Floor Coatings and SQF Standards

We arebuilding a new facility and selecting floor coatings. Even though the SQFstandards state that floors shall be smooth, can they have any texture in washdown areas for non-slip?

Weprimarily mop our floors and clean our equipment in place so floors are rarelyscrubbed with brushes with a wet rinse.

We aregetting the premium epoxy floors. What type of floor texture, or surface isrecommended?? AND are we going to have a problem during an audit with atextured floor surface (grit mixed in with epoxy floor)??

Thank you for any input,

AA NNFF

SQF Ed. 7
13.2.2.1 Floors shall be constructed of smooth, dense impact resistant material that can be effectively graded, drained, impervious to liquid and easily cleaned.

I am no expert, but I would take "smooth" to mean, "not creating any water/dust collection areas."

I don't think SQFI, or an auditor, means to create a health hazard by demanding slippery-smooth surfaces.

Anyone have an opinion?

Best of luck, we're after SQF too!

KDuf

I think the bigger issue for SQF is seams.

I take smooth to mean, no cracks where food or dirt can accumulate. We have issues with slipping also, and when we put down a new floor, we used an epoxy base, with sand added. The top has a clear coat seal. The floor also has a slight slope to it to aid drainage.

I hope that is helpful.

S.

Thanks for your input!

My 2 cents: If you apply a texture coat for slip prevention the surface area of the floor will increase significantly. It might be a good idea to apply a small "test patch" of your new coating system in an area that is under or adjacent to a high use area and validate that your current SSOP for floor cleaning is as effective on the textured surface as it is on your current smooth surface. Swabs or ATP comparisons should be adequate (after a period of time so that dirt/grime/product is deposited on the floor).

This wouldn't take much time or effort, and if the SQF auditor questioned the use of a textured surface you'd have a validation study under your belt. In my experience this kind of due diligence can really pay off for 2nd and 3rd party audits.

The regular epoxy floor with sand (as noted above) is acceptable to SQF.

(my old facility used this technique and they are level 3)

Smooth is a relative term. Pitted concrete floors are not acceptable, but an epoxy surface without cracks is okay.