FLOOR COATING IS A CRITICAL FACTOR IN MAINTAINING A CLEAN, GMP COMPLIANT CULTIVATION, PROCESSING, OR MANUFACTURING FACILITY.
To create and maintain the ideal environment for cultivating any crop requires consideration of a wide variety of factors, from design and construction to material and equipment selection to operational best practices. At Cultivation Warehouse, we look at every project from the bottom up, which is why we always recommend antimicrobial coatings for concrete flooring.
A PROPERLY SEALED BUILDING ENVELOPE IS ONE OF THE FIRST KEY BUILDING BLOCKS FOR CEA.
Every building is different. Whether you are converting an old warehouse with a legacy slab or pouring concrete for a new warehouse or greenhouse, there are a wide array of choices, which is why we like to work with the team at BioSecure Flooring who have years of experience with all types of projects and products. They begin by assessing each facility to determine the scope of work best suited to the client’s needs and budget and then they expertly execute the turnkey installation from prep and repair to the application steps to ensure maximum efficiency. BioSecure has one mission. Flooring.
PROPER FLOORING PROTECTS CROP YIELDS
Concrete is naturally porous, harboring contaminants and pathogens that can spread diseases or attract pests. This porosity can also bring in harmful ground moisture and vapor. Similar to how the HVAC systems provide critical protection to the cubic feet of environmental airflow, a facility’s floor is the largest square footage vector of potential contamination and, as importantly, recontamination. Sealing fills these pores, creating a smooth, non-porous surface that is easier to clean and disinfect, thereby minimizing the risk of disease outbreaks.
Improperly sealed concrete can be a breeding ground for mold and bacteria. Proper coating creates a moisture, vapor, and pathogen barrier, reducing the risk of microbial growth and maintaining a cleaner environment.
Often in larger facilities, there is a need for areas treated with high performance coatings and other areas that are not as mission critical to the cultivation process itself and can have concrete protected with integral and/or surface sealants. This is also an effective way to balance budgetary considerations.
Every building is unique and there are important choices as to which solutions are best. BioSecure is a collaborative partner working with Owners, Architects, Design Build firms, Consultants, and GCs in choosing these best solutions based on factors such as:
- Budget
- Type of building
- Condition and material of subfloor
- Ground level or higher floors
- Levels of traffic and heavy equipment usage
- Moisture levels
- Exposure to chemicals and high UV
BioSecure will work with you to assess your needs, goals, and the particularities of your facility and then present the optimal choices to achieve those along with their overarching goals of:
- Cost effectiveness
- Durability
- Easy to clean
- Non slip
- Stain and abrasion resistant
- UV stability
SANITATION IS PARAMOUNT
Seamless resinous flooring and properly sealed concrete floors in agriculture settings provides significant benefits for hygiene, environmental control, durability, and maintenance. By minimizing contamination risks, ensuring optimal growing conditions, and facilitating easier cleaning, sealed floors contribute to healthier plants, higher yields, and a more profitable operation.
DURABILITY MATTERS
Quite often, coatings are generically referred to as “epoxy”, however there are many levels of performance distinction among coating systems. Whether the solution is thin mil epoxy, high build epoxy, elastomeric, or urethane cement, to name a few, each has a particular place in facilities.
An important pitfall to avoid is making the wrong choices. Everyone has seen the negative consequences of cutting corners on material quality as well as with the all-important prep and installation steps, resulting in bubbling, cracking, flaking, and threadbare wear. Redoing floors is not merely the cost of doing them again, the far greater cost is the disruption to the entire enterprise’s production and cash flow.
CHOOSING YOUR INSTALLATION PARTNER
High performance coatings offer excellent durability, are waterproof, and resistant to chemicals, abrasion and damage from UV lighting. Equally important to choosing which product to use, is ensuring that it is applied properly. Preparing the floor prior to the application is a critical step, particularly so in retrofitted buildings. Every floor is different and in particular older floors not originally designed for agricultural settings can present issues, which if not properly addressed can result in an ineffective seal. Choosing a partner that takes a belt and suspenders approach to this one vital piece of your buildout puzzle is an important part of your biosecurity, yield protection, and regulatory compliance needs.
The team at BioSecure Flooring understands that risk mitigation measures, especially with high value crops, protect their customer’s business from the foundation up. Contact your CW team member for more information and an introduction to BioSecure Flooring.
