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Floor Coating Recommndations Needed

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  • Floor Coating Recommndations Needed

    I'm part of a group starting a new shipping micro in the Southeast. We currently have a poured slab of Portland Cement. We're trying to decide what to do about the floor. Our thinking is that in the brewing area we'd want a food grade coating, and probably at least an abrasion resistant coating in other areas. The coatings we've seen in the past have look worn and chipped.

    Does anyone have any recommendations for a floor coating?

  • #2
    hi,

    we use a product called durafloor HP, which is made by some company here in australia. it is applied with a coarse sand which provides the non-slip. it ends up being about 3-5mm thick, so quite a good coating. i can't remember the name of the exact chemical, but perhaps search for the product on the net. i can email you a datasheet if you like (have it at work). every now and then we just have a few areas patched (mainly in the gutter drain through the brewery), but overall it has been great. 5years so far with not too many patches.

    i think probably the most critical thing for your coating is to make sure it is applied properly. ensure the concrete is cured for the full recommended time (can be up to 28days) before the coating is applied, otherwise it may prematurely blister and peel off (from moisture coming out of the concrete).

    hope that helps...

    alex

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    • #3
      floor coating

      Hello,
      if you want to put in a really good flooring and are willing to spend some money on it, then I would recommend a company named
      Rundmund Saurebau
      Tel: 01149.2567461
      email: rundmund@t-online.de
      Aria is a business focused HTML landing page template built with Bootstrap to help you create lead generation websites for companies and their services.

      Although this is a German company, they do have a branch in the US.
      They build the Merceds Benz of floors.
      Regards
      Peter Boettcher
      Pall Corporation
      608.365.0626

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      • #4
        We went with an industrial-grade floor epoxy from Home Depot. We had to etch the floor with acid first but for the price, it has held up pretty good. In retrospect, I wish we would have put a double coat on the high-traffic areas (like where we fill kegs or dough out of the mash tun).
        Dave
        Glacier Brewing Company
        406-883-2595
        info@glacierbrewing.com

        "who said what now?"

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        • #5
          We also used an epoxy coating from Home Depot. It works great for the money....but will start chipping in heavy use areas (pallet jack, hand trucks, CO2 tanks). We just put a 2nd coat on - it's been a year since the first.

          If we owned our building, or were certain this is where we'll be for a long time, I would tile...but 60 bucks for epoxy paint does the trick for now!

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          • #6
            Epoxy Paint

            Our floor is a slab that was coated with an expoxy paint about 12 years ago when we first opened. That coating has chipped up something fierce. It looks like the floor has been bombed. We're trying to get it refinished now, but the problem with that is that the slab needs to dry to have a nice trowel down expoxy floor laid. That would mean no liquid on the floor for about a month while it dries out. That being said, do it right the first time. With a nice new slab, one has quite a few options. We expanded the brewery and on the new slab used a trowel down epoxy with a quartz broadcast done by myself and the other brewer over a period of two days. The coating is about 1/4" thick and should hold up pretty well. We got the supplies at the local Orco building supply, I believe. Another company I would check into is Dur-a-Flex coating systems at www-dur-a-flex.com. We are looking into some of their product right now. What I like about them is the chipped aggregate for the floor. Most companies will tell you 00 sand is fine, but on our floor it is one slick surface. If I'm wearing street shoes on it, I can slide a fair distance. Something to consider.

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            • #7
              Slippery slope

              Is there enough texture on the Home depot product to keep it from being too slippery? I've worked at a brewery with an epoxy floor, and watched half a dozen people fall on their butts. Now I'm planning my own brewery (in a leased space) I'd like to go with the epoxy but safety is a concern.

              Thoughts?
              Ray Sherwood
              Sherwood Brewing Company
              Shelby Township, MI
              586.532.9669
              f.586.532.9337

              Comment


              • #8
                Slippery floors were a concern but we have not had that problem with the Home Depot epoxy. I think that etching the concrete prior to applying the epoxy is key. You can also get some walnut hulls (crushed) from your local paint store to put in the epoxy to improve traction.
                Dave
                Glacier Brewing Company
                406-883-2595
                info@glacierbrewing.com

                "who said what now?"

                Comment


                • #9
                  Hello all!

                  Some epoxy thoughts. I too went with epoxy throughout my brewery (leased space, cost issues, the usual). I used three different products depending upon the area and its use. I used a water based industrial Rustoleum product (from Grainger / Rustoleum makes a range of epoxies, go for the high use heavy duty stuff) in the brewhouse and other high stress areas, the standard Home Depot / Lowes product in lower stress, but high use areas, and a standard concrete paint from the local Ace hardware in storage type areas. I found a huge difference in how they stand up to use. As might be expected, the higher end Rustoleum has held up the best, and the concrete paint, even in low use areas was a complete waste of money. The Home Depot / Lowes stuff has been OK, but when repainting I plan on covering with the high end stuff. More bang for the buck. As for the slip factor, the lower end the product the higher the slip factor in my experience. To tell the truth, I've slipped more often in tiled kitchens and brewhouses than on industrial epoxy, BUT proper footwear is essential! Street shoes have no place in brewery production spaces. Non slip soles required! As for putting in any type of grit, in my experience it just causes the coating to fail much more rapidly as the grit wears through, and doesn't really help with slipping when wearing inappropriate footwear. Grit spots also attract dirt and mung build up and make the floor more difficult to keep clean. In kitchens with service staff in street shoes, and kitchen staff in sneakers grit may be a necessary evil, but in the brewery, just get a proper pair of boots / shoes, and replace when the treads wear.

                  Cheers,
                  Ron
                  Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

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                  • #10
                    urethane flooring

                    Visited a brewery a few days ago that had a *polyurethane* floor.

                    The owner had similar problems (no time to dry out floor, lots of chipping on old floor, grip) and he found a product (and forgot its name, when I asked) that was a wee pricier than epoxy (about twice as much), but far more durable.

                    He said it was about 1/4" thick, and was sprayed on the floor. I could see where it thinned out near the feet of the unitanks (they were not moved for application) and it was quite grippy and soft. He said it was super chem resistant and easy to keep clean. It was an interesting bright blue colour, and felt a bit like one of those rubber running tracks to walk on. He raved about how easy it was to install...evidently they just masked off the stainless, hosed down the floor, and sprayed it on while the floor was wet. Evidently, the urethane uses water as the cure catalyst. He said it cured in 24 hours....and that the overspray was a royal pain to remove from stainless. He's had it for nearly a year, and it looked brand new.

                    I didn't get his email or website, but the name of the brewery is the Slope Brewhaus in BC. It's a dinky little 5 bbl brewery, and his name is Uwe Lauster (sp??)

                    If anyone knows where to get this stuff, I want it on my floor!!

                    DF

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                    • #11
                      Seriously DF.........no you don't. We had a similar system applied to our floor even though it dried for a week. It comes up in sheets later since the primary mode of failure in floor systems is moisture between the concrete and the topcoat. The shyster who applied ours wouldn't even refund our money even though it started coming up in a week.

                      The only way to get a good "sprayed on" topcoat is to ensure the concrete is dry prior to application. That could take 30 days or so.

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                      • #12
                        Thanks!

                        To everyone who's replied I just want to extend a big thanks! I appreciate everyone's input. if anyone has any other recommendations or advice, I'd love to hear from you.

                        At this point we still haven't decided what to do. There's an epoxy coating manufacturer in our area, but he doesn't seem to be too confident in his product.

                        Thanks again!

                        CT

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