Breweries are dynamic manufacturing environments with limited space shared by vessels, ingredients, liquids, machinery, forklifts, packaging, foot traffic, and more. The flooring beneath this mix of equipment, personnel, and products must be strong, simple to clean, and visually appealing. However, the optimal brewery flooring will depend on several factors.
AmeriCote provides you with a comprehensive understanding of brewery flooring. Let’s discuss the different types available and explore how you can do floor optimization.
What is Brewery Flooring?
For any brewery, whether small and family-owned or a significant international operation, a sturdy, secure, and practical flooring system is essential. It’s crucial not to overlook the fundamentals when starting your business.
Your brewery’s flooring should comply with government health & safety regulations. Even though you may not typically pay attention to your floors, they are crucial for your brewery’s success and compliance.
Brewery floors are essential because chemicals and bacteria can damage them. The bases can also be affected by changes in temperature. Breweries have lots of equipment, and fixing a damaged floor can be difficult. Planning and choosing the right flooring is vital for the brewery’s success.
Importance of Good Brewery Flooring
In the food and beverage industry, appearance is only one important consideration when it comes to flooring. Breweries must follow strict regulations that govern their operations, including their flooring system. The flooring must meet legal standards and be appropriate for the brewery’s processes & products. Choosing the right flooring is crucial for compliance and must meet various requirements, such as:
- To keep a brewery clean and healthy, its floor should be made of a material without holes, gaps, or spaces. It should also have antimicrobial properties to prevent harmful bacteria and other organisms from growing & accumulating on the floor.
- The floor coating in a brewery must also resist moisture and chemicals. It is essential because frequent exposure to these elements can cause the floor to deteriorate quickly. If the floor degrades too quickly, it can become a safety hazard and make it easier for harmful bacteria to grow.
- Breweries need a coating system that performs well in wet and dry conditions. Due to the nature of the industry, the floor is likely to be exposed to a lot of moisture and needs to be able to withstand constant exposure.
- In a brewery, the floors must provide an excellent grip to prevent accidents. It is because if the floor is slippery, it can cause harm to both workers and guests in the brewery.
- To align with the trend of making facilities environmentally friendly, it is also essential for brewery flooring to have a minimal environmental impact.
Choosing the Right Brewery Flooring
Irrespective of the type of brewery, certain qualities are essential for the flooring:
- Appropriate for dry & wet conditions
- No cracks or gaps
- Non-porous surface
- Resistant to chemicals and moisture
- Antimicrobial coating
- Capable of withstanding temperature changes
Additionally, the brewery floors must be non-skid, equipped with an appropriate drainage system, and easy to clean. It’s recommended to use environmentally friendly chemicals & practices during the creation and maintenance of floors to comply with regulations and avoid environmental harm.
Types Of Brewery Floor Coatings
Several resin flooring options are available for brewery floors, and multiple factors must be considered to ensure a long-lasting solution.
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Epoxy Flooring
Epoxy resin is formed by curing the essential components of epoxy and is commonly utilized for decorative and industrial flooring. Due to its solidification upon curing, it is a suitable choice for flooring purposes.
When dealing with epoxy flooring, it’s essential to consider both the curing time and the repairing process. Curing time can range from 5 to 7 days, requiring a complete shutdown of your brewery area during this period. Similarly, a shutdown is also probable for repairing the epoxy floor.
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Polyurethane (PU) Flooring
PU is a polymer that consists of carbamate links connecting organic units. As most PU are thermosetting, they do not respond to heat once they have been set. For this reason, they have become the industry norm for brewery floors.
It’s essential to consider the hygiene levels connected with polyurethane flooring. During the curing process, gas can create tiny holes throughout the floor’s surface, commonly known as pinholes. These pinholes can become a breeding place for microorganisms and trap dirt, which can compromise the overall hygiene of the floor
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Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) Flooring
The MMA flooring system comprises a primer, body coat, and top coat seal; all applied over the substrate. This system utilizes an acrylic resin for its composition.
One drawback of MMA flooring is its relatively low compressive strength compared to PU & Epoxy. As a result, it is more susceptible to damage and may require more frequent repairs. Additionally, dirt can become embedded in the surface, which can cause a number of issues in a brewery environment.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Brewery Flooring
Consider the following factors when selecting a flooring system for your brewery:
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Damage Resistance
Polyurethane & cement are two materials commonly used for brewery flooring due to their ability to provide both cleanliness & durability. Polyurethane cement is a type of flooring that combines many desirable qualities, including resistance to impact, chemical abrasion, and thermal shock. This type of flooring is easy to maintain & very reliable, making it an excellent choice for breweries.
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Cleanliness
Brewery floors in FL must meet FDA standards for cleanliness. Clean floors are essential for productivity in any brewing business. The feet must be user-friendly as products, employees, and customers will constantly use them. If the floors have any problems, it can slow down productivity. Seamless industrial flooring is easier to clean and has no crevasses where dirt can hide, making it the better choice.
Additionally, adding a floor coving system can help ensure that the floor remains spotless and up to code with USDA regulations.
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Chemical Resistance
Although the ingredients used in brewing may not harm most flooring options, the finished product can cause damage to bare concrete floors & epoxy systems due to the fermented ethanol. Therefore, it is essential to choose a flooring system with superior chemical resistance to protect against spills & prevent permanent damage to the floor surface.
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Thermal Cycling
In breweries, hot water, and steam are used in the brewing process, which can create high temperatures. When the temperature changes quickly, it’s called thermal cycling. It can cause damage to the floor. To prevent damage, it’s essential to use flooring materials that can expand and contract just like concrete, such as cement, urethane & resinous floor systems. These materials can handle temperature changes and keep the floor intact.
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Slip Resistance
It’s crucial to be sure that the floor system has slip resistance to prevent accidents caused by spills. In breweries, liquids can be spilled on the floor, which can make bare concrete & tile slippery. To ensure the safety of employees and visitors, it’s essential to add an anti-slip additive to a resinous floor system.
Advantages of Epoxy Flooring for Breweries
Following are some amazing advantages of epoxy flooring for brewery industries.
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Durability
Epoxy flooring is renowned for its toughness, resilience, and durability. It can endure impacts, abrasions, scratches, and heavy equipment without showing significant wear and tear. Additionally, spills do not penetrate the surface, making them easy to clean with a simple mop.
It makes epoxy an ideal choice for businesses that involve moving kegs, handling hops, and encountering minor spills as part of daily operations. By installing a long-lasting epoxy floor, you can be confident that it can withstand the demands of your business.
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Increased Brightness
Epoxy flooring has a bright and glossy appearance, which enables it to reflect the lighting of your place into your room. Similar to adding mirrors to a space, installing an epoxy floor can create an impression of increased brightness and lightness within your brewery
It can enhance the overall atmosphere, especially on cold and gloomy days. Brightening up the interior of your brewery is effortless with the addition of an epoxy floor. Moreover, you can choose a color that aligns with your decoration scheme, so you are not restricted to the dull grays of cement flooring.
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Low Maintenance
Concrete floors are prone to staining, while wooden floors can be challenging to maintain. When it comes to flooring, you need a solution that is easy to care for. Epoxy floors require minimal maintenance, especially if you incorporate drains during installation.
Cleaning up spills can be as simple as hosing down the floors and allowing them to dry, with no concern about the finish’s protection, as it is highly resilient and self-protective. Epoxy is exceptionally resistant to damage, staining, and chipping, providing peace of mind. Keeping your floors sterile and clean is straightforward and hassle-free with epoxy, requiring minimal effort.
Use Super Cleaner for a reliable, easy way to clean epoxy floors!
Conclusion
When your business is beer, it is important that you focus on what is important- brewing. You do not want to spend unnecessary time cleaning up spills. Instead, consider installing epoxy flooring for your brewery business so that cleanup is quick and simple.
At AmeriCote, we lead with creative products backed by a solid commitment to you as a customer. We aim to bring you an unmatched customer service experience alongside our quality-assured products.
We provide industrial flooring supplies to dealers & contractors. Our focus is to bring you improved products that make your installation process easier and more efficient, resulting in a quality and professional finish.
Are you interested in brewing flooring or epoxy flooring for your industry? Contact us now for affordable and top-notch services.