Food and Pharmaceutical Flooring
Food, beverage and pharmaceutical production put a floor under demands few other environments come close to. Constant wash-down, hot and cold cycles, aggressive cleaning chemicals, heavy traffic and strict hygiene standards all act on the surface at once. A seamless resin floor is the usual specification because it strips out most of the places bacteria can collect and stands up to heavy daily use.
What is hygienic resin flooring?
Hygienic resin flooring is a seamless polyurethane or epoxy system, usually laid as a screed and finished with integral coving at wall junctions, so the floor and walls form one continuous cleanable surface. It creates an impervious, easy-clean finish with no joints or grout for contamination to collect in, which is why it is specified for food, beverage and pharmaceutical production.
It sits within our commercial resin flooring range and shares much of its build-up with the heavy-duty systems on our industrial resin flooring page.
What does a food or pharma floor have to withstand?
These floors face a punishing mix: daily wash-down and steam cleaning, harsh sanitising chemicals, thermal shock from hot spills and cold stores, fats, oils, sugars and acids and constant pedestrian and trolley traffic. On top of that the finished floor has to support the hygiene standards and the HACCP plan the site runs, which is why sites favour a seamless surface that resists cracking, chipping and bacterial growth. The system is chosen to take all of this without breaking down.
Which system suits food and pharmaceutical production?
Polyurethane screed is the workhorse here. At 6 to 9 mm it shrugs off steam cleaning, thermal shock and impact far better than a thin coating and holds its bond through wide temperature swings, which makes it the standard for kitchens, wet processing and cold stores. Antimicrobial additives can be built in as an optional extra, supplementing the cleaning regime rather than replacing it. Where a smoother lighter-duty finish is enough, such as dry storage or packing, an epoxy system may be specified instead. A site survey and the hygiene standard set the exact build-up.
Coving, drainage and slip resistance
Hygiene comes from the detail as much as the floor. Integral coved skirtings remove the dirt-trapping gap where floor meets wall, falls are built in to move wash-down water to drains and channels and a graded anti-slip texture keeps wet processing areas safe underfoot. Together these make the floor, coving and drainage falls one integrated hygienic system rather than just a coating.
Can it be installed without stopping production?
In most cases yes. Production areas are usually done in phases or during planned shutdowns and fast-cure systems cut the return-to-service time so a line loses as little time as possible. A specialist contractor plans the work around your cleaning and production schedule. Our guide to installing resin flooring on a live site covers how this is handled.
How long does a hygienic floor last and how is it maintained?
A correctly specified polyurethane screed will typically last many years in a working production environment, even under daily wash-down and thermal cycling and worn areas can be recoated without stripping out the whole floor. Maintenance is built around the cleaning regime the site already runs: the seamless coved surface washes down cleanly, drains away and dries without trapping water or residue. Because there are no joints or porous areas the floor is easier to keep hygienic between deep cleans, which is what an audit wants to see alongside the cleaning regime that keeps it that way. As with any resin system the preparation and specification set at the start are what determine how long it performs.
Key takeaways
- Seamless hygienic resin flooring removes most of the places bacteria collect.
- Polyurethane screed handles wash-down, thermal shock and harsh chemicals.
- Integral coving and built-in falls turn the floor into one cleanable system.
- Antimicrobial additives and anti-slip texture can be specified where needed.
- Work is phased around production and cleaning schedules to limit downtime.
Why choose Surface Specialists?
Surface Specialists is a network of vetted specialist contractors with over twenty years of combined industry experience across resin and epoxy flooring. We are your starting point: tell us about your food or pharmaceutical facility and we match your project to the right contractor in our network. The contractor carries out the site survey, provides the written quotation and installs the floor, so you work with a specialist who does this every week.Areas we cover
We are based in the North West and cover Manchester, Liverpool, Wirral, Cheshire and the wider region and take on larger commercial projects nationally. See the full list on our areas we cover page or contact us to confirm cover for your site.Get a quote
Tell us about your food, beverage or pharmaceutical facility and we will arrange a free site survey. A specialist contractor from our network then provides a written specification and quotation, typically within 48 hours. There is no obligation. Contact us to get started.
Frequently asked questions
What flooring is used in food production?
Seamless polyurethane resin screeds are the standard for food and beverage production because they resist wash-down, thermal shock and chemicals and leave no joints for bacteria to collect in.
Is resin flooring HACCP and hygiene compliant?
HACCP is a food safety management method rather than a flooring standard, so no floor is HACCP compliant by itself. Seamless resin systems with integral coving are specified to support HACCP plans and audit schemes such as BRCGS and the exact build-up is chosen around the site and the standard it has to meet.
Can the floor handle steam cleaning and hot spills?
Yes. Polyurethane screed at 6 to 9 mm is designed for thermal shock, steam cleaning and hot and cold cycles far better than a thin epoxy coating.
Can you add antibacterial protection?
Antimicrobial additives can be built into the resin system as an optional feature. They supplement the seamless impervious finish and the cleaning regime rather than replace either.
Can it be installed without stopping production?
Usually yes. Work is phased or carried out during planned shutdowns and fast-cure systems reduce downtime so a line is out of use for as little time as possible.
Which areas do you cover?
We are based in the North West and cover Manchester, Liverpool, Wirral, Cheshire and the wider region and take on larger projects nationally. Contact us to confirm cover for your site.