Patrons at the New World Kerikeri Supermarket in Northland, New Zealand, now have an improved non-slip floor, which has been installed at the store entrance and trolley bay area in place of a tiled floor which, when wet, created a potentially slippery surface.
The non-slip properties of the Flowfast floor, a fast-curing system from Flowcrete Australia , have helped New World owners Foodstuffs Auckland comply with the stringent requirements of the New Zealand Building Code.
“We had problems caused by the original tiles which when wet were a slipping hazard. With the new floor, we now have a floor that substantially reduces the chances of customers slipping as they enter the store,” says Ken Beets of Foodstuffs.
One among the other key criteria was the requirement to carry out the work within the limited window of downtime outside of the store’s extensive opening hours.
Sean Tinsley, Regional Manager, Flowcrete says, “With Flowfast, the floor can be ready for use just two hours after installation. This enabled us to carry out the entire project literally overnight without any loss of trade or disruption to operations for the client.”
A further advantage is the high bond strength properties of Flowfast, which allowed the system to be installed over the existing tiles once these had been tested for soundness, then ground and primed.
“We were originally considering tiles as a replacement for the area but opted for Flowfast due to the significant reduction in installation time,” says Ken Beets.
The advanced hard-wearing and abrasion resistant properties of Flowfast will accommodate the high levels of pedestrian and trolley traffic in the area.
“Flowfast also offers very high chemical resistance to a range of alkalis and acids, making it suitable for areas where liquid spills are likely,” adds Sean Tinsley.
Flowfast offers similar advantages for fast-track refurbishment of other areas in supermarket and food store premises such as the butchery department, fish preparation and servery area, delicatessen and bakery.
