Zircon Flooring Ltd Installation at Howdens Joinery – Howden

Zircon’s quality surface ensures production plant functions without slip-ups. 

Zircon Flooring provided the long-term, anti-slip solution for the refurbishment of a large-scale production plant, ensuring staff have a safe, hard-wearing surface on which to work.

Howdens Joinery manufactures and supplies fitted kitchens, appliances and joinery products. A refit of four of its main production units necessitated the installation of new flooring throughout. Due to the industrialised nature of work being carried out within the buildings, the new surface needed to withstand the rigours of large mechanical movements and heavy footfall.

We specified Sikafloor®-264, a two-part epoxy roller and seal coloured-coat, which comes with a guarantee and provides the ideal hard-wearing surface for concrete and cement screeds. Its anti-slip properties were particularly pertinent to the Howden units, as the wood being manufactured creates sawdust which reduces surface tread.

A total of 24,000m2 of Sikafloor®-264 was installed across the four surfaces to a 1.5mm thickness. Work began in March 2016 and continued in stages in order for the site to still operate during the refurbishment for the following 12 months. The installation process was the same for each building. The existing concrete slab was prepared by mechanical shot-blasting and all cracks and joints were repaired.

A coat of Sikafloor®-161; a solvent-free, epoxy primer mixed with 1:0.5 parts by weight with fine quartz sand, was applied and allowed to cure overnight. The first layer of Sikafloor®-264 was then installed using brush and roller, followed by wet broadcast with quartz aggregate and ‘back roll’ to fully encapsulate the aggregate. Once cured, a final coat of Sikafloor®-264 was applied to supply a light grey, high-gloss, non-slip finish.

The Howdens Joinery project was completed to the client’s strict deadline and full satisfaction in April 2017. Staff within the fully refurbished units will be able ply their trade in safety and comfort, thanks to the long-lasting qualities of the Sikafloor®-264 system.