Many of the warehouses in the Denver area rely on forklifts to quickly and conveniently move products. This can lead to several different concerns at commercial properties because forklifts are not easy on floors and bad floors are not easy on forklifts or their drivers.
Having the right flooring materials in place in your Denver warehouse will decrease the challenges that you face in a warehouse where your business operations require forklift traffic. For many warehouses, the leading option is epoxy to create a convenient path for forklift traffic.
How Epoxy Flooring Benefits Forklift Traffic in Warehouses
The average forklift was approximately 9000 pounds or more. This is approximately three times the weight of a car. Despite this weight, forklifts are not designed with any significant attention to comfort or capabilities. The small wheels make them incapable of handling any large obstacles and the lack of suspension system means every bump is felt entirely by the driver and whatever load the forklift is carrying.
On a concrete floor, challenges with forklift traffic can lead to a cycle of issues. The 9000 pounds of force exerted on the floor every time a forklift goes over it, which quickly causes wear, especially at weaker points like joints or existing cracks, eventually forming potholes and other imperfections.
When a forklift drives over a large crack or pothole, this is both uncomfortable and can cause the forklift to shift and drop the load. This can also cause costly damage to the forklift itself. Damages to a floor from forklift traffic can be a risk for employees or visitors on foot as well since the uneven floor presents a tripping hazard.
An epoxy coating is an effective way to make a warehouse floor more durable for forklift traffic. If you already have damage from forklifts, epoxy is also a good option for repair that will create a smooth surface layer over an existing slab and provide all of the following benefits for warehouse forklift traffic:
- Smooth Surface – Resinous flooring does not have ridges or seems and is completely smooth. A forklift can drive across it without any bumps or jostling despite the small wheels on equipment. This will be more comfortable for your operators, safer for your products, and will help you avoid any costly damage to equipment.
- Long Lasting – With the right epoxy blend, minimum thickness, and installation process, an epoxy coating can easily withstand heavy forklift traffic without cracking.
- Colors and Marking – By incorporating color into the epoxy during installation, you can define different zones within your warehouse to indicate battery charge areas, forklift loading zones, and other key areas. Warehouse line striping also stands out especially well on epoxy flooring, making it possible to create traffic and directional markings. Colorations in epoxy flooring are long lasting and line striping can withstand several years of traffic.
These features of epoxy flooring will help you keep forklift and employees moving efficiently throughout your warehouse, promoting cost efficiency in your operations.
Colorado Concrete Repair installs commercial flooring for industrial facilities, including manufacturing and storage warehouses, where our state of the art epoxy flooring solutions and commitment to high quality work will create a floor that stands up to whatever traffic your business experiences. Contact us to discuss the options available for reflooring your warehouse with a new epoxy coated floor.
