Warehouse Flooring Contractor

Warehouse flooring requires a distinct type of material and technology to be used taking in consideration the minimum maintenance due to stored material and heavy density per square area.

In warehouses and distribution centers the ground-floor slab is critical to the effective functioning of the facility, but there remains a considerable misunderstanding concerning the specification, design, and construction of this element of the works. Specifications are still often too onerous for appropriate cost-effective construction, or too vague, with conflicting requirements, resulting in unsatisfactory floor performance. There is no specific standard covering the design of ground-bearing slabs, and the structural design codes are not usually applicable to these floors.

Although construction quality has shown some improvement in recent years with the advent of new techniques and materials, the floor is often still considered to be part of the ‘groundwork’, a notoriously low-skilled, highly competitive sector of the industry, and is procured accordingly. The new techniques themselves have resulted in some difficulties, with poor planning, and a lack of understanding of concrete behavior usually being to blame. It is not surprising, therefore, to find that the majority of the enquiries to the Concrete Advisory Service concern floor slab problems. There is also often a perception that the slab is one of the most straightforward elements of any project. Hence, the overall attention paid to detail in design and construction is less than proportional to its ultimate importance to the efficient, and in certain cases safe, operation of the facility.

Shree Leela Civil & Labour Contractor has set some principal areas of consideration when specifying and designing warehouse floor slabs, identifies certain existing good and bad practices, and suggests the way forward to ensure that these floors are always constructed so as to be fit for purpose.

Floor slab function

Simply, a floor slab functions to distribute, without deformation or cracking, the loads applied to it to the weaker subgrade below, in the case of a ground-bearing slab, or to the piles supporting it if designed as a suspended ground slab, and to provide a suitable wearing surface upon which the operations in the facility may be carried out efficiently and safely. Different specific properties are required by different industries, and even by competing operators in the same industry. One sector of industry that is particularly sensitive to the need for fit-for-purpose floor slabs is warehousing and distribution. Warehouse operators typically require that their floor slab should:

  1. be capable of supporting applied loads without cracking or deforming;
  2. have a minimum number of exposed joints;
  3. have maintenance-free joints that do not impede truck operating speeds;
  4. be dust-free (i.e. highly abrasion-resistant);
  5. have tolerances appropriate to the materials handling system to be used;
  6. be smooth and easy to clean, but not slippery;
  7. be flexible enough to accommodate possible future changes in operating systems;
  8. Contribute to a safe, pleasant working environment.

At A1 Trimix Flooring Solutions, we understand that warehouse flooring demands a specialized approach, considering the heavy loads and high traffic it endures daily. The ground-floor slab is crucial for the smooth operation of any warehouse or distribution center, yet there is often confusion regarding the proper specification, design, and construction of this essential component. Unfortunately, many specifications are either overly stringent, leading to costly and inefficient construction, or too vague, causing conflicting requirements and subpar floor performance.

There is no definitive standard for the design of ground-bearing slabs, and traditional structural design codes typically don’t apply to these unique floors. Despite advances in materials and techniques, warehouse floors are frequently categorized under ‘groundworks,’ a segment known for its competitive pricing and lower skill levels. This often results in poor planning and a lack of understanding of concrete behavior, leading to common floor slab issues.