Have you decided to add another level for storage space, assembly, or simply to scale "up"? No matter the reason for adding a mezzanine level, you've made the decision to take advantage of underutilized cube space in your facility. Creating square footage under the existing footprint is a logical growth step, especially when compared to the expense of building or moving your operation.
Basic questions to be asked are:
- What dimensions?
- What clearance is needed below?
- What clearance is needed above?
- How will the new level be accessed?
- What per square foot capacity rating is needed?
- What kind of decking will work best for you?
In terms of decking options, there are several to choose from. Let's discuss the most popular in further detail.
First - the most common Subdecking is metal, also known as Steel B decking:
Metal B Decking with painted white underside
Metal B Decking before top surface
Steel B with Wood Decking
Whether your mezzanine capacity demands 80 psf or 250 psf, the most common subfloor is B decking. The gauge will vary between 18 and 22, but the general shape and look are the same. Wood top deck options include:
- Advantech or Plywood Flooring. The combination of metal B decking, and Advantech plywood is the least expensive deck to be applied to a mezzanine. This option works well if no pallet jack or heavy point loaded cart traffic will be used. As a con, both the plywood and Advantech wood flooring will struggle to hold up under any type of point load or heavy traffic.
- Engineered Wood Decking. Most prevalent is a product from Cornerstone Wood Products named ResinDeck. There are several options of ResinDecking but expect much better wear and resistance against point loading. They have also just come out with a steel wrapped panel! You should expect to pay 80% more for engineered wood decking when compared to Advantech plywood.
Steel B with Plate Deck
In rare cases where extreme surface wear is expected, you should plan to pay three times the cost of an engineered wood product like resin decking.
Steel B with Concrete Decking
If you're looking for the ultimate in sturdy flooring with the best wear resistance available, we recommend concrete as an option. The process consists of first laying the B decking down, then concrete stops line the outside to contain the concrete. A concrete pump truck lays the concrete and a smooth finish is normally applied. One of the benefits of concrete is silence! When walking on the mezzanine, the sound does not penetrate below like a wood or steel plate decking will. This option is less expensive than that of the steel plate option.
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Metal B Decking with concrete stop edging before pouring
Concrete mezzanine decking
Steel Bar Grating
For many years, bar grating was the go-to decking for mezzanines as it was durable and allowed light, air, and water to penetrate. However, times have changed. Due to changes made in the fire code, utilizing bar grating no longer negates the need for sprinklers underneath. It is now the most expensive decking among the options listed. Bar grating is rarely utilized anymore because of how hard it is to roll carts, ladders, pallet jacks, or any similar apparatus across this decking. The most useful application of bar grating is primarily found on access platforms and catwalks.
It's very common to add a mezzanine to a facility to gain square footage by better utilizing cubic space. All you need is a company like McGee Storage and Handling that can help you better define your project through design, permitting, and installation.
