A mezzanine floor is quite simply a grid of steel columns supporting beams that are spanned with a network of purlins. This structure is then diagonally braced and most often fitted with 38mm chipboard as a deck. Access to the mezzanine is usually via a staircase designed and installed with the mezzanine itself.
Mezzanine floors offer a practical useful way of making more of the space you have available. On a number of occasions, we have found the installation of a mezzanine has precluded the need for our client to move to larger premises, thus offering considerable cost savings.
Mezzanine floors have a number of applications:
- Additional storage
- Additional office space
- Additional showroom / retail space
In its simplest form no fire protection is required. however, dependant on intended use, columns may need encasing and the underside of the floor protected from fire via a fire rated suspended ceiling / plasterboard / supalux. A fire system may also be required.
Design and Installation Procedure
Once the purpose of the mezzanine has been decided, and a following survey completed, a design will be put together encompassing desired column locations, spacings and an average load calculation will be applied (3.6 kN/M2 minimum for offices and 4.8kN/M2 for storage). This will produce a tailored design solution and costing.
In our experience, we have found that the specification of a non-bounce design is particularly beneficial in the creation of mezzanine floors for office environments.
Installation is generally straight forward with a small to medium size mezzanine floor taking 2 days to install.
Don’t forget that the mezzanine floor design will need to be subject to a Building Regulations application. You may also need to submit the scheme for planning as you may be increasing the number of people that are visiting your building.
For more details of our mezzanine floor design and installation service, call us on 0800 0197309.