How a mezzanine floor can increase your warehouse space

How a mezzanine floor can increase your warehouse space

Warehouses can often be frustrating spaces to manage because they are often much higher than needed and although with technology and lifting equipment shelving can be created to fill the overhead space, sometimes it is more flooring that is needed, for various purposes such as office space and public access. In these cases, taller shelving does not really fit the bill. Mezzanine floors meet the requirements because they don’t just offer height but usable floor as well.

Easy to fit

Mezzanine floors have the advantage over something like an extension – the only other way to increase floor space – because they are easy to fit and are not even necessarily permanent so as your needs change, so can the mezzanine. A great advantage of installing a mezzanine can be that the ground floor applications can carry on as before and with a relatively low-impact construction technique a mezzanine can be in place and in use in a relatively short space of time. If your warehouse also supports visits from members of the public, this is a very important feature, as downtime can be very short indeed so your business won't have to close for the mezzanine construction.

Flexible uses

Warehouse mezzanine flooring can be used for storage of items which are not in constant use and can come in very handy for warehouses in which seasonal items are stored. A garden centre or similar outlet that has a Christmas shop for just a few months a year would find a mezzanine very useful, but it could also be used for a permanent display of high value items which need to be kept in good condition and not be constantly handled – something like conservatory furniture or pictures would be well-protected from day to day wear and yet would still be accessible to the public. Mezzanine office floors are a very popular use of the space, as staff can be out of the way and able to concentrate on their work better than if they are working in a noisy warehouse environment. They are still on hand if there are any queries or deliveries to accept, but they are also able to keep their work areas tidy and away from dust and disturbance. Keeping office staff off the warehouse floor also makes an improvement to health and safety levels because the fewer people walking across a working area, the better.

The use of warehouse safety barriers can add a further level of safety if required.

50% more space

Mezzanines can offer as much as 50% more floor space and are easily installed. Companies which supply and erect these floors will advise on any planning issues and also will make sure that there is adequate fire-retardant material or other requirement in the ceiling/floor barrier between the original ground floor and the mezzanine. This type of floor is usually made of a metal basic structure but walls and ceilings can be added depending on the requirements of the particular warehouse space and can look very attractive or can be left in their basic state – looks aren’t everything and in a warehouse which does not have visits from members of the public, the mezzanine structure as delivered is often enough. For any business where space has become tight, a mezzanine floor is a simple, fast and relatively inexpensive way to give a lot more, easily accessible space for any type of use.