CONCRETE MAKES A COMEBACK ON BREWERY FLOORS

The recent marketplace explosion of craft breweries and local microbreweries, even small production wineries has given facility managers good reason to take another look at industrial concrete flooring solutions. Concrete floors protected by high-performance coatings are being used more often in brew room, distillery, barrel room, tasting room and bistro environments than the typical tile or ceramic floor because they are virtually impervious to the harsh conditions of the trade –and they look good doing it.

After all, brewing is one of the oldest crafts in human history, and concrete- well, consider this: the ancient Romans used the stuff to build the dome of the Pantheon, which is still the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome. The two have stood the test of time, and today, concrete is the most widely used man-made material, so it seems fitting they share a resurgence.

Brewery Floor Solutions

Incorporating cement in a heavy-duty urethane polymer concrete coating is a very popular flooring solution for breweries. Benefits include:

High traffic durability

Chemical, stain and slip resistance

Withstands extreme thermal shock of hot water wash downs and cool temps

Maintains high surface load of bottling and cleaning machines, filling machines and materials

Seamless surface with no grout lines to trap dirt and bacteria

Greener flooring option – restore existing concrete

It’s important for brew masters to have a floor that cleans easily in short order, so yeast is killed before it can get into the concrete. Otherwise, yeast that is still alive on concrete as little as six hours later can destroy the epoxy coating.

Surface Preparation Key to Good Performance

Proper sanding and grinding of the flooring surface lets the concrete open up, allowing color stain and sealer to penetrate deep, which makes the treatment last longer.

In addition, brewery floors need to pitch toward drains and be curbed, to prevent liquid overflow and standing water. Surface Solutions’ team of in-house experts recently prepared 4,500 square feet of new concrete for Logboat Brewing Company‘s new facility in Columbia, Missouri, which just celebrated with a grand opening on May 31, 2014. The surface was sloped using BASF Rapid Mortar 1060 at 1/8-inch per foot. The team curbed 400 feet using UCRETE® WR, a polyurethane and concrete additive used especially on newly installed concrete to form cove bases and renovate walls. The entire floor surface is finished using the three-part UCRETE® HF flooring system to a ¼-inch thickness.

Show Off Stained Concrete in Tasting Rooms

For tasting rooms, stained concrete can be processed by grinding with a planetary grinder until the color has a warm patina, then protected with a polyurethane sealer. The entire room will have an inviting, natural feel to it.

About Surface Solutions

With over 60 years of combined industry expertise, Indianapolis, IN-based Surface Solutions is an independent industrial floor contractor on the forefront of high-performance flooring and wall systems installation. Consistently selected as a top-rated BASF UCRETE® Master Contractor, Surface Solutions is one of the elite companies nationwide that specializes in seamless, polymer flooring systems utilizing the most trusted brands in the industry. From testing to consulting and complete flooring services, Surface Solutions is the premier source for non-toxic, safe and environmentally friendly solutions for your industrial flooring needs, offering turnkey installations envisioned only by in-house personnel and carrying a complete single-source warranty.