During the summer months, it isn’t uncommon for manufacturing facilities to close for one to four weeks to perform essential maintenance that can’t be performed during everyday operations. This period is used for machine calibration, servicing, and replacement. If you’ve been considering upgrading your manufacturing facility, this may be a good time to do this too.
But what upgrade should you invest in? If you want to invest in the best upgrade for your space, it may be time to consider updating your manufacturing floors. With minimal foot traffic or disruptions to your assembly line, you can ensure quick, reliable flooring installation. But what flooring should you look for if you want quick, reliable installation?
In this blog, we’ll explore why floor coatings are best during your summer shutdown and exactly what coating you should choose for the long-term reliability of your manufacturing floors.
Why Summer Shutdowns Are Ideal for Upgrading Manufacturing Floors
During your busy manufacturing periods, making essential upgrades to your manufacturing floors isn’t just difficult; it may be impossible. However, your summer shutdown provides the perfect period for these essential upgrades. Flooring installation often requires machinery to be moved and work zones must be closed off.
If your employees aren’t on the property and the machines have been moved for servicing, this is the perfect time to update your floors without disruption. Additionally, the minimal foot traffic during summer shutdown allows optimal curing time before your floors need to withstand the weight of heavy traffic, machinery, and vehicles.
Finally, with unrestricted access to your property, your installation team can ensure cohesive installation across the surface of your manufacturing floors. Ultimately, if you’re going to close your property for maintenance during the summer months, scheduling new flooring installation is a great use of this time.
Common Flooring Issues in Warehouses and Manufacturing Facilities
Your manufacturing floors see a great deal of stress throughout the day. With frequent, heavy foot traffic, exposure to large vehicles, and potential harsh chemical spills, leaving these floors unfinished can open them up to major damage. Some of the most common flooring issues you’ll encounter include:
- Cracking and Joint Failure: Concrete shrinks as it cures and expands when temperatures change, leading to cracking and joint failure if left unfinished.
- Spalling and Pop-Outs: Heavy equipment and accidental tool drops can lead to the chipping, flaking, and breaking of your concrete floors.
- Chemical Damage: Oil, hydraulic fluids, acids, and industrial solvents can eat away at unfinished floors, causing etching, staining, dusting, and faster degradation.
- Slippery Surface: Worn, smooth concrete floors are prone to becoming slippery when exposed to water, hydraulic leaks, and manufacturing byproducts.
How Epoxy and Resinous Flooring Systems Minimize Future Downtime
While you might have a few weeks scheduled for your summer shutdown, you still want to ensure your new floors are installed quickly and efficiently. That’s why, instead of choosing an incredibly complex flooring material, like industrial tiles, it may be best to turn to floor coating professionals for their expert support.
Professional epoxy and Polyaspartic flooring, unlike some other flooring solutions, can be quickly and easily installed without taking up too much of your shutdown period. Polyaspartic coatings are especially good for this quick turnaround. With their advanced 24-hour curing, you can upgrade your floors without much disruption to your shutdown plans.
If your floor coating team has complete access to your facility, they can bring their entire crew to ensure the coating is installed quickly and completely. With the support of an expertly trained floor coating team, you can trust that you won’t have time for upgrading your manufacturing floors and instead, you can get everything done.
Planning a Floor Replacement Project Around Tight Production Schedules
If you are working on a limited timeline, you want to ensure you’re doing everything possible to plan around your tight schedule. Going over your projected timeline can lead to major delays, fine, and missed income. That’s why it’s so important to plan the installation of your manufacturing floors carefully.
A successful flooring project starts with a detailed assessment of your facility and a realistic installation schedule. Before work begins, identify areas that require repairs, surface preparation, or specialized coatings. Coordinating with your flooring contractor early helps prevent unexpected setbacks and ensures materials, equipment, and labor are available when needed.
It is also important to account for curing times and any post-installation inspections before production resumes. Choosing experienced professionals who understand industrial environments can help keep the project on track while maintaining quality standards. By developing a clear timeline and contingency plan, facility managers can minimize downtime and avoid costly disruptions.
What Facility Managers Should Look for in an Industrial Flooring Contractor
When selecting an industrial flooring contractor, facility managers should prioritize experience, reliability, and the ability to minimize operational disruptions. A qualified contractor will understand the unique demands of warehouses, manufacturing plants, and distribution centers, including heavy equipment traffic, chemical exposure, and safety requirements.
Key factors to evaluate include:
- Proven experience with industrial flooring systems
- Knowledge of epoxy, urethane, and polished concrete solutions
- Strong safety record and compliance with OSHA standards
- Ability to work within tight shutdown schedules
- References from similar industrial facilities
- Clear project timelines and communication processes
- Warranty coverage and long-term support
Choosing the right flooring contractor helps ensure a durable, high-performance floor that supports productivity, reduces maintenance costs, and withstands the demands of daily industrial operations.
Installing Expert Manufacturing Floors Across the Wasatch Front
If you’re looking for a reliable team to help you find your best manufacturing floors, turn to our team at Solid Garage Floor Coatings of Utah. We’ve helped commercial property owners across Northern Utah find the most durable, reliable floor coatings for years, and we’re confident that we can do the same for you. Whether you like beautiful epoxy floors or prefer advanced Polyaspartic solutions, we have it all.
When you are ready to invest in new manufacturing floors for your warehouse in Northern Utah, contact our team to begin the installation process.
