--- title: "Shoring & Back Propping Contractors in Iver & London | ATC" description: "Shoring, back propping and structural support across Berkshire, Bucks, London and Surrey. Openings, slab loads and temporary works. Free site visit within 48 hours." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://atcscaffolding.co.uk/#organisation", "name": "ATC Scaffolding", "legalName": "ATC Scaffolding", "url": "https://atcscaffolding.co.uk/", "logo": "https://atcscaffolding.co.uk/favicon.png", "image": "https://atcscaffolding.co.uk/favicon.png", "email": "info@atcscaffolding.co.uk", "telephone": "+442082617313", "founder": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Curtis" }, { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew" } ], "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "Seven Hills Farm, Seven Hills Road", "addressLocality": "Iver", "postalCode": "SL0 0PA", "addressCountry": "GB" }, "sameAs": [ "https://share.google/VabkCKKMPVHEheDlt", "https://www.instagram.com/atc_scaffolding/", "https://www.facebook.com/atcscaff", "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt2tavzjUrezxZt6lXn9N2g", "https://www.linkedin.com/company/atc-scaffolding" ], "contactPoint": [ { "@type": "ContactPoint", "telephone": "+442082617313", "contactType": "customer service", "areaServed": "GB", "availableLanguage": "English" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://atcscaffolding.co.uk/#website", "name": "ATC Scaffolding", "url": "/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://atcscaffolding.co.uk/#organisation" }, "inLanguage": "en-GB" }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Service", "@id": "https://atcscaffolding.co.uk/services/shoring-and-back-propping#service", "name": "Shoring and Back Propping", "serviceType": "Shoring and Back Propping", "description": "Shoring, back propping and structural support across Berkshire, Bucks, London and Surrey. Openings, slab loads and temporary works. Free site visit within 48 hours.", "url": "https://atcscaffolding.co.uk/services/shoring-and-back-propping", "image": "https://atcscaffolding.co.uk/assets/service-photo-4-D1eVlvm4.png", "provider": { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "LocalBusiness", "name": "ATC Scaffolding", "image": "https://atcscaffolding.co.uk/favicon.png", "telephone": "+442082617313", "email": "info@atcscaffolding.co.uk", "url": "https://atcscaffolding.co.uk/", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "Seven Hills Farm, Seven Hills Road", "addressLocality": "Iver", "postalCode": "SL0 0PA", "addressCountry": "GB" }, "openingHoursSpecification": [ { "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification", "dayOfWeek": [ "Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday", "Saturday", "Sunday" ], "opens": "06:30", "closes": "17:00" } ] }, "areaServed": [ { "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "Berkshire" }, { "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "Buckinghamshire" }, { "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "London" }, { "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "Surrey" }, { "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "Hampshire" }, { "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "Oxfordshire" }, { "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "Hertfordshire" }, { "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "Middlesex" }, { "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "West Sussex" }, { "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "Wiltshire" } ], "audience": { "@type": "Audience", "audienceType": "Domestic and commercial clients" }, "termsOfService": "https://atcscaffolding.co.uk/terms-conditions", "offers": { "@type": "Offer", "priceCurrency": "GBP", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "url": "https://atcscaffolding.co.uk/contact", "description": "Free site visit, usually within 48 hours, and a written no-obligation quote." }, "hasOfferCatalog": { "@type": "OfferCatalog", "name": "Shoring and Back Propping — what's included", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "Offer", "position": 1, "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "The structure is held while you work under it", "description": "Load is taken deliberately and transferred to something that can carry it, so the opening, the beam or the pour happens without a running argument about whether it is safe." } }, { "@type": "Offer", "position": 2, "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Designed where it needs to be", "description": "Where the arrangement is outside standard configuration, we produce a designed scheme with loading calculations rather than judging it by eye." } }, { "@type": "Offer", "position": 3, "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Installed and struck by the same team", "description": "One crew, from our Iver yard, on site to install and back to strike on the agreed date — no coordination gap between two contractors." } }, { "@type": "Offer", "position": 4, "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Programme protected", "description": "Steel installations, breakouts and pours are usually short, tightly booked events. Shoring in place on time is what stops those slipping." } }, { "@type": "Offer", "position": 5, "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Priced after somebody has seen it", "description": "Free site visit, usually within 48 hours, and a written price based on the actual structure, loads and access rather than a standard rate." } }, { "@type": "Offer", "position": 6, "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Combined with the access scaffold", "description": "Where the same job also needs external access, staircase towers or a temporary roof, it comes from one contractor on one hire." } } ] } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "@id": "https://atcscaffolding.co.uk/services/shoring-and-back-propping#faq", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "How much does shoring or back propping cost?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "It depends on the loads, the number of props or shores, how long they are in place and how difficult access is. We price it after a free site visit, usually within 48 hours of your call, and the quote is written and free of obligation." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do you provide a design with calculations?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Where the arrangement sits outside standard configuration, yes — we produce a designed scheme with loading calculations before anything is installed. Straightforward propping arrangements do not always need one, and we will tell you which category your job falls into at the visit." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How long does installation take?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Most domestic propping arrangements are installed in under a day. Frame back propping and facade retention are longer and are sequenced with the main works, and we will give you a realistic timescale with the price." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How long can the props stay in?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Our standard hire period is twelve weeks, which covers most structural work. Longer periods are agreed and priced upfront." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When can the shoring be removed?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "When the permanent structure is carrying the load and whoever is responsible for the design says it can be struck. We strike on an agreed date — we do not remove props because the beam looks in." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can you prop from a suspended floor?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Only with back propping below it. Standing props on a suspended slab without supporting the level underneath is one of the most common causes of cracked floors, and it is the first thing we check on a survey." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do you work alongside our structural engineer?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. Where an engineer has specified the support requirement, we work to it. Where there is no scheme yet, we will tell you at the visit what the job needs before it goes any further." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is this available for domestic jobs?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes — knock-throughs, chimney breast removals and rear openings on houses are regular work for us alongside the commercial frame propping." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Which areas do you cover?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, London, Surrey, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, West Sussex and Wiltshire, all from our yard at Seven Hills Farm in Iver." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can you supply the access scaffold as well?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes, and it is usually simpler that way — one contractor, one hire, one team to call when something needs adapting." } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://atcscaffolding.co.uk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Services", "item": "https://atcscaffolding.co.uk/services" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Shoring and Back Propping", "item": "https://atcscaffolding.co.uk/services/shoring-and-back-propping" } ] } ] --- [020 8261 7313](tel:+442082617313)[info@atcscaffolding.co.uk](mailto:info@atcscaffolding.co.uk) Seven Hills Farm, Seven Hills Road, Iver, SL0 0PA - [](https://www.instagram.com/atc_scaffolding/) - [](https://www.facebook.com/atcscaff) - [](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt2tavzjUrezxZt6lXn9N2g) - [](https://www.linkedin.com/company/atc-scaffolding) [![ATC Scaffolding](/__l5e/assets-v1/75bd68e2-8e1e-4ad3-a939-7a0d783ca1a0/atc-logo.png)](/) [Home](/) [Services](/services) [Service Areas](/areas) [Our Work](/our-work)[About](/about)[Reviews](/reviews)[Contact](/contact)[020 8261 7313](tel:+442082617313)[Get a Free Quote](/contact) [Home](/)/ [Services](/services)/ Shoring and Back Propping Scaffolding service # Shoring and back propping for openings, slabs and loaded floors Hold the structure properly while the work happens underneath it, so the steel goes in on schedule and nothing moves that was not supposed to. [Book Your Free Site Visit](/contact)[020 8261 7313](tel:+442082617313) Free site visit usually within 48 hours · Phone answered 24 hours · Designed schemes with loading calculations ![Scaffolding and staircase access supporting works between two blocks of a multi-storey development](/assets/service-photo-4-D1eVlvm4.png) 25 years Curtis in the trade 19 people Our own team 4.8 from 29 Google rating 12 weeks Standard hire Within 48 hours Free site visit Overview ## What shoring and back propping do Shoring is temporary structural support. When a wall is opened up, a floor is loaded beyond what it was built for, or part of a building is removed while the rest stays standing, something has to carry the load in the meantime. That is the shore. Back propping is the specific case of supporting a slab or floor from below, transferring load down through the structure to a level that can safely take it. It comes up constantly on concrete frame construction, where a newly poured slab has not reached full strength and the load of the pour above has to be spread down through several floors, and on refurbishment where a floor is taking plant, scaffold or material loads it was never designed for. The two jobs it does are structural and commercial. Structurally it keeps the building stable and the people under it safe. Commercially it lets the work happen: the opening gets formed, the steel goes in, the slab gets poured, and the programme moves — instead of everyone standing back wondering whether the wall above is going to hold. We install shoring and back propping across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, London, Surrey, Middlesex and the surrounding counties from our yard in Iver. Where the arrangement sits outside standard configuration, it is designed with loading calculations before anything is installed, and it is installed by our own team of nineteen rather than passed to a third party. ## Who this is for ### Builders forming structural openings Knocking through, taking out a chimney breast, removing a load-bearing wall or forming a bi-fold opening — the masonry above needs holding while the beam goes in. ### Concrete frame and new build contractors Back propping through floors while slabs cure and pours above transfer load down the frame, on new build residential and commercial developments. ### Refurbishment and fit-out contractors Floors carrying plant, scaffold towers, material stacks or new services that exceed the original design loading, in offices, retail units and industrial buildings. ### Owners of buildings with movement or damage Where a structure has been damaged or has moved and needs holding while it is properly assessed and repaired. [020 8261 7313](tel:+442082617313) What it costs to get wrong ## What happens when this is left, rushed or under-specified Shoring is the part of a job where getting it wrong does not produce a snag — it produces a collapse, an injury or a building that has to be underpinned. ### Masonry above an opening drops A wall that is not properly needled and propped before it is opened up can drop without warning. What follows is not a repair to the opening, it is a rebuild of everything above it, with everybody off site while it is investigated. ### Cracking that never fully goes away Under-propping does not always fail outright. Often it settles a few millimetres, and the result is diagonal cracking through plaster and brickwork above the opening that keeps reappearing after every redecoration. ### Slabs punched or cracked by concentrated loads Props landing on an unsupported slab, or loads set down on a floor without back propping underneath, concentrate load where the design never allowed for it. Cracked or deflected slabs are expensive, slow and very visible failures. ### Green concrete loaded too early Striking props or loading a slab before it has the strength for it is one of the classic causes of failure on frame construction. Back propping exists precisely to spread that load down through floors that can take it while the new pour cures. ### Work stops while somebody works out who is responsible Temporary works without a scheme behind them is where sites get shut down. Having the arrangement designed and installed properly keeps the job moving instead of stalling it for a week. ### The mistakes we see most often - Using adjustable props with no spread at head or foot, so load concentrates on a point. - Propping onto a floor slab without back propping the level below it. - Removing props too early because the beam is in and the job looks finished. - Assuming the ground floor slab can take shore loads without checking what is under it. - Treating shoring as an afterthought on the morning of the break-out rather than a planned part of the works. Our process ## How a job runs, start to finish The same six steps on every job, whether it is one chimney or a phased commercial programme. 1. 01 ### Call or send the details Tell us the site address, what the scaffold is for and roughly when you need it. The phone is answered 24 hours a day. 2. 02 ### Free site visit Curtis, Andrew or one of the team comes out and measures up properly — usually within 48 hours of your enquiry. 3. 03 ### Written quote, no obligation You get a clear price for your job, based on what we saw on site rather than an average. No charge for the visit or the quote. 4. 04 ### Agreed erect date We book a date and we work to it. If a licence is needed for the footway, we flag that before the date is set. 5. 05 ### Erected, checked and handed over The scaffold goes up, gets checked, and your trades get on with the work. Standard hire period is 12 weeks. 6. 06 ### Adaptations and dismantle Need a lift added or a section moved? Call us. When the job is done we strike it on the agreed day and leave the site clean. What you get ## What you actually get from shoring and back propping done properly Concrete outcomes, priced from your site and delivered on the dates we agree. ### The structure is held while you work under it Load is taken deliberately and transferred to something that can carry it, so the opening, the beam or the pour happens without a running argument about whether it is safe. ### Designed where it needs to be Where the arrangement is outside standard configuration, we produce a designed scheme with loading calculations rather than judging it by eye. ### Installed and struck by the same team One crew, from our Iver yard, on site to install and back to strike on the agreed date — no coordination gap between two contractors. ### Programme protected Steel installations, breakouts and pours are usually short, tightly booked events. Shoring in place on time is what stops those slipping. ### Priced after somebody has seen it Free site visit, usually within 48 hours, and a written price based on the actual structure, loads and access rather than a standard rate. ### Combined with the access scaffold Where the same job also needs external access, staircase towers or a temporary roof, it comes from one contractor on one hire. In detail ## Types of shoring, and how each one is used Shoring is a family of solutions rather than one product. Which one applies depends on what is being supported, in which direction load is acting, and what is available to carry it. ### Dead shoring and needling Dead shoring carries vertical load. Needles — beams passed through holes cut in the wall — pick up the masonry above the intended opening and transfer it into props or shore legs on both sides, which in turn land on spread bases. This is the arrangement behind almost every load-bearing wall removal and every large structural opening. The detail that matters is what the props land on: a sole plate or spreader on ground that can take the load, and back propping below if the props are standing on a suspended floor. ### Raking shoring Raking shores act at an angle against an external wall, resisting lateral movement where a wall is bulging, has lost restraint, or has had a floor or return wall removed from it. The angle, the wall plate and the foot bearing all matter — a raking shore that is too shallow pushes rather than supports, and a foot without a proper spread simply sinks into the ground and lets the wall move anyway. ### Flying shores A flying shore spans horizontally between two structures, holding a wall laterally without any legs down to the ground. It is used where a building in a terrace is demolished or gutted and the party walls either side need restraint, and where the ground below cannot be blocked. It is more involved to design and set than a rake, but it leaves the ground clear, which on tight London and terraced sites is often the deciding factor. ### Back propping to slabs Back propping distributes load down through one or more floors below the level being loaded, so no single slab takes more than it was designed for. It is standard practice on concrete frame construction while slabs are curing. The arrangement runs vertically in line, floor on floor, with head and base spreaders. Props out of line, or a level missed, means the load path stops and concentrates exactly where it should not. ### Facade retention and larger temporary works Where the front of a building is being kept and everything behind it removed, the facade needs a frame to hold it in both directions for the duration of the works. That is a designed structure with calculations, tied and braced, and it is priced and planned as its own package. Talk to us early on these — the retention scheme usually drives the sequence of the whole job. ### Propping for plant, scaffold and temporary loads Plant on a floor, a scaffold tower standing on a suspended slab, a stack of materials in a fit-out — all of these apply loads the floor was never designed for and all of them need propping below. It is the most commonly skipped of all the categories, because the load looks modest. Concentrated point loads on a thin slab are exactly the ones that cause cracking. ### Materials and methods we use - Adjustable steel props with head and base spreaders - Heavy duty shore legs and props for higher loads - Steel and aluminium needle beams through formed openings - Sole plates, spreaders and grillages for load distribution - Tube and fitting shoring frames for irregular geometry - Raking and flying shore assemblies with wall plates - Designed schemes with loading calculations where required - Back propping sets aligned floor on floor through the structure ### Domestic work - Load-bearing wall removals and knock-throughs - Chimney breast removals with support to the stack above - Bi-fold and large rear opening formation - Basement and cellar works needing support to the floor above - Extensions where an existing wall is opened into the new build - Support to floors carrying plant or materials during the works ### Commercial work - Back propping through concrete frames during construction - Facade retention on refurbishment and conversion schemes - Slab support for plant, craneage and material loading in fit-outs - Structural openings in commercial and industrial buildings - Temporary support during structural repair and strengthening - Designed schemes coordinated with the structural engineer's requirements FAQs ## Shoring and Back Propping: common questions Cost, timescales, hire periods and how the job actually runs. How much does shoring or back propping cost?+ It depends on the loads, the number of props or shores, how long they are in place and how difficult access is. We price it after a free site visit, usually within 48 hours of your call, and the quote is written and free of obligation. Do you provide a design with calculations?+ Where the arrangement sits outside standard configuration, yes — we produce a designed scheme with loading calculations before anything is installed. Straightforward propping arrangements do not always need one, and we will tell you which category your job falls into at the visit. How long does installation take?+ Most domestic propping arrangements are installed in under a day. Frame back propping and facade retention are longer and are sequenced with the main works, and we will give you a realistic timescale with the price. How long can the props stay in?+ Our standard hire period is twelve weeks, which covers most structural work. Longer periods are agreed and priced upfront. When can the shoring be removed?+ When the permanent structure is carrying the load and whoever is responsible for the design says it can be struck. We strike on an agreed date — we do not remove props because the beam looks in. Can you prop from a suspended floor?+ Only with back propping below it. Standing props on a suspended slab without supporting the level underneath is one of the most common causes of cracked floors, and it is the first thing we check on a survey. Do you work alongside our structural engineer?+ Yes. Where an engineer has specified the support requirement, we work to it. Where there is no scheme yet, we will tell you at the visit what the job needs before it goes any further. Is this available for domestic jobs?+ Yes — knock-throughs, chimney breast removals and rear openings on houses are regular work for us alongside the commercial frame propping. Which areas do you cover?+ Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, London, Surrey, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, West Sussex and Wiltshire, all from our yard at Seven Hills Farm in Iver. Can you supply the access scaffold as well?+ Yes, and it is usually simpler that way — one contractor, one hire, one team to call when something needs adapting. If a wall is coming out, a slab is being poured or a floor is about to take a load it was not built for, call us before the date is fixed. The visit is free and the answer is straight. You can also send the details and any engineer's drawings through the contact form and we will come back to you. ## Related services [ ### Scaffolding Erection and Hire Read more ](/services/scaffolding-erection-and-hire)[ ### Scaffold Design and Loading Calculations Read more ](/services/scaffold-design)[ ### New Build Development Scaffolding Read more ](/services/new-build-scaffolding)[ ### Suspended / Hanging Scaffolds Read more ](/services/suspended-scaffolds) ## Where we deliver this service Shoring and Back Propping is available across all ten counties we cover from our yard in Iver. You can also [see every service we offer](/services), [read about ATC Scaffolding](/) or [send us the details of your job](/contact). [Berkshire](/areas/berkshire)[Buckinghamshire](/areas/buckinghamshire)[London](/areas/london)[Surrey](/areas/surrey)[Hampshire](/areas/hampshire)[Oxfordshire](/areas/oxfordshire)[Hertfordshire](/areas/hertfordshire)[Middlesex](/areas/middlesex)[West Sussex](/areas/west-sussex)[Wiltshire](/areas/wiltshire) Next step ## Get the structure supported before the work starts Tell us what is being opened up, removed or loaded and when it is happening. We will come out free of charge, look at it properly and price the support the job actually needs. [Request Your Free Quote](/contact)[020 8261 7313](tel:+442082617313) Phone answered 24 hours · Free quotes · 12-week standard hire period ![ATC Scaffolding](/__l5e/assets-v1/75bd68e2-8e1e-4ad3-a939-7a0d783ca1a0/atc-logo.png) Scaffolding erection, hire and design for domestic, commercial, new build, solar and data centre projects across the South East. - [](https://www.instagram.com/atc_scaffolding/) - [](https://www.facebook.com/atcscaff) - [](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt2tavzjUrezxZt6lXn9N2g) - [](https://www.linkedin.com/company/atc-scaffolding) ### Services - [Scaffolding Erection and Hire](/services/scaffolding-erection-and-hire) - [Temporary Roofs](/services/temporary-roofs) - [Shoring and Back Propping](/services/shoring-and-back-propping) - [Suspended / Hanging Scaffolds](/services/suspended-scaffolds) - [Birdcage Scaffolds](/services/birdcage-scaffolds) - [Staircase Towers](/services/staircase-towers) - [Scaffold Design and Loading Calculations](/services/scaffold-design) ### Areas Covered - [Berkshire](/areas) - [Buckinghamshire](/areas) - [London](/areas) - [Surrey](/areas) - [Hampshire](/areas) - [Oxfordshire](/areas) - [Hertfordshire](/areas) - [Middlesex](/areas) - [West Sussex](/areas) - [Wiltshire](/areas) ### Contact - [020 8261 7313](tel:+442082617313) - [info@atcscaffolding.co.uk](mailto:info@atcscaffolding.co.uk) - Seven Hills Farm, Seven Hills Road Iver, SL0 0PA Opening hours Working 7 days a week 6:30am – 5:00pm Phone answered 24 hours © 2026 ATC Scaffolding. All rights reserved. [Our Work](/our-work)[Privacy Policy](/privacy-policy)[Terms & Conditions](/terms-conditions)Seven Hills Farm, Iver, SL0 0PA [Call Now](tel:+442082617313)[Free Quote](/contact)