No easy task!
A brewery environment has particular flooring demands and challenges. With brewery flooring, it is essential to know what’s involved and when to do it.
We have experienced it all and thought we’d bring them together in this blog.
Water and Chemicals – what’s involved and when to do it
Firstly, the need for large volumes of water in both production and the cleaning down process.
And water temperatures need to be accurate and just under boiling point.
There is also heavy use of chemicals used in the cleaning process.
The team must decontaminate the surfaces and floors after each fermentation process.
Therefore, the floor needs to be able to drain much water – and quickly!
It also needs to withstand harsh chemicals and heat from the water.
When chemicals react with the heat of the water, they become more reactive.
Hence, the floor needs to be incredibly durable and watertight.
The aim is to remove the water as quickly as possible.
It is, therefore, important during the planning stage of any brewery or distillery floor to ensure sufficient drainage for your needs.
Installation – what’s involved and when to do it
Retrospective installation of these can be costly and means production shutdown.
You need to decommission everything and remove it, which can be more costly than the floor itself.
Furthermore, stainless steel silos are sensitive to movement, so ample open space is best.
An empty building is the best option for installation – always!
ATS Experience
These flooring challenges require skills and experience, and the team at ATS can manage the entire process.
We use stainless steel drainage able to withstand harsh chemicals.
The bulk of a flooring project cost can be installing falls and drainage.
Our most robust system is our heavy-duty PU Screed – an anti-slip and watertight polyurethane resin.
It is incredibly durable and perfect for brewery and distillery settings.
But breweries and distilleries are not only production facilities.
Now many are diversifying and becoming visitor centres to give them extra income.
Production areas are becoming part of a “brewery experience”.
We have often worked with breweries to provide a range of finishes, including trendy polished or micro concrete within their guest bars.
One example is the Port of Leith Distillery project, where we support the main contractor, Colorado Construction.
In terms of timescales, at a minimum, a brewery floor is from 3 days onwards but can be up to a week if installing falls and drainage.
