The food and drink industry are probably more aware of the dangers of unhygienic environments than most other sectors, there are many consequences to not meeting high standards of cleanliness ranging from damaged reputation to possible legal action.

The potential for severe consequences mean that food and drink producers need to be fully aware of the importance of maintaining a clean and hygienic environment at each stage of the process.

The flooring of any food processing environment is a particular concern and is one of the elements that can cause major hygiene issues, all sorts of ingredients can end up on the floor during food or drink processing, also, dirt brought in on staff member’s footwear or brought in on trolley wheels can add to the problem.

A floor that cannot be easily and thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis will soon be a breeding ground for bacteria and can be a cause for contamination, as will cracks and imperfections in the flooring surface, a smooth seamless and impervious surface will be much easier to keep clean and hygienic.

The flooring material used in this environment must be durable and able to hold it’s integrity for many years, if cracks start appearing this will increase the risk of contamination that could cause major problems.

Any flooring material used in a food or drink processing environment needs to be able to withstand the day to day punishment it may receive during that process, such as:

Thermal shock
Sudden temperature changes due to things like oven or refrigerator doors being opened or the use of a steam cleaner

Corrosive chemicals
Many food production processes involve corrosive substances which can easily end up on the floor, such as cleaning chemicals, hot oil, sugar solutions and by-products including blood, fat and grease.

Impact and Wear
The use of heavy pallets, processing equipment, trolleys and racking can all put a lot of pressure on the floor surface and accidents such as dropped tools and equipment could damage the floor surface.

The gap between the wall and the floor is another potential area where bacteria can accumulate, to reduce this risk it is recommended that a durable coving is used to create a seamless transition between the two surfaces.

Another area that can cause problems is where the floor has drains, stainless steel drains can be set into the floor to allow liquids to drain away and reduce the risk of contamination. There should be no gaps or cracks between the flooring and the drain and the floor should gradually slope towards the drain to prevent fluids from collecting and stagnating.

Ashley Resin Flooring specialists have many years experience in the food and drinks industry and are able to advise on the best flooring finish to suit your requirements.

The curing time for epoxy resin flooring varies depending on the type of epoxy and the temperature of the environment wher it is installed. Most epoxy resins will take between 12 and 24 hours to cure enough to walk on.

Foot Traffic

The new resin flooring should be ok for light foot traffic after being left overnight.

Heavy foot traffic is permissible on the epoxy floor coating approximately 36 hours after the installation as long as the temperature has been fairly mild. In colder conditions it’s probably best left for two to three days.

Vehicle Traffic

It’s probably best to wait at least 48 hours after epoxy floor coating before allowing light vehicle traffic. Five days after the epoxy floor has been installed, it should be safe to park your vehicle for longer than 12 hours.

Curing Time

Resin floors generally take up to 5 days to reach maximum strength, the warmer temperatures of the summer months do contribute to faster drying times but we still recommend at least leaving it overnight before walking on your newly laid floor.

It is important to note that the curing process is not complete until the epoxy has fully hardened. This can generally take up to 72 hours, depending on the temperate and humidity of the surroundings. However, in some cases, it can take up to 1 week.

Do not drive on the surface with hot tyres until the surface has fully cured. We recommend letting tyres cool down for at least 30 minutes before parking on the coated surface.

Speeding up the process

If you really need your floor back quicker than the times suggested above this can be achieved, we do have processes that can speed up the drying time but this will add extra cost to the project.