Bottom Zupp is a large floor removal company on the West Coast, specializing in floor removal for residential, commercial and industrial projects. For over twelve years, the floor removal experts have worked with quality equipment providers to lead the way in completing work in a more organized and cost effective manner. What started as a dream, to introduce new equipment never seen before in a residential setting, has now become a household name. To help expand its current equipment offering, Bottom Zupp recently collaborated with surface preparation equipment manufacturer National Flooring Equipment (NFE), to demo its newest scraper the Rogue.

While hard surface flooring like hardwood or ceramic tiles tend to last longer than soft goods such as carpet, home owners are likely to experience several floor renovations during their lifetime. Unlike industrial floors that typically last for many years, residential jobs will be more frequent due to new housing developments or regular renovations to keep up with the latest design trends. 

Space Constraints

Effective floor removal is no easy feat, especially when working in areas with tight space constraints created by enclosed spaces. Bottom Zupp has helped many residential owners remove stubborn flooring, but every application has its challenges. Residential projects like offices or dining rooms can often be difficult to complete, particularly if the contractor has to navigate tight corners or narrow doorways. Larger floor preparation machines are unable to get into tight spaces or have limited blade angle adjustment to effectively remove flooring and adhesive, which then means the operator has to use hand tools to finish off the project. This can add a lot of time to the project and requires more operator output. 

Ride-on scrapers can also be difficult to transport, especially when working on multiple floors. While heavy ride-ons can quickly and efficiently complete work in large, open spaces, operating them on upper residential floors is often impossible, so contractors need additional equipment in case the original machine cannot be moved from room to room. 

While there are lighter machines on the market, a lightweight machine doesn’t always have the torque or power to remove heavy-duty flooring, meaning that operators would still need to use additional equipment, which makes it a more costly process.  

Changing the Game

“Recently, we had an old partner of ours call us with a problem,” explained Richard Nickerson, president of Bottom Zupp. “He had 2,000 square feet of glued down wood on the second floor of a house that needed removing. He wasn’t sure how we would be able to help as most machines are far too heavy to carry and operate upstairs, but thought that we could figure out a solution. At the time, NFE was in the final stages of developing the Rogue. We had already tested the prototype on one or two jobs, which gave us an idea of how effective it was. So when he needed help, I simply laughed and told him we could get it done. The Rogue only weighs about 480 pounds, so getting that upstairs compared to our riders was a breeze.”

When developing the Rogue, NFE explored how it could be a walk-behind scraper with the maneuverability of a rider while also adding valuable features never seen in scrapers before. Its newest machine not only offers increased maneuverability but also enhanced speed — where a traditional walk-behind scraper could work up to 30 ft/min, the Rogue has a travel speed of up to 150 ft per minute. It is also a modular machine — contractors can remove weights, splitting the machine into multiple parts that are easier to carry. 

“The machine makes it so much easier to get into the tiny areas without needing to go in with hand tools,” said Nickerson. “Using the Rogue has given us the opportunity to turn a traditionally difficult job into a simple one. The Rogue has definitely changed the floor removal game for us. Its manageability makes it easy to get into elevators, move upstairs and take on jobs where the rooms are difficult to maneuver.”

“We built the Rogue to give our customers the power they need in a smaller package, so it was perfect for this situation,” said Connie Hardy, vice president of marketing, NFE. “During development we worked closely with our customers to see what improvements they would like to see in future machines. By understanding the challenges they face, we can incorporate their feedback.

“When speaking to customers we learned they found it difficult it to maneuver walk-behinds in heavy duty applications, particularly when removing hard goods like wooden flooring. We built the Rogue to be compact, yet powerful, while also reducing operator input and fatigue. This next generation walk-behind features easy to use controls so that contractors can turn and move the machine with ease and adjust the blade with the touch of a button.”

The Future of Floor Removal 

For Bottom Zupp, the Rogue removed the need for manual scraping in many instances. Projects that typically needed manual labour could last a few days — now they only need a day or less to complete. The new machine is a great addition to help contractors remove materials on any floor with ease. 

“Despite only using it a few times, I can already see the Rogue becoming a great asset,” continued Nickerson. “Going forward, it will not only be valuable to us when we’re working on over 15 homes a day but also across the country. While all of National Flooring Equipment’s machinery is built to the same standard, combining the best features of a ride-on and walk-behind makes the Rogue a game changer for us. So far, we have 20 machines from National Flooring Equipment and in the future, I hope to see 20 more!”

For more information, visit nationalequipmentdirect.com.