Page 15 - Designing Ways 239

Keep to the rules
for successful

concrete floors

he construction of industrial
floors, such as warehousing and
Tfactory floors, calls for concrete
with specific characteristics, says Bryan
Perrie, managing director of The Concrete
Institute (TCI), which monthly receives
huge volumes of appeals for advice
regarding faulty flooring.
“It is also important for the tenant or
property owner to fully brief architects
and concrete designers about the logistics
system and loading weights on the floor
being planned to help define the loading
criteria for the concrete mix. If incorrect
information is supplied, the same
serviceability criteria used for routine
slabs could be selected – with disastrous
results when handling huge volumes of
heavy forklift movement and racking,”
Perrie adds.
Concrete for flooring calls for correct
design, materials, and proportions.
Material specifications for all the placement of concrete and the finishing of of material selection, environmental
ingredients of the concrete exist - and floor slabs. inconsistencies, as well as handling and
should be adhered to - as well as South “A thorough understanding of all the finishing, are essential to produce a quality
African Codes of Practice for the actual characteristics of concrete, the influence floor. A disregard for any of these factors
leads to problems normally encountered
too late to be corrected,” he states.
Consistency by the contractor is also
crucial throughout: receiving the concrete,
discharging, placing, consolidating and
finishing. Protecting the concrete while
being placed and cured is also vital.
“Lack of attention to correct
proportioning, handling and finishing,
inexperienced contractors, all could
contribute to a floor with poor durability,
strength and aesthetics. Concrete flooring
relies on the successful completion of
successive phases: understanding what is
being done in each design phase, using
the right concrete and equipment, by the
right person at the right time,” he adds.
“Concrete Industrial Floors on the
Ground’, a one-day training course on
all facets of industrial floor design and
construction, will be presented online on
June 1 by TCI. dw

www.theconcreteinstitute.org.za

dw • Issue 239 15