The Perfect Flooring Ideas for Your Brewery
Your surfaces should be practical, but there’s no reason they can’t also be stylish.
Key Takeaways:
- Brewery floors should be moisture resistant
- Durability and traction are also important
- Applying a coating offers greater protection
- Regular cleaning and maintenance are essential
New breweries are popping up all over the country, largely thanks to their popularity as fun hang-out spots. These businesses offer friends the opportunity to gather in the tasting room, sample a few craft beverages, and enjoy some food in a relaxed environment. Breweries have become the focal point of a night on the town for many people.
However, there’s more to a brewery than the tasting room. These venues make their beer on-site in the brewing area. Purchasing all the brewing supplies is a significant expense. Additionally, brewery owners must ensure they have the right flooring under their equipment.
The key when selecting floors is to find something durable, moisture-resistant, and easy to clean. Here’s a guide to choosing the ideal brewery floors for your facility.
What to look for in a material
When selecting a material for your brewery floors, you’ll have multiple aspects to consider. Each business will have different requirements based on how they operate.
The first thing to think about is appearance. Your brewery probably has a theme, and you will want your floor to reflect the same overall look and feel. You might consider using the same flooring throughout your tasting room and production areas to make everything visually cohesive. Researching logos, colors, and designs is also worth some time as you think about the appearance you wish to achieve.
You’ll want your floors to be durable. You could have forklifts, pallet jacks, and other equipment in your manufacturing area, and your tasting room will see significant foot traffic. Durable flooring that can withstand daily abuse is essential. Any flooring ideas you consider should take durability into account.
Moisture resistance is another necessity in a brewery. For starters, there will always be spills in your tasting room. Staff and customers are bound to drop the odd glass or spill a drink. A surface that won’t immediately absorb the liquid makes it easy to clean and maintain. Your production area should also have a moisture-resistant floor, as spills will also happen there. You want to keep your floors looking as good as possible.
Your floors should have considerable traction in both parts of the brewery. You don’t want customers slipping on your flooring, as this could open you up to lawsuits. Your brewing area should also be slip-resistant because you don’t want employees falling while on the job. Safety is always an important consideration.
You’ll also want a flooring option that’s easy to clean. Dirt will track all over your floors when customers visit, and delivery crews could make your production area more challenging to clean. Investing in brewery floors you can clean with a mop and an environmentally friendly cleaner makes them easier to maintain.
These floors should also have some drainage, particularly in the beer production area. Drains make it easy to clean up after a substantial spill, saving you time if you experience significant trouble.
Concrete floors check most of these boxes and can meet all your requirements if you invest in a coating. You can also install polished concrete throughout the brewery while changing the appearance of the tasting room using colors, coatings, and designs.
Coating options
One issue with concrete floors in a brewery is the material’s porous nature. However, you can help fix this by applying a coating that adds water resistance and prevents bacteria from forming after a spill. Depending on your budget and the appearance you’re trying to create, there are multiple options to choose from.
Epoxy coatings are always popular in breweries because they’re durable and cost-effective. If you’re starting a brewery from scratch, reducing your upfront costs could be a priority, and epoxy provides that benefit. However, it’s worth noting that epoxy wears down relatively quickly in high-traffic areas, so you’ll probably have to reapply it in your tasting room every few years.
Urethane is an excellent coating for brewery floors because it’s durable and longer-lasting than epoxy. Another benefit is that urethane will cover any cracks that appear on the surface, preventing bacteria from forming. It also offers skid resistance to keep your staff and customers safe.
Methyl methacrylate offers benefits similar to urethane, as it’s durable and will fill some cracks in your concrete. This material has the bonus of coming in a wide range of colors, and you can even add quartz to the finish to give it a completely different look.
Metallic epoxy is similar to traditional epoxy but comes with a metallic sheen. Many brewery owners appreciate this appearance, especially when going for an industrial aesthetic. You can mix slip-resistant additives into your metallic epoxy, as well.
Cleaning your brewery floors
The battle doesn’t stop once you have your floor in place and begin brewing beer and welcoming customers. You have to keep your floors clean to minimize bacteria growth and staining that can occur in any restaurant-related environment.
Cleaning polished concrete floors involves sweeping the surface regularly and mopping it at least once daily. Giving the floor a quick mop once all the customers leave for the day works wonders, especially if you use a cleaning solution specially formulated for concrete.
You also want to mop the floors immediately after a spill to prevent discoloring and do a deep clean every few weeks to prevent bacteria from growing. Consistent attention and maintenance to your floors will guarantee they’ll last as long as your brewery does while creating a safer environment for customers and staff.
Get the brewery floors advice you need
A low-maintenance floor could make all the difference for your brewery, especially if you can find one that meets your desired aesthetic. Speaking with a professional contractor ensures you know your options and can make a flooring decision based on your business’s unique needs.
Concreate offers all the advice you’ll ever need on your brewery floors. We can also assist as you polish and coat your surfaces, ensuring they stand the test of time. Contact us or visit thisisconcrete.com for more information on the services we offer.