What is a Mezzanine Floor & How Are They Built? | R&S Ltd

What is a mezzanine floor?

A mezzanine floor is a freestanding intermediate floor between two main floors of a building. It typically adds around one-third of the existing floor space, though multi-tiered mezzanines can add significantly more. The upper level isn’t boxed in by walls, so the floor below can be seen from the mezzanine level.

Since mezzanine floors can be assembled and disassembled at will, they aren’t considered permanent fixtures. Therefore, they don’t count towards the overall floor count of a building. This modular design also means you can move them to another area within your building, or take them with you if you relocate.

Mezzanine floors are suitable for many different types of facilities, including warehouses, storage buildings, manufacturing plants, offices, shops, and other commercial or industrial premises. These structures are typically made from steel, wood, concrete, aluminium, fibreglass and other materials depending on their purpose.

How are mezzanine floors built?

Mezzanine floors are constructed from a number of component parts.

First, a mezzanine floor construction and installation team erects a series of vertical support columns connected to the existing floor structure. Then, they place horizontal beams across the columns to support the mezzanine’s weight.

Next, the team positions joists horizontally across or between the beams at right angles. This allows them to connect the mezzanine decking to the beams.

Once joists are in place, the decking surface is laid across the beam infrastructure. This decking is available in a wide variety of materials to suit the needs of the facility.

Warehouse mezzanine typically use 38mm particle board decking. But other options such as steel plate or composite decking are available to handle heavier loads.

Lastly, the team installs railings and infills along the exposed edges to ensure the safety of your workers and customers.

As with any other construct, your mezzanine floor must comply with all building regulations. That includes fire safety compliance and the inclusion of emergency signs and exit paths.

At Racking + Shelving Ltd, we take care of all legal requirements to ensure your custom mezzanine floor is fully compliant and safe for use. We even obtain planning permission on your behalf to make your mezzanine floor installation smooth and hassle free.

What do mezzanine floors do?

The main purpose of a mezzanine floor is to increase your available floor space without the hassle or expense of relocating or extending your existing premises. But there are a number of additional benefits of a mezzanine floor, including:

• Optimising your use of space

• Streamlining your daily operations

• Adding more storage or store shelving

• Reducing congestion and wait times

• Uniting your team under one roof

• Minimising health and safety risks

• Futureproofing your business

Book your free, no-obligation mezzanine floor consultation

The highly trained and experienced team at Racking + Shelving Ltd delivers high-quality custom mezzanine floors to businesses throughout Northern Ireland and the UK.