Warehouse Flooring are busy places where a variety of products, equipment and materials are stored and shifted around constantly. The floors must be durable, easy to maintain and provide safe surfaces for employees, customers and equipment alike.
While any flooring material can serve a warehouse, concrete is the most appropriate choice for such a high-demand environment. It can withstand the strain of forklifts and other heavy machinery, and it is impervious to many common chemicals that could damage or stain other materials. Concrete, however, cannot withstand everything, and it may become damaged or slick if it isn’t properly prepared and treated.
Temperature Control and Warehouse Flooring: What You Need to Know
A quality contractor with a track record of providing a well-done job should be chosen to prepare the warehouse floor. The thickness, reinforcement, and coating of the concrete slab will have a significant impact on how the floor behaves once it is in service. Untreated or underprepared slabs can lose strength or stability as they shrink as retained moisture evaporates, causing movement in the concrete that causes cracking and spalling. This can be mitigated by using a high-strength epoxy concrete floor coating or by installing contraction joints and filling them with a flexible resinous compound.
Polishing a concrete floor densifies it, which prevents oils and other chemicals from penetrating the surface. This prevents the delamination of epoxies and other coverings and reduces maintenance costs. Additionally, polished concrete is environmentally friendly and can help meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) criteria.