The flooring in a commercial kitchen is subject to heavy foot traffic and potential damage daily. Floors deteriorate and crack prematurely due to extreme temperature variations, aggressive cleaning solutions, hot grease, persistent dampness, and heavy foot activity. Health and safety inspections and other forms of government oversight are also commonplace in commercial kitchens. Building a solid base in your commercial kitchen is crucial. The finest restaurant flooring options are detailed here.
Good flooring can make guests and employees healthier and safer.
Restaurant flooring is used for a variety of purposes beyond just being the bottom layer of a room. The flooring in a building has a significant impact on both the health and safety of visitors and employees. These considerations should be kept in mind when deciding on the best flooring options for restaurants.
Moisture
There is a lot of condensation in eateries. There are several potential sources of moisture in the home, including but not limited to food preparation, water spills, dishwashing, housekeeping, and climate regulation. Because of these actions, the flooring eventually becomes damp. MVT, or Moisture Vapour Transmission, is often neglected as a source of moisture in eating establishments. The soil beneath the concrete, as well as the concrete itself, are the immediate sources of this condensation. Wet floors in commercial kitchens signal an improperly constructed floor covering or concrete subfloor. If you hire a professional to build a floor designed for a commercial or industrial kitchen, you can lessen the likelihood of any accidents happening. Companies like Creative Maintenance Solutions that specialise in concrete floors can help you find the best commercial flooring option for your needs.
Standards for Sanitation Compliance
Dining establishments require more than just a spotless environment to be considered hygienic. It involves the cleanliness of the workers, the cleanliness of the appliances and cookware, good ventilation, and a large number of inspections. Food storage, meal preparation, and—yes—flooring selection all require thought concerning hygiene. Because of the potential for the spread of disease-causing organisms and bacteria in food service establishments, limiting the proliferation of these contaminants is crucial. Keeping a restaurant clean, up to code, and ready for inspection is an ongoing process. With the right flooring, however, the job becomes much simpler. Non-porous, liquid-proof flooring is ideal for sanitary conditions. Hygiene regulations mandated by law for food service establishments include:
Floors and coverings must adhere to the concrete slab with special adhesives for a seamless installation. When these speciality adhesives are exposed to water, they don’t degrade, which eliminates voids in the substrate and, in turn, reduces the chance of microbial growth. Food and trash can get stuck in the grout between tiles and other exposed areas of these floors. Bacteria proliferate over time. It can’t happen with seamless floor coatings.
Cove bases run the length of a room from floor to ceiling. The junction between the floor and the wall is protected from trash and food by this substance. The cove’s rounded bottom makes it less of a chore to wipe down after use. Using integral cove bases is not restricted to just industrial kitchens. Restrooms, self-service sections (like buffets), walk-in food storage areas (pantries, refrigerators, and freezers), and service counters all need them.
Safety
Different restaurants have different flooring cleaning routines, typically based on the sorts of ingredients coming into contact with the floor and the choice of management. Wet floors in the kitchen not only encourage the growth of bacteria and other harmful microorganisms but also pose a serious slip-and-fall risk. Not only does slip-resistant flooring in restaurants aid in cleanliness, but it also provides superior traction for both staff and customers. Specialised compounds and aggregate are applied to floors to increase their skid and slip resistance. Aggregate’s rough edges increase traction and so reduce slippage. Some examples of aggregates are quartz, sand, walnut shells, aluminium oxide, epoxy, sand, glass, and plastic. The optimum flooring solution for each room can be determined with the guidance of an expert flooring contractor.
Temperature
The flooring at a restaurant needs to be resistant to a wide variety of temperatures. There might be a significant temperature range in a restaurant, from the toasty dining room to the freezing coolers and the refreshing walk-in freezers. Heat is released from cooking appliances (ovens, stoves, deep fryers), dishwashing stations, and hot water sprays. On the contrary, refrigeration equipment produces very cold temperatures. Because of these changes, the flooring substrate and coatings will expand and contract at different rates. When this occurs, the floor develops cracks. These voids cause the floor to become unfastened in certain spots, which invites contamination and poses a threat to anyone walking on it. Restaurants require thermally resistant flooring, meaning the slab and floor expand and contract at the same pace. Because of this, it is important to have a floor that is thermally resistant so that the concrete and flooring do not separate.
Chemicals
Elevating a floor’s performance also requires it to be chemically resistant. Consider the wide variety of chemicals that might be present in the average eatery. The oven, surface, floor, dish, and window cleaners that work to kill germs are all quite toxic. Restaurant floors are regularly subjected to contaminants not seen in residential kitchens due to the frequent use of degreasers and detergents. Oils and greases are sprayed out at high temperatures by kitchen appliances. The upkeep and repair of this apparatus call for the use of chemicals. Granular ingredients like sugar, spices, and flour spill onto countertops and flooring.
When people and carts move across a surface that is covered in granules, the granules wear down and generate abrasions. Untreated flooring can blister and crack when exposed to these chemicals, requiring costly repairs and downtime.
Decor
A restaurant’s ambiance may make or break a customer’s meal. The aesthetic value is the initial and enduring impression. The mood that your flooring creates will affect the mood of your customers and your staff. The colour scheme of a restaurant has been shown to affect the number of items ordered and the general contentment of diners. Considering that a restaurant’s flooring takes up the majority of the space, it’s important to make it seem distinctive and pleasing. Experts in the field of flooring can advise you on themes, help you coordinate the kitchen and dining room, suggest colour palettes and patterns, and carry out your flooring dreams.
At HPG Consulting as commercial kitchen consultants take pleasure in generating the greatest value and return on investment for every dollar spent. After working with a variety of clients, some of which had stringent financial restrictions, HPG Consulting is aware of the need to keep project costs reasonable without sacrificing the quality of materials and deliverables.