Your farming equipment represents a significant investment, and you want to protect each piece in order to get the most out of it. This is why it’s important to build a sturdy machinery shed to protect your equipment from the elements and from theft.
When it comes to flooring for your shed, you want a low-maintenance option that will perform well over the years and not require constant replacement.
Here are some durable and practical flooring solutions for machinery sheds:
Caulking and crack repair
The first thing we’d suggest is, if your concrete floor is more than a year old, that you have both the planned joints and unplanned cracks filled with a sealant. A soft sealant will allow the floor to expand and contract but avoid the potential damage caused by huge tractor wheels driving over and catching on the irregularities.
If the floor already has signs of spalling or other damage, you should have those areas repaired with a more rigid filling to prevent further deterioration.
Concrete polishing
While often chosen for its aesthetic qualities, polishing concrete also has a number of practical benefits. For example, if you’re tired of finding that fine layer of concrete dust on your equipment, concrete polishing eliminates the “shedding” of the floor.
The process of polishing also compresses the concrete, making it both denser and stronger. This extra strength can help it endure longer under the constant weight of large machinery.
Epoxy and urethane coatings
If your machinery often drips oil and you’re concerned with maintaining a clean look, you may want to opt for a floor coating instead. Both epoxy and urethane coatings prevent liquids from seeping into the concrete below, making it relatively simple to wipe up oils and grease.
Urethane, most often in a clear coating, adds a protective shine, while a two-part epoxy can be applied in white or any other color or pattern of your choosing. Both offer superior hardness and protection to the floor (so long as the surface is prepared correctly beforehand) and they can be used separately or in tandem.
Here’s a time lapse of us applying a decorative epoxy to a structure similar to a machinery shed:
Which solution is right for you? Much of that depends on your particular facility and the type of machinery you use. If you’re located in the Southeast, an expert from CPC Floor Coatings can take a look at your facility and make professional recommendations. You can give us a call at (864) 855-0600 or contact us online.
