What is the Best Flooring for a Restaurant Kitchen?

It’s no secret that flooring is one of the most critical elements of a restaurant kitchen — but does it always get the right level of attention?

Although we’ve seen major advancements in the field of commercial kitchen design, with a rightful focus on occupational health and safety and the introduction of some innovative new materials and construction techniques, flooring doesn’t always feature high up on the list of priorities. But it should.

The design and planning focus is often on the ‘big’ things like layout, lighting, positioning of appliances, storage, work surfaces, waste removal, washing up, recycling etc. Of course, these are all crucially important to ensure that the set-up is optimal from an operational perspective and that stations are in the logical place to enable staff to move around easily and efficiently with easy access to important high-use areas.

But underlying all of these design elements is the floor. It needs to be fit for purpose and tick all the boxes from a health and safety regulatory compliance perspective as well as from a cost and performance perspective too.

The good news is that there’s no need to compromise style for substance.

When it comes to choosing flooring for a restaurant kitchen — whether it’s a new build or a renovation — there are some excellent options that deliver all the safety features you need and which look good and deliver value over the long-term.

There’s a lot to think about when you’re weighing up the options for your restaurant kitchen floor.

Let’s look at a couple of the best flooring options for a restaurant kitchen.

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) flooring

This is a super-fast curing resin-based flooring system which enables installation with minimal downtime. The resin surface is seamless and impervious and the floors are available in a variety of colours, textures and finishes. Additives such as acrylic flake or quartzite aggregate can also improve the flooring’s texture, increasing its traction and improving aesthetics and performance.

This chemical, slip and water resistance ticks all the boxes for a restaurant kitchen floor, plus MMA flooring can withstand very low temperatures making it an ideal material in cold areas, such as restaurant freezers and coolers.

Non slip epoxy flooring

Durable and attractive epoxy flooring is one of the most popular choices for commercial kitchens for good reason. It will keep its good looks for years despite rough treatment and heavy traffic, plus it ticks all the boxes from a health and safety perspective too.

The hard-wearing surface is seamless, waterproof and impermeable, so there are no weak points for bacteria, mould or pests to fester — plus it’s also highly resistant to chemicals, abrasives and other contamination. It’s really easy to clean and maintain and has the added advantage of being able to run continuously between floor and wall, thereby eliminating any gaps or crevices.

It’s also easy and quick to install, so downtime is limited which is a key consideration in a busy restaurant kitchen.

And of course, in the high-pressure restaurant kitchen environment where tempers can flare as often as the Hibachi grill, safety is a key consideration. In addition to its stellar hygiene rating, epoxy flooring is also anti-slip/skid and is another reason why it’s becoming the first-choice for restaurant flooring.

The coating can be mixed with different components and screeds to achieve different results and slip-ratings with a variety of colours and patterns to choose from.

Remember, your choice of flooring is just as important as your choice of supplier.

Industry knowledge and expertise are invaluable when it comes to making an investment in a new floor — and you’d want the reassurance that your supplier is there for the long-haul. Just like your flooring. If you’re looking for someone to install epoxy flooring in Perth, get in touch with the professionals at Panther Protective because of their proven track record and over 20 years experience in protective concrete floor coatings.