The flooring types in a factory are endless, but industrial food-grade flooring must meet specific criteria. USDA approved floor coatings need to protect the well-being of workers and the healthy conditions required for food safety.
The Importance and Types of Industrial Food-Grade Flooring
Ensuring safety in the food supply chain is critical. Without proper sanitation and facility conditions, suppliers run the risk of food becoming contaminated. Food-safe flooring is designed to protect workers’ health and safety and food products during handling, processing, and storage.
Industrial food-grade flooring should have minimal contact with food products, but that is not the only food-safe flooring element. Food manufacturers and processors must follow strict requirements to maintain safe environments, including USDA- and FDA-approved floor coatings. Two industrial food-grade options are most effective.
Urethane Coatings
Urethane coatings create a seamless, slip-resistant layer that is resistant to liquids. Urethane’s resistant nature helps create a low-maintenance food-safe flooring that isn’t negatively affected by water, debris, chemicals, bacteria, and many byproducts. Urethane coatings are an ideal solution for industrial food-grade flooring because of their scratch and impact resistance in even the heaviest foot and machinery traffic areas.
Epoxy Resins
Epoxy resinous flooring delivers a nonporous and highly durable solution. Epoxy solutions can level out uneven floors. Epoxy flooring withstands the abuse of heavy machinery and foot traffic while simultaneously protecting the underlying concrete foundation. Epoxy flooring is also easy to clean.
What USDA-Approved Floor Coatings Need to Do
One of the worst-case scenarios a food facility can run into is being out of safety compliance. Fines, fixing issues, and even production shutdowns are all costly possibilities for those that do not meet requirements. To make sure you’re installing a USDA-approved floor coating, you should review the agency’s compliance guide.
USDA-approved floor coatings should be crack-free, smooth, nonporous, and seamless surfaces. Cracks and grout lines offer mold, bacteria, and microbes an area to grow. Preventing their growth promotes healthier conditions and lowers the risks of contamination. Urethane and epoxy coatings can also be applied to help floors to slope toward drains.
Food plants are typically high foot traffic areas and commonly use heavy machinery and equipment daily. Cementitious urethane flooring is very durable and can withstand the wear and tear of processing facilities better than many other types of factory flooring. The ingredients, byproducts, and cleaning supplies associated with food production can quickly break down floors. Resinous flooring provides protection against premature aging of your flooring system.
Depending on the products, food and beverage production facilities have to use extreme temperature shifts. Many flooring solutions cannot withstand the swings from hot to cold temperatures. Urethane-coated food-safe flooring is built for thermal shock resistance. It can withstand the extremes that other flooring cannot.
Industrial food-grade flooring must be able to withstand frequent exposure to moisture. Urethane flooring is highly moisture tolerant and protects the concrete slab below. You won’t have to worry about the continued presence of liquids damaging your floor.
It may seem counterintuitive to have smooth, seamless flooring that is also slip-resistant, but it is not. Installation companies can customize epoxy and urethane flooring solutions to offer slip-resistant finishes that protect those passing through your facility from injury.
Choosing the Right Food-Safe Flooring
If you need an industrial food-grade flooring system optimized for your food or beverage facility, contact Ardor Solutions today. We’ll help you take the first steps in customizing a food-safe flooring system based on your facility’s operations. Schedule a free needs assessment to get started today.
Ardor Solutions Understands Food-Safe Flooring Installation
If you need an industrial food-grade flooring system optimized for your food or beverage facility, contact Ardor Solutions today. We’ll help you take the first steps in customizing a food-safe flooring system based on your facility’s operations. Schedule a free needs assessment to get started today.
