Flooring for The Food & Beverage Industry

25 Apr.,2023

 


Food and beverage processing facilities are among the most challenging environments for both polymer floor coatings and the contractors who install them. The flooring installed in these facililities is subjected to extreme temperatures, thermal shock, hot oils, animal fats, caustic cleaners and strong acids. More often than not the contractor has to deal with highly contaminated and damaged substrates as well as a very narrow window of time to prepare the concrete and get the new flooring system installed.

 

In these environments, the key to long-term success is selecting the proper flooring system and the most effective method of surface preparation. This can be a difficult task with so many variables to consider. Here’s a quick overview of what you need to know:

 

Surface Preparation:Surface prep is crucial. Since most flooring systems used in the food and beverage industry are at least 1/8th inch thick, you will be using a shot blaster or a scarifier for your main prep tool, and a diamond grinder for areas where the other two methods are impractical. You will want to profile the concrete to a minimum of CSP3, and depending on the system and concrete conditions, you may need to go as aggressive as a CSP7. If you would like to know more about the CSP scale, visit ICRI.

 

URETHANE MORTAR CHEMISTRY
Urethane mortars have become the go-to chemistry for the food and beverage industry. They offer some very desirable performance properties such as chemical, thermal shock, heat and impact resistance. Actually, thermal shock, heat and impact resistance are unique to urethane mortar chemistry. Combine all that with the fact they cure very rapidly and you have the ideal system for the food and beverage industry.

 

There are some drawbacks, however, when it comes to system installation. For example, urethane mortars cure so quickly that they can be more difficult to install than other systems. Installation requires more highly skilled labor on site than you would typically use with epoxy based systems. In addition, surface preparation is more complex. Key way and anchor points need to be cut into the substrate. However, all of these difficulties can be overcome with proper training and project planning.

 

Some of the major system types include:

 

Trowel Grade Systems:

Trowel grade systems are typically applied in one application without a primer or a topcoat at a thickness of 3/16th to ½ inch. The trowel grade material is one of the most durable urethane mortar systems around, and because of it’s fast installation it’s ideal for renovation projects. These systems are suitable for all food and beverage processing applications as long as aesthetics aren’t a big concern. The major drawbacks: it’s labor intensive and difficult to install, so most contractors avoid it if they can.

 

Rake and Trowel Systems:

Rake and trowel systems offer durability similar to the trowel grade system, but are much easier to install. These systems typically get broadcasted to refusal with colored quartz. Occasionally the system is left unsealed, in very wet conditions, but most of the time it will receive a urethane, polyaspartic or an epoxy novolac topcoat which is typically determined by the project requirements. Depending on the top coat that is selected these systems can offer great aesthetics along with superior durability.

 

Urethane Slurry Systems:

Urethane slurries are the easiest of the three major systems to install, but due to their increased resin content they lack some of the thermal shock and heat resistance of the other two systems. It is recommended that they be used in more medium duty applications like bottling facilities or commercial kitchens. They can be installed neat, (No Broadcast), or with a broadcast of colored quartz. Occasionally the system is left unsealed in very wet conditions, but for the most part, it will get a urethane, polyaspartic or an epoxy novolac topcoat that is typically determined by the project requirements. Depending on the top coat that is selected these systems can offer great aesthetics along with good durability.

 

EPOXY COATING CHEMISTRY

 

Epoxy coating toppings have been used in the food and beverage industry for decades with mixed results. Most of the failures I have personally witnessed can be directly related to poor system design and material selection. Specifically, the use of low-cost, general-purpose epoxy resins that do not have the chemical resistance to withstand the animal fats, caustic cleaners and strong acids. The other problem is the use of thin film coatings because of the lower cost. Thin films will not hold up in most food and beverage processing applications, due to the heavy impact and abrasion these floors are exposed to daily.

 

Perhaps the biggest contributor to these system failures is thermal shock. Epoxies in general do not perform well when exposed to extreme thermal shock such as steam cleaning. For areas that do not experience thermal shock, an epoxy-based system can provide years of great service for your customer at a good value compared to urethane mortars (provided that you select the proper system for the final application. There two major system that are acceptable for these applications).

 

The two major systems acceptable for these applications:

 

Epoxy Mortars Systems:

Epoxy mortars are typically applied at 3/16 to ½ inch thick. They can be used to resurface badly damaged concrete. The actual mortar part of the system is a mixture of epoxy resin and graded silica sand at a ratio of 4-to-6 parts sand to-1-part mixed resin. Once the mortar is cured it is ground to remove all major imperfections. Then, one or two topcoats are applied. This provides excellent aesthetics along with impact, abrasion and chemical resistance. The only drawback to this type of system is that it requires specialized tools such as screed boxes, power trowels and planetary grinders to complete most installations. Many contractors don’t possess these tools.

 

Epoxy Slurry Broadcast Systems:

Epoxy Slurry Broadcast floors are typically 1/8 to ¼ inch thick and use silica sand or colored quartz as the broadcast medium. For food and beverage applications, I like to see a finished floor thickness of at least 3/16inch. A finely graded silica filler is added to the resin to improve the impact resistance of the system, and it will also improve the economics. This system is typically completed using two broadcasts to achieve the final thickness, and then a topcoat is applied. The major advantage to this system is that most contractors with a good understanding of epoxy flooring can install it. When properly installed in the right environment, it will provide years of service for the end user.

 

MMA Chemistry
MMA is the only one of these chemistries where I cannot claim to be an expert. However, I do have a good general knowledge of the chemistry and system designs and will share my observations. I have been on several food and beverage jobs where MMA has been very successful, and also a few where it has failed. MMA flooring has proved itself to be a very valuable option for the food and beverage industry. The fact that it cures rapidly (1-4 hours), even in very cold temperatures makes it ideal for repair and restoration. MMA floors systems have good chemical resistance and excellent impact resistance. All and all, they make for a pretty tough floor.

 

There are some areas where MMA shouldn’t be used, such as environments exposed to high heat or live steam. The major drawbacks to MMA are that it’s highly flammable, has a very strong odor, can be difficult to install because it cures so quickly, and it’s only available in a matte finish. Because of how these systems are catalyzed, the installer must measure the substrate temperature to determine how much catalyst to add. If you add too much, the system will cure too fast. On the other hand, adding too little can cause it to cure too slow or not at all. These factors make it somewhat of a specialty system requiring specialized contactor training. The major MMA systems used in the food and beverage industry are ¼ inch trowel downs, slurries and slurry broadcasts.

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