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A recent project in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex is a textbook example of what controlled, dust-managed floor chasing should look like. In a single working day, our team cut two deep electrical chases and formed a shallow matwell to exact depths — clean, straight and ready for the electricians, entrance matting and fire-stopping contractors to move straight in behind us.
Diamond Drilling UK Ltd — diamonddrillinguk.com — has been delivering precision diamond drilling and concrete cutting across London and the South East since 2005. Here is how this job was scoped, cut and completed, and why work like this belongs in professional hands.
The Project at a Glance
• Location: Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex
• Scope: 2 no. floor chases + 1 no. shallow slab recess for electrical services
• Chases: 2 no. cut at 1.8m long × 100mm deep — for electrical boxes and cabling
• Matwell recess: 1 no. cut at 1m × 1.4m at 25mm depth — a matwell to receive a flush entrance matting system
• Method: Cut using hand-held cutters — with floor saws available as an alternative where the job calls for it
• Programme: Completed in 1 day, minimising downtime for follow-on trades
• Finish: Straight, depth-controlled cuts ready for cable runs, floor boxes and fire-stopping
What We Were Asked to Do
The brief was straightforward on paper, but exacting in practice — every cut had to hit a specific depth without over-running into the structure below:
• Two electrical chases — each 1.8m long and 100mm deep — to recess electrical boxes and route cabling neatly below the finished floor line.
• One matwell recess — 1m × 1.4m formed at just 25mm deep. A matwell is the shallow, controlled recess at an entrance that lets barrier matting sit flush with the finished floor — so the depth has to be even and accurate across the whole area, or the matting won't sit level.
• Clean tolerances for the trades behind us — as our site photos show, the chases fed straight into cable runs, a recessed floor box and fire-stopping works. Sloppy cuts create rework for everyone downstream.
How We Approached It — Method & Equipment
Cut by hand for control
• This job was completed using hand-held diamond cutters, worked to a marked-out line for straight, repeatable runs.
• Hand cutting gives excellent control over depth and position — essential when a chase must stop at exactly 100mm, or a matwell must be held to a level 25mm across a 1m × 1.4m area so the matting finishes flush.
• Cutting runs alongside on-tool dust extraction to control airborne silica and keep the working area — and the rest of the site — clean.
Floor saws where the job demands it
• The same result can be achieved with a floor saw where runs are longer, straighter or deeper, or where speed over distance is the priority.
• Choosing between hand cutters and floor saws is a judgement call — access, cut length, required depth, reinforcement and the surrounding finishes all feed into the decision. Getting that call right is part of the expertise you pay for.
Why Depth and Precision Matter
• Depth control protects the structure. Chase too deep and you risk striking reinforcement, post-tension cables or the soffit below; too shallow and the boxes or conduit won't sit flush. 100mm and 25mm are targets, not approximations.
• Straight lines save the next trade time. Electricians drop cables and boxes straight into a clean, consistent channel — no chiselling, no packing out.
• A tidy cut is a safe cut. Controlled edges and a debris-free channel mean fewer trip hazards and a slab that's ready to fire-stop and make good.
Why It's Important to Get the Professionals In
Floor chasing looks simple until it goes wrong — and when it goes wrong on a live construction site, it's expensive, dangerous, or both. Here's why this is not a job for general labour or a hired-in disc cutter:
• Silica dust is a serious health risk. Cutting concrete releases respirable crystalline silica. Professional teams control it with on-tool extraction and the right PPE, in line with HSE requirements — protecting operatives and everyone else on site.
• Hidden services and reinforcement. Cut blind into a slab and you can strike rebar, conduit, heating pipes or live cables. Experienced operators scan, plan and cut to a controlled depth to avoid exactly this.
• Structural integrity. Over-cutting or cutting in the wrong place can weaken a slab. Knowing where — and how deep — you can safely cut is core competence, not guesswork.
• Clean tolerances for follow-on trades. Fire-stopping, electrical and making-good all depend on the cut being right first time. Precision up front removes rework down the line.
• Accreditation, insurance and method statements. A professional contractor turns up with RAMS, the right accreditations and the cover to work on tier-1 sites. That's protection for the principal contractor as much as for us.
• Speed with no compromise. This job was done in a single day. Experience is what lets you move fast without cutting corners.
Hand Cutting vs Floor Sawing — Which and When
Hand-held cutters suit:
• Short, defined runs like these 1.8m chases
• Tight or awkward access where a floor saw won't fit
• Shallow, level recesses such as the 25mm matwell for entrance matting
• Work needing precise depth and position control
Floor saws suit:
• Longer, continuous straight cuts
• Deeper channels and larger slab areas
• Jobs where cutting speed over distance is the priority
On this project the scope was best served by hand cutting — but we scope every job on its merits. If a floor saw is the right tool, that's what we bring.
Completed in One Day — Minimal Disruption
• All cutting completed within a single working day
• Site left clean and ready for cables, floor boxes and fire-stopping
• No return visits, no snagging on the cut itself
• Programme kept on track for the principal contractor
Diamond Drilling UK — Experience You Can Trust
• Established 2005 — nearly two decades of specialist diamond drilling and concrete cutting across London and the South East.
• Trusted by tier-1 contractors — we work with major main contractors, including Laing O'Rourke, on demanding commercial projects.
• Fully accredited — members of the Drilling and Sawing Association (DSA), CHAS accredited, with CSCS-registered operatives.
• Full-service cutting and drilling — floor sawing, wall and track sawing, ring sawing, wire sawing, diamond core drilling and Brokk robotic demolition.
• Safety-led — dust-controlled methods, full RAMS and site-ready compliance as standard.
Areas We Cover — Shoreham-by-Sea and Beyond
This project was in Shoreham-by-Sea, but we cover the wider region for floor chasing, concrete cutting and diamond drilling. Across West Sussex we regularly work in Worthing, Brighton and Hove, Lancing, Littlehampton, Chichester, Horsham, Crawley and Bognor Regis.
We also operate across:
• East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent, Surrey and Greater London
• Hampshire, Dorset, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire and Essex
Frequently Asked Questions
How deep can you chase a concrete floor?
Depth is driven by the slab and what it needs to hold — on this job we cut chases to 100mm for electrical boxes and a matwell recess at just 25mm for entrance matting. We assess the slab, its reinforcement and any services before setting a safe, controlled cutting depth.
Should I use hand cutters or a floor saw for floor chasing?
It depends on the run length, depth, access and finishes. Short, defined or awkward-access cuts often suit hand cutters; long, deep or continuous runs suit a floor saw. We scope each job and bring the right tool.
What is a matwell and why cut it into the slab?
A matwell is a shallow recess formed at an entrance so barrier or entrance matting sits flush with the finished floor — no trip lip, a clean threshold and better dirt control. On this job we cut a 1m × 1.4m matwell at 25mm deep. The recess must be even across its full area, so the matting seats level, which is exactly why depth-controlled cutting matters.
How do you control dust when cutting concrete floors?
We use on-tool dust extraction and appropriate PPE to control respirable crystalline silica, in line with HSE guidance — keeping operatives and the wider site protected.
How quickly can a job like this be completed?
This project — two 1.8m chases and a 1m × 1.4m recess — was completed in a single day. Programme depends on scope, access and slab condition, and we'll give you a realistic timeframe up front.
Do you work on tier-1 main contractor sites?
Yes. We're DSA members, CHAS accredited and employ CSCS-registered staff, and we work with major contractors including Laing O'Rourke.
Get in touch
Planning any cutting or drilling works? Get the professionals in from the start.
Diamond Drilling UK Ltd 📞 020 3286 3428 / 01424 720259
📧 info@diamonddrillinguk.com
🌐 www.diamonddrillinguk.com
East Sussex Office: 215 Harley Shute Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, TN38 9JJ London Office: Unit 34, 67–68 Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8JY
For diamond drilling across the South East — there is only one call to make.
precision Drilling. Concrete Cutting. Safe. Reliable. Professional. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation quotation — anywhere across the South of England.
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