How to Save Money When Buying industrial workshop flooring

First off, I need to say 'thank you' to the woodworking community. When I was considering rubber floor tiles for the shop, the outpouring of opinions and suggestions was staggering! Getting advice online is always a crap shoot since we all have different tastes, needs, and regional conditions. But even with that in mind, the comments gave me serious food for thought on what was truly important for my shop floor, and what might be too risky.

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Now the one thing I can't stress enough is that THERE IS NO PERFECT FLOORING SOLUTION! Every option has at least one or two major flaws or questionable characteristics. This is exactly why I went in mental circles for weeks on this decision. So let me cut to the chase here: the flooring I found the least number of issues with was epoxy plus rubber mats in specific zones. Many of you suggested this very thing and in fact, I think it was the most popular suggestion.

Here's a rundown of the options I considered and why I decided against them. There are two things you should keep in mind if you are using this article to help in your own flooring decisions (or if you plan to give me crap about mine, haha). First, I live in the desert. The dry climate here means that water just isn't an issue, although we do have a few months of high humidity at the end of summer. Second, there is a lot of room for personal taste. Appearance was a major factor in my choice and of course, we can't all agree on what looks good. I will try to make sure my opinions are clearly labeled as such.

Rubber Floor Tiles

I broke this option down thoroughly in a previous article, so check that out if you're interested. There are a number of reasons I didn't go with rubber flooring. First is the appearance. It became clear to me that I definitely did not want to take any risks concerning the look of the floor. I really have no idea how much impact black flooring would have on light reflection, and consequently, video quality. Light colored tiles are available, but they cost about twice as much as the black/gray tiles and I really didn't want to spend that much money.

Another factor was the installation. Those tiles are incredibly heavy and I'm going to have my hands full just getting my tools in place, tuned up, and working. I really didn't want to lose a week just for flooring installation.

The final factor was something I can thank many of you for, and that's the 'unknown'. Many of you brought up some great points about tool mobility, workbench stability, solvent reactivity, off-gassing, lighting, etc. All of these things made me realize that this was going to be a very expensive experiment. My gut (and the rubber flooring company), tells me everything probably would have been fine, but at this point in the game, I am not willing to do anything that has even a remotely questionable outcome.

Vinyl

This one was a bit of a long-shot but I did consider it. I had one flooring company come out to give me a price on engineered hardwood, and after hearing my story, the salesman suggested vinyl flooring. He showed me some samples of this nice fiberglass (I think) material that not only looked decent, but had a little cushion to it. This was something I hadn't even considered before but I was intrigued, so I had him price it out. Now, this could very well be a fluke, but the price was well over $10,000!! And this was a well-known major flooring installer in our area. In addition to the sticker shock, I heard some feedback from folks who mentioned that seams could eventually become an issue with this type of flooring in a high heat environment. With 12' rolls, we would have three long seams in the shop. So vinyl was out.

Solid/Engineered Hardwood

Generally speaking, solid wood in an occasionally-conditioned work space is just a bad idea. As we all know, wood likes to move. My shop will experience seasonal and daily temperature swings as well and major humidity swings at the end of Summer, and as we are all well aware, this is not good for solid wood.

Engineered hardwood is a little more realistic as it is essentially just fancy plywood. Even then, I had a few installers tell me they wouldn't recommend this product for an inconsistently-conditioned space like the shop.

In both solid and engineered hardwood, cost was a major factor. If I chose to hire out the installation for the sake of saving time, the cost was just insane. So although this option would have been the nicest to look at, wood movement and cost knocked it out of the contest.

Laminate

I have installed several laminate (Pergo) floors over the years and while they are easy to install and nice to look at, they have a characteristic sound that is very unappealing to me (especially on High Heels Thursdays). Furthermore, a layer of dust on a laminate floor is a one-way trip to the broken coccyx doctor.

Sleepers and OSB or Ply

I know many of you who have this type of floor in your shop and love it. We even posted a guest article on the topic. But there were a few reasons I dismissed it. First, I had serious reservations about popping holes in my brand new concrete slab. I realize a floor like this is supposed to be permanent, but something about that just bugged me. Also, I can be a little lazy, especially when I'm in a rush to get back to woodworking. sq feet is a LOT of real estate to cover!! And speaking of real estate, the thought of re-sale value did cross my mind. I know it's crazy to think about that at this stage of the game, but I do like to think ahead. That's exactly why I had them install a garage door header that I will never use. If I do sell this place one day, it's a lot more likely to find a 'car guy/gal' than a 'wood guy/gal'. And a plywood floor probably wouldn't be very appealing to potential buyers.

Epoxy + Rubber Mats

And now for the big winner. The decision on this came after a visit to my parents house. They have a small one-car garage with an epoxy coated floor. They only have a few fluorescent lights in the garage but whenever you turn them on, the space just looks bright and cheery. In my current garage, I have a crap-ton of light but I just don't get the same effect from unfinished concrete. So epoxy wins major points for appearance.

I discussed re-sale value above and an epoxy floor is a no-brainer in that area. Just about anyone would prefer an epoxy floor over an unfinished concrete floor.

There is no doubting the durability and protective qualities of epoxy. Professionally installed with high-grade materials, these floors last a long time and I'm sure it will stand up to just about anything I can dish out.

Cost was quite reasonable, coming out to about $2.40 installed. This included non-slip grit and those little flakes they like to apply.

The one area where epoxy fails miserably is comfort. Obviously, it does nothing to soothe my weary bones. So that's where the rubber mats come in. Just like in the old shop, I'll use rubber mats around the various tool zones. Perhaps I'll even do an entire area where I know there will be heavy traffic. This way I can pick up the pads if and when I need to move the tools.

The one caveat here is that I am pretty much done with the cheap interlocking pads from the big box store. They are way too light and flimsy and I would like a more 'semi-permanent' placement. So this brings me back full-circle to the rubber flooring company. Their mats are thick, heavy, and aren't likely to move when vacuumed.

So once again, I appreciate the feedback from everyone. I am sure that many of you may disagree with my decision or even my logic. But that's OK. If we all agreed unanimously on anything, that would be spooky. I hope my explanations and ramblings help you in your own shop flooring adventures.

WHAT IS THE MOST DURABLE INDUSTRIAL FLOORING?

The durability of any floor depends on its use. A flooring material specifically suited to the challenges of its facility is far more likely to stand the test of time, saving companies the long-term costs of maintenance, repair, and replacement.

It is common to employ multiple flooring surfaces throughout a single facility, tailoring each zone to the activity that takes place there. An auto dealer's showroom, for example, does not encounter the harsh chemicals and sharp impacts that are all in a day's work in the service shop. A dealer on a budget may choose a cheaper, less resilient floor for the showroom to afford a more hard-wearing surface for the shop bays.

When looking at industrial flooring options, ask:

• Will the floor support traffic, equipment, or both?

Will people be walking or driving on the floor? Areas with high foot traffic should be even and slip resistant to prevent falls. A floor that supports vehicle traffic should be able to support and disperse the rolling weight of the vehicle and be abrasion resistant to prevent wear patterns. The floor under heavy machinery must be able to support the machine's full weight and protect the subfloor from any vibrations. If the machine generates heat or cold, or if there is a possibility that ingredients or chemicals may spill on the surrounding floor, those factors must be taken into account.

• Is this area prone to temperature swings?

Some flooring ideal at moderate temperatures will soften under the extreme heat of a commercial oven or crack in the extreme cold of a deep freeze. Consider not only the average temperature of the environment, but any extreme temperature swings the floor may have to endure.

'If you have a deep freezer next to a warm room, you have to realize that every time you open that door the floor outside is microfreezing in a blast of cold air,' says Spencer Martin, Argelith's national sales director. 'A qualified installer is going to recognize that and use some kind of separation between those floors.'

Nearly all flooring materials will expand and contract under temperature shifts. The floor should be designed to accommodate this movement, not fight it. A rigid material that does not allow thermal expansion and contraction is likely to crack due to the movement of the subfloor. Rigid floor coverings should be installed with expansion joints to accommodate this movement.

• Is the environment wet or dry?

Wet environments like breweries or slaughterhouses have more requirements than dry environments like bakeries or retailers. Thanks to gravity, everything eventually ends up on the floor. Factors to consider when flooring a wet environment include absorption, slip resistance, and drainage.

• What substances will end up on the floor?

Chemical resistance refers to a floor's ability to withstand exposure to acids, oils, and caustic materials. An auto lube shop works with very different chemicals than a soft drink manufacturer, but both require flooring that can withstand chemical attack. A facility designer must know exactly what substances may hit the floor and how they affect the various components of a flooring system. Substances include materials required to operate equipment, like oil or brake dust, as well as ingredients and effluent. A chemical resistant flooring system includes not only the main floor but also grouts, topcoats, or underlayments.

• What is the lifespan of this facility?

If this is a starter location for a growing business and owners plan to move in three to five years, a low-priced option like epoxy or polished concrete will work just fine. There's no need to buy a 30-year floor for a five-year location. For a company that plans to be in the same location for decades, the upfront savings of a lightweight floor will soon disappear in the constant cycle of repairing, resealing, or replacing. A heavy-duty floor like vitrified tile, while more expensive at the outset, lasts longer with less maintenance, and thus costs less per year to own. 

• What hygiene or other industrial standards exist for this facility?
  

Facilities that produce food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, or other products for consumption are subject to USDA or FDA hygiene standards. Other industries may also have standards or industry guidelines established to ensure facility and product safety.

THE BEST FLOORING FOR HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS

A 'high traffic area' means, quite simply, an area that is frequently traveled by foot or by vehicle. A grocery store filled with walking customers and rolling shopping carts, an auto service shop with walking technicians and driving cars, and a restaurant kitchen filled with rushing staff are all examples of high traffic areas.

Abrasion Resistance

It is important for high traffic flooring to resist abrasion. Hard wearing industrial flooring should be able to hold up under years of traffic without grooves or wear patterns appearing along frequently traveled paths. These wear patterns are more than unsightly; as the surface layer of a floor wears away, the floor may become susceptible to all those things it was supposed to resist, like water and chemicals.

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Thin coatings are not well suited to high traffic areas for this reason. For long-term durability, companies should look to thick or full-body floor coverings. A full-body flooring material has the same density, hardness, color, and resilience throughout. Surface scratches, scrapes, or wear patterns on full-body flooring are less visible and do not affect the resistant properties of the floor.

Slip Resistance

Slip resistance is an important consideration in areas with high foot traffic. Companies that cut corners on this feature may find themselves on the wrong end of expensive lawsuits or workers' compensation claims after a slip-and-fall accident.

The amount of slip resistance needed depends on the environment. The floor in a car wash, for example, is virtually always covered by slippery substances like water, soap, and wax, while bakery floors stay mostly dry. When choosing a flooring surface, the bakery could safely opt for a lower profile than the car wash.

Industrial anti-slip flooring typically relies on either texture or grit to increase traction. Texture is found in flooring surfaces like dry-pressed tile. At the time of manufacture, tiles are pressed into molds that leave a textured impression on their surface. The deeper the impression, the higher the tile's slip resistance.

Liquid flooring options rely upon grit to provide slip resistance. At some point after the floor coating has been poured, a fine, gritty substance is scattered across the top. As the floor cures, this grit becomes a permanent part of the surface. A good flooring contractor will be careful to spread the grit evenly across the floor to avoid unexpected slick spots. If the coating begins to peel, wear off, or is otherwise compromised, it is important to repair as soon as possible, as the underlying surface will not be slip resistant.

A floor's cleanability is directly related to its slip resistance. The same texture or roughness that provides traction underfoot creates small nooks and crannies where dirt can settle. The more slip resistant the floor, the deeper these crannies are, making them difficult to clean with conventional methods like mopping. Most brands of industrial tile, including Argelith, have a baked-on finish that reduces friction and enhances cleanability. For easiest cleaning, companies should choose the lowest profile that provides the required level of grip. A floor scrubber equipped with a vacuum is an effective way to remove soil from a slip resistant floor.

DO I NEED CORROSION RESISTANT FLOORING?

All industrial flooring begins with a concrete subfloor. Industrial floor coverings come into play because most concrete, on its own, is porous and is not chemical resistant.

Chemical reactions damage a floor's integrity. In some cases, the reaction is immediate and visible in the form of a stain. Concrete corrodes quickly under chemical attack, becoming dusty, cracked and pitted.

In many cases, however, chemical attack is slow and insidious, invisibly weakening the floor covering and allowing water, chemicals, and microbes access to the vulnerable subfloor.

It is vital facility designers know exactly what substances are being used in each area of the facility and how they react with the elements that make up the floor. A bakery, for example, may use acidic substances like sugar and fruit juice; alkaline substances like salt; and oily substances like food oils and nuts. The person or team specifying flooring for the bakery must understand how each of these ingredients will react with the flooring material being considered.

WATERPROOF FLOOR OPTIONS

Water is the natural enemy of concrete. As a concrete floor absorbs moisture, it creates a lush breeding ground for mold and microbes. Iron rebar deep in the concrete corrodes under the damp conditions. As the water freezes and thaws, its expansion and contraction is too much for the concrete to bear, causing the floor to buckle and crack.

Chemical floor coatings rely upon sealants or water-resistant topcoats to protect the subfloor from moisture damage. These sealants can be effective as long as they are carefully monitored for cracks and wear and are reapplied periodically. The frequency of reapplication depends on a variety of factors.

While glazed tile also uses a surface coating to repel moisture, vitrified ceramic relies upon its density to resist water damage. The manufacture of pressed vitrified tiles involves a series of steps, each of which presses the molecules in the tile closer and closer together. By the time an Argelith fully vitrified tile leaves the factory, there is not enough space between the ceramic molecules to allow water to penetrate, resulting in a permanent absorption rate of less than 0.1 percent.

When tiling areas with heavy or frequent water exposure, a facility designer must be careful to specify water-resistant adhesive and grout. Fully vitrified tile laid with an epoxy grout is water resistant, but just like a full epoxy floor, the epoxy grout may eventually require reapplication. A water-resistant adhesive prevents any moisture that seeps through a damaged grout joint from affecting the subfloor beneath.

Wet areas like car washes or beverage production lines can be further protected with the addition of wall tile and cove base. Wall tile, whether vitrified or glazed, protects the wall in the splash zone of wet applications. Cove base joins the floor and the wall on a curve, rather than a 90-degree angle. This allows water to roll down the curve and onto the floor, which should be sloped to a drain, rather than settling into the joint between wall and floor.

Drains are another important aspect of flooring in a wet industrial zone. Like the flooring itself, drains should be made of a material that will not react or corrode under exposure to the substances used in the industry. Floors in wet areas should be sloped to drains and laid in such a way that water flows freely to the drain rather than puddling or traveling in channels.

CHOOSING A FLOORING CONTRACTOR

A successful industrial flooring installation is not a do-it-yourself project.

Cash-strapped business owners may think flooring their facility is akin to painting their garage floor or tiling the bathroom in their home. This naivete is a mistake that could cost the business dearly when the amateur flooring job eventually fails.

An effective industrial floor has at least four parts: the properly prepped subfloor; the underlayment, base coat, or mudbed; the main body of the floor; and a topcoat or grout. In some cases, additional layers like slipsheets or moisture vapor transmission barriers may be required. Failure in any one of these levels could lead to failure and expensive remediation of the entire floor.

A business that hesitates to spend on installation will almost certainly be forced to spend on remediation.

When choosing a flooring installer, make sure the chosen contractor is experienced with your industry. Experienced installers should be able to provide references within the same industry as the prospective client. In an ideal scenario, you should also be able to visit these references and see the installation firsthand.

A qualified installer will be familiar with the demands of the industry and with any pertinent regulations or requirements, such as USDA or FDA regulations for food production facilities.

Qualified installers have the experience and education to place expansion joints in the optimum locations to prevent cracking and understand the ideal environmental conditions under which to lay the floor.

A reputable installer will have access to materials and tools that may not be readily available at do-it-yourself stores. He or she should be able to tell the prospective client what products are recommended for the floor and why. The experienced installer will understand how each element of the floor works with the others and can ensure each product used in the installation is compatible with the others.

ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE FLOORING

While a building material's impact on health and the environment may not be your first consideration, firms are reporting it as increasingly relevant.

Some building materials emit chemical fumes or volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Some people have a heightened sensitivity to these products and may find it difficult to work around them. Facilities that manufacture products for consumption, like food and pharmaceuticals, may also have concerns about product contamination from abraded particles of these materials. A product's recyclability at the end of its lifespan and the environmental impact of its manufacture are also features to consider when attempting to choose green building materials.

WHEN TO OPT FOR INDUSTRIAL TILE

Argelith's fully vitrified industrial tile is a hard-wearing option for facilities with demanding environments. The strength and density of the tile supports heavy weight, and when properly installed distributes the weight evenly across a wide area of the subfloor. The hardening process the tiles undergo results in a surface that meets or exceeds industry standards in abrasion resistance, and the tiles are a full-body floor covering, making them a durable choice in high traffic areas.

Argelith's fully vitrified tiles have a water absorption rate of less than 0.1%, making them suitable for wet environments when installed with a water-resistant grout and adhesive. Hexalith tiles are designed to slope to drains at any angle. The tiles are butt jointed, which reduces dependence on grout and results in small, flat grout lines that do not channel water.

Tiles are available in an assortment of slip resistant profiles. Because the profile relies upon texture, not grit, soil is less likely to cling to the surface.

Ceramic is a natural, chemically stable substance that does not react to chemical exposure. It heats and cools slowly and evenly, and when installed with appropriate expansion joints can be used under boilers, in deep freezers, or at any temperature in between. HACCP-certified ceramic is naturally hygienic and provides no refuge for microbial contaminants. At the end of its useful life, it can be crushed into recycled aggregate and used in future building projects.

Industries well suited to industrial tile floors include:

• Auto service and oil change shops
• Car washes
• Breweries, wineries and distilleries
• Soft drink, juice, and ready-to-drink beverage bottlers
• Bakeries and processed food manufacturers
• Slaughterhouses and meat packing facilities
• Dairies
• Pharmaceutical and health supplement laboratories
• Cannabis growing facilities
• Chemical manufacturers

Click here for your free downloadable checklist of questions to ask when choosing industrial flooring.

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