Like most wet processing facilities, dairy and cheese plants can be challenging environments for unprotected concrete!

Protective floor coating systems must offer sufficient chemical resistance to corrosive dairy fats, lactic acids and proteins as well as provide an anti-slip, easily cleaned and de-greased surface.

The Challenges

In addition to harmful chemicals, floors found in cheese and dairy processing facilities are often subject to heavy forklift and pallet truck traffic, as well as thermal shock conditions resulting from pressurised steam cleaning – both of which can lead to mechanical damage!

Harmful chemicals and thermal shock can lead to irreversible floor damage 

Luckily, there are speciality resins and antibacterial treated floor coating systems that are designed to cater for all areas within such environments.

Processing Area

Within the processing area, dairy and cheese facility floors can be subject to spillages of water, milk, brine and whey, generating both a slip and hygiene risk.

Resin flooring systems ensure a non-porous, smooth and seamless surface with nowhere for bacteria or mould spores to grow. Whilst solving the issue of bacteria, a positive texture can also be added to improve slip resistance in such areas.

Textured surface improve slip resistance

Resin systems with incorporated anti-bacterial properties can also be chosen for such areas.

Milking Parlour

For wet processing areas such as milking parlours, chemical resistance and slip resistance becomes even more important.

Milking parlour flooring should be chemical and slip resistant

Similarly, to processing areas, polyurethane resin floor systems are ideal for use here, thanks to the slip and chemical resistant properties. Slip resistance is not only important for the staff members moving around the space, but for the livestock as well. Keeping all ‘users’ of the space safe and comfortable is of the utmost importance.

Drainage systems can help this further as standing water can be quickly drained away, reducing the amount of water present on the floor, as well as bacteria that strives in damp conditions.

Suitable drainage is important for both hygiene and slip resistance

Storage areas

One space that is crucial to the ‘smooth’ running of a facility is the warehouse. Any bumps, cracks or flaws in its surface can have serious consequences on the ability of forklift trucks to move quickly and efficiently among the narrow racking system.

Storage areas require smooth flooring suitable for forklift trucks

Polyurethane deck coating systems, most often found in car park areas are a popular choice in warehouses, specifically in the point loading spaces. Flexibility and durability are not the only benefit to such solutions, deck coating is also known to cosmetically enhance a space, generating a brighter, safer environments to visit.

Offices

Office spaces, which are usually on the outskirts of the cheese and dairy processing areas, can afford to be more decorative than other areas of the site. However, style does not have to come before substance, as decorative solutions with protective properties are available.

Corridors can be exposed to chemicals carried through on staff shoes

Office floors run the risk of being exposed to just as many chemicals and spilled substances as the processing areas, as these solutions can easily be walked in on the bottom of staff shoes. It is because of this that incorporated slip and chemical resistance is extremely important, to ensure that the floors stay looking their best for an extended period of time.

Would you like to find out more about the ideal flooring solutions for the Cheese and Dairy industry? Please feel free to contact us below.