Tapping into a New High Performance Flooring Solution

The use of high-performance polyurethane concrete flooring systems, especially in production areas, is common in the booming world of beer. Freshly-brewed Ohio establishments, Cartridge Brewing and Loose Ends Brewing Co. hired flooring contractor Hardig Industrial Services to lay new flooring at their facilities. Selected for its ease of application and performance properties, Hardig installed extremely hard-wearing, hygienic, chemical- and slip-resistant polyurethane flooring solutions from Sherwin-Williams. 

FasTop Multi Systems
The newest addition to the Sherwin-Williams High Performance Flooring portfolio, FasTop Multi Systems enable contractors to achieve time and cost savings through excellent application properties, while delivering durable, long-lasting results to facility owners. These systems are engineered for uncompromising performance, low temperature cure and fast return to service in environments such as breweries, commercial kitchens, dairies, and food and beverage plants.

Kevin Kipp, Hardig project manager, wanted to be one of the first flooring contractors to use the new systems.

“I was excited to hear that Sherwin-Williams was upgrading its FasTop line to deliver better application properties,” said Kipp. “As someone with a high level of familiarity with FasTop products, I was eager to see what new innovations they’d bring to the line.”

Smooth Installation
Hardig’s first FasTop installation was at Cartridge, located in Maineville, Ohio, in June of 2020. Located within a vacant historic building that previously served as an ammunition factory during World War I and II, the space needed major renovating. For this particular project, Hardig applied FasTop™ SL 45 – a self-leveling flooring system that provides resistance to thermal shock, abrasion and chemical attack – to the brewery’s 1,800 square-foot production area. The contractor then used Elladur 4850 (formerly GP4850) polyaspartic, a two-component, high-solids resin, as a topcoat.

“The system and topcoat were applied over new concrete,” said Kipp. “We laid the floor in the morning, and because the FasTop dried so fast, we were able to recoup time for detail work on the same day. I could walk on the floor within two hours.”

The second application of FasTop occurred at Loose Ends, a brand-new facility in Centerville, Ohio, in June 2020. According to Kipp, originally, he planned to use a different flooring system, but after seeing the performance and results from Cartridge, he wanted to use FasTop for this project too. FasTop SL45 was installed in the production area, while FasTop SL23, was used in the kitchen. Elladur 4850 polyaspartic was then applied as a topcoat to both floors.

Color and Aesthetics
Color selection undoubtedly affects the aesthetics of a brewery, said Kipp. Although both breweries wanted standard polyurethane cement colors (gray and red), he noted that some of his customers are very particular about color. “Some people just want color, and if you don’t have the right solution in the right color, it’s a deal breaker.”

With the new FasTop Multi Systems, the packaging includes a universal base and hardener, aggregate filler and a color pack system with an expanded color selection.

“It’s important to get the aesthetics right because brewery owners want customers to be able to see the beer making process,” said Kipp. “Owners may not know exactly what they need from their flooring system, but they want it to look good. It’s important to educate them on their options.”