April 2017 | Business View Magazine

32 33 height requirements, it’s important to find out if your slab floor has the capacity for a mezzanine. If you don’t already know the capacity, you’ll need to conduct a slab and soil analysis. If your slab won’t support a structural mezzanine, spe- cial footings will be needed. The purpose of your mezzanine floor will affect the design and col- umn loads. 3. Flooring & Decking Options Decide on the right decking for your appli- cation by considering: How are you going to use the structure? What will be on top? How is the material being stored or moved? Is it a wet environment? Are you building an office on the mezzanine floor? Do you have any budget con- cerns that the end user will face? Once you answer these questions, you can decide which flooring and decking options will work for you. Some of the best choices: n Diamond Plate Flooring: Checked or dia- mond steel floor plates offer an outstanding combination of durability and safety. Since they are a steel product, they can withstand constant travel and use by forklifts or other machinery. The pattern makes these floor plates slip resis- tant, so they are safe for foot travel. n Poured concrete: The strongest and most durable flooring available. Ideal if high point loading and capacity is needed. The density of the concrete minimizes transmission of noise through the decking. n Plywood: Plywood flooring is satisfactory for most mezzanine floors. It is the most economical EXECUTIVE VIEW and can be painted, or coated with urethane. n Resin composite: Another economical flooring solution. Stronger than plywood; en- gineered specifically for mezzanine decks and available in a variety of grades and finished or unfinished panels. 4. Do You Need Stairwells and Handrails? For both safety and accessibility, you may require stairwells and handrails. Publicly ac- cessible mezzanines must meet specific code requirements for stairways, stairwells, stair extensions, and guardrail spacing. If the mezza- nine will only be used as a storage room–not accessible to the public– then it will have a different set of codes. Check with code enforce- ment in your area for exact details. 5. Working Within a Budget The cost of your mezzanine will depend on the size, type of flooring, and many other fac- tors. However, mezzanine floors provide great value for money. They save you the cost of dis- ruption in trade, and the cost of purchasing new property or renting a larger space. If you are looking for a generally painless, flexible, and cost-effective solution to your stor- age issues, a mezzanine might be the solution. If you are on a tight budget, there are numerous vendors that offer used mezzanines, so that may be an option worth exploring. This article was contributed by Everything Warehouse, a warehouse racking and shelving company in Baltimore, Maryland www.everythingwarehouse.net Mezzanines allow warehouses and distribution centers to increase their usable storage area without leasing more space or moving operations to larger warehousing facilities. Your business can save on rent, moving costs, and sometimes even property taxes.