Current USDA guidelines state that floors for food & beverage processing plants should be “built of durable materials impervious to moisture and be cleaned and sanitized as necessary to prevent contamination of product.”

Based on this criteria, there are many options for floors that meet USDA compliancy, but there are additional critical factors to consider when choosing the right floor for your facility. USDA complaint floors should be easily cleanable, moisture resistant, durable, and seamless.

Some additional operational considerations include:

Thermal Shock Resistance
Chemical Resistance
Slip Resistance
Reduced Bacterial Growth
Durability & Low Maintenance

Seamless floors have become the preferred specification for sanitized environments. They eliminate seams and crevices which can collect moisture and promote bacterial growth. The combination of moisture and bacteria produces organic acids, which can break down grout lines, including epoxy grout. Seamless floors reduce the bacterial growth, safety hazards, and keep you operational longer — no shutting down for re-grouting and repairs seen with tile flooring failures.

While all seamless floors will eliminate bacteria-harboring seams, not all seamless floors are suited for every environment. Your unique operational conditions will dictate what long-term flooring systems you should choose to minimize downtime.

Which Seamless Floor is right for your facility?

Cementitious Urethane flooring systems are recommended for applications where wet processing, chemical contamination, and frequent high-temperature cleaning are regular occurrences. These systems meet strict safety guidelines in the food and beverage industry and address the most critical needs.

Thermal Shock Resistant: Built to withstand cycling between hot and cold temperatures without delaminating, cracking, or peeling.

Chemical Resistant: Durable topcoat options are available to stand up to daily cleaning using solvents, alkaline cleansers, and sanitizers.

Safety: Available in a variety of textures to protect against slip and fall hazards in production and cleaning operations.

Sanitation: Non-porous surfaces further reduce the places for bacteria to collect and ease the cleaning and sanitization process. Designed for clean in place procedures, these systems are seamless from the wall to the drain.

Durable: Stands up to the demanding conditions found in food processing.

Low Maintenance: Easy to clean and keep clean. Long-lasting seamless flooring solutions assist in passing inspections.

Unique flooring needs require unique flooring solutions. NorthCraft will help you understand your facility’s flooring needs before recommending a system to protect it. To determine which floor is right for your facility, it is best practice to have an onsite evaluation performed.

NorthCraft offers a versatile family of cementitious urethane flooring systems with multiple topcoat options for added chemical and abrasion resistance.

For more information or to schedule an onsite evaluation please send us a request or call (630) 599-8909.