Case Study: Food Manufacturer – North Wales

ACC Flooring were first contacted back in March 2023 by the client who was working on a large project for a leading Beverage manufacturer, they were looking for new premised in North Wales. Unfortunately, the first premises didn’t complete and the project was put on hold.

ACC Flooring were then contacted in January 2024 as new premises had been purchased not far from the original enquiry and the project was back on track .

Several visits to site were made by ACC Floorings Sales Manager and Contracts Manager to discuss the project with the client.

At just over 2900m² this was to be one of the largest projects to date that ACC Flooring were to undertake.

13 Rooms in total were to have resin flooring systems installed, these included the Production Areas, a Chill Room, Changing Rooms and Washrooms, each with its own specific resin flooring and slip resistance requirement, all as per the clients detailed plans, and discussions during the site visits.

Free of Charge samples were issued along with colour charts and product data sheets and Dark Grey in both an Epoxy Coating and 6mm Polyurethane Screed were chosen.

Due the quantity of materials required to complete the project, deliveries direct to site were staggered to suit both the client and ACC Flooring.

The 4 Washrooms required a heavy-duty sand and cement polymer modified screed to create falls as detailed in the clients plans to envelope rooms into a central drain, the screed was then left to cure.

The benefits of a polymer modified screed are that it can be installed externally as well as internally and can be applied down to a low of 10mm thickness, is water resistant and has a good tensile strength. The most useful benefit is that the polymer additive allows us to install resin systems on top in as little as 3 days, whereas traditional sand and cement screeds would take weeks to cure, significantly delaying the project for the client.

A mixture of both High build Coatings and Polyurethane Screed Resin systems were chosen by the client to suit the flooring needs of each area.

Polyurethane Screeds have a high durability, impact abrasion and good chemical resistance.

Installed at a nominal 6mm thickness they are suitable for freezer temperatures down to -25⁰C and installed at 9mm thickness down to -40⁰C, providing it is of a good quality concrete which is essential to install resin systems onto.

It’s lightly textured matt finish makes it ideal for both wet and dry environments. Typical areas of use are, Food Processing, Food and Drink Preparation, Breweries, Commercial Kitchens, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Production and Storage Areas.

Heavy Duty Polyurethane Screeds have an anticipated lifespan of approx. 10 – 12 years, with a good housekeeping regime in place and a bit of TLC!

The High Build Coatings we used are a solvent free 100% solids floor coating, which again like the polyurethane screed offer excellent abrasion and chemical resistance and provide a tough hard-wearing coating for use in medium traffic areas and have a gloss easier to clean finish.

Benefits of epoxy resin system are they protect the concrete from oil and chemical spills are non-dusting and slip resistant options are available which can be tailored to specific requirements.

High Build Epoxy coatings are suitable for regular foot traffic light duty Forklift Truck traffic, making them a good option for Warehouses, factories, Packaging and Storage Areas.

High Build Epoxy Coatings have an anticipated life span of 5 – 7 years for light duty areas, 2 – 4 years in a medium duty area, they are not recommended for heavy duty areas, again with a good housekeeping regime and a bit of TLC!

Preparation of all areas was carried out by way of enclosed shotblasting and handheld diamond grinding; to remove any laitance and provide a clean substrate to receive the selected resin systems, all preparation equipment is vacuum attached to encapsulate dust.

Coving was installed as required at a 100mm high capped with a birds beak trim and formed using a heavy-duty polyurethane wall render in dark Grey to match the floors and sealed with a Dark Grey solvent free Grout Seal coat.

Expansion Joints were reinstated where required using a thixotropic two-part polyurethane modified epoxy high modulus flexible joint filling compound in Dark Grey, to blend in with the floor coverings.

In total ACC Flooring installed: