plans are final or your builder is engaged, whichever comes first.
Many developers bring flooring on board when the building is already halfway up. By then the slabs are poured, the program is set and the flooring contractor has very little room to help. Once plans are finalised, we have everything we need to price the job, and from that point every extra week of lead time works in your favour.
Lock In Price and Supply Early
Engaging early usually costs less. Many suppliers will hold current pricing if they receive a purchase order early with a nominated dispatch date. We are currently working on a project where the existing building has not yet been demolished, and flooring will not be needed until late 2027. Because the order can go in now with a dispatch date set for then, the supplier has agreed to hold today's pricing without a deposit.
Supply matters as much as price. Suppliers keep separate commercial and retail stock, and when a project needs thousands of square metres, commercial stock availability is what counts. Made-to-order products, particularly those coming from Europe or elsewhere overseas, can carry lead times of up to 20 weeks. An early purchase order with known timings removes most of that risk.
Our long-standing relationships with suppliers including Godfrey Hirst, EC Carpets, NFD and Australian Select Timbers also help here. Their commercial teams work directly with architects and developers, and they often refer projects to us as a preferred commercial partner. We still have to win the job, but the conversation starts earlier.
What We Need From Your Tender Package
Tender packages are often extensive and run to hundreds of pages, but to price flooring accurately, we mainly need:
- Specifications and colour selections for every flooring product
- General arrangement plans showing the floor areas being covered
- Internal apartment layouts
- Common areas such as corridors, lobbies and reception spaces
- Measurements, or PDFs drawn to scale
If flooring has not been specified, we are happy to put forward ranges that suit the project, from timber and carpet in the apartments to commercial carpet tiles for corridors and common areas. That can also improve pricing, as sourcing timber and carpet through the same supplier often attracts better rates.
We also check level naming carefully. Plans that label levels one to seven without showing a ground floor are a common trap, so we confirm every floor is accounted for before a price goes out.
Floor Prep: Every Job Needs It
"Every project requires floor prep," says Alina, Construction Manager at Kawana Flooring. "Just because it's a new building doesn't mean the concrete is ready for flooring."
Most of the time that means levelling. Otherwise, it means grinding, patching or ramping. The reason is tolerances. Floor coverings are installed to tight tolerances of around 3mm over 3 metres, while concrete slabs are poured to much wider tolerances. A slab can be within the concreter's specification and still need significant work before flooring can go down. We address that gap on every project.
Floor prep also cannot be priced accurately at tender stage, because most tenders are priced before the slabs are poured. Every contractor is putting forward an allowance, and those allowances vary widely. A lower floor prep allowance in one tender is not a lower cost. It usually means the real cost arrives later as a variation.
Our approach is to assess floor prep properly once the slabs are poured. Our floor prep crew inspects each apartment individually and marks up what is needed. Before installation starts on each level, we give the builder a specific allowance and cost for that level, so they see exactly what is required before any work is done.
Floor prep also takes time. Prep crews need to be on site weeks before installation begins, so it needs a place in the program. Experienced developers know this and ask for floor prep rates per apartment in their tender documents. It is one of the clearest signs we're working with someone who has done this before.
Comparing Flooring Tenders Like for Like
Some tenders come in lower because they do not price the specified product. They substitute a cheaper alternative and describe it as a close match. When you are comparing prices, check that every tender has priced the flooring your architect or designer actually specified.
We price the specification as designed. If a more cost-effective product would suit the project, we present it separately as an option, so you can compare the two properly and make the call yourself.
Acoustic Requirements
Most developers of multi-residential buildings are already well across acoustic requirements, and acoustic adhesive or acoustic rubber underlay is commonly priced into the tender. It is still worth confirming acoustic requirements early, because they affect product selection and installation method.
Multi-Residential Is a Different Kind of Install
Residential flooring jobs are usually in and out within a day or two. Multi-residential work is a different operation. It needs installation crews set up for large quantities and happy to commit to a single site for three to six months.
Site compliance is also more demanding. Crews need current insurances, site inductions, and equipment that has been tested and tagged. We supply every material to site, including the flooring, adhesives and floor protection, so crews arrive with their tools and start work.
Site Logistics and What Holds a Program Up
We deliver with our own truck, with pallets and carpet loaded in stillages that can be wheeled straight onto each level. On a well set-up site with a material hoist or crane, deliveries are straightforward. On tougher sites with no forklift or hoist access, materials have to be unloaded by hand. On one Brisbane project, our labourers carried every carton up five flights of internal stairs.
The most common delays come from other trades. On one site, we had a booked delivery slot to take materials up in the hoist and wheel them straight into each apartment. Kitchen units had been left in the apartment, so the stillages physically could not come out of the hoist and the delivery could not go ahead. Forklift queues cause delays too, and it is not unusual for a delivery truck to wait 45 minutes to an hour to be unloaded.
Site managers can help by:
- Confirming hoist or crane access for flooring deliveries at tender stage
- Booking delivery slots and keeping hoists and landings clear on the day
- Making sure apartments are clear of other trades' materials before flooring deliveries arrive
When the Supply Chain Goes Wrong
Products held in local stock in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are generally reliable. Custom and made-to-order products shipped from overseas are exposed to delays that nobody on the project can control, from weather events to global shipping disruptions.
On one Brisbane project, the client chose to wait for a custom colour, and the shipping container ended up delayed by two months. We had flagged the risk in writing six months earlier. Communicating early and in writing, and offering in-stock alternatives, means the client can make an informed decision rather than being caught out.
Having alternatives ready matters after installation too. On one apartment building fitted with a custom timber floor, the penthouse flooded during plumbing tests. A replacement of the same custom product would have taken 12 weeks. We sourced the same colour from a different brand, and the floor was replaced within two weeks.
Handover, Defects and Make-Goods
Every project we complete carries a 12-month defect period. At completion, we inspect the work level by level and unit by unit, which on a large build can take one to two months. Some builders defect each level as installation progresses, while others wait until the whole building is finished. We work either way.
Items do come up later, often once owners move in. Most are small and quickly resolved. If something is not right with our work, such as a trim lifting, we are the first to put our hands up and fix it.
It helps to understand the difference between defects and repair work. Scratched planks or water damage caused by other trades are not flooring defects. We still carry out the repairs, but the cost is charged back to the responsible trade or the builder.
Why a Local Commercial Team Makes a Difference
Large flooring contractors can put a tender together as well as anyone. The difference shows up once the job starts.
When you work with Kawana Flooring, you deal directly with the people running your project, not a general office line. We would much rather meet on site and talk things through in person than manage a project over email. Throughout the install we visit the site regularly, and we know the foremen and site managers by name. Many of them have moved from project to project with us over the years.
"Anyone can put in a tender," says Alina. "Once you're on site, the site team will know within minutes whether you know what you're doing."
It is straight talk, not sales talk. If there is a problem coming, you will hear about it early, and you will hear it from us.
What We Wish Every Developer Knew
- Engage your flooring contractor once plans are final or your builder is on board.
- Early purchase orders can lock in pricing and secure commercial stock.
- Allow up to 20 weeks for custom or made-to-order products.
- Floor prep is required on every project, so budget for it and program time for it.
- Compare tenders on the specified product, not a substitute.
- Keep hoists and apartments clear for flooring deliveries.
Our Capability Statement sets out the projects we have delivered across Southeast Queensland. If you have a multi-residential or commercial project coming up, contact our commercial team to talk it through.
