When you run a small warehouse, space is your bread and butter. The more you have, the more you can sell, but making the most of vertical space can be a challenge. Mezzanine floors are a great solution that can be tailored to suit the space, but is this the right choice for your warehouse? Here are eight key things to think about before you pull the trigger on a mezzanine design.
Assess Your Current Warehouse Layout
Evaluate ceiling height, floor space, workflow, and overall warehouse structure before planning the mezzanine. When you hire a specialist company to install warehouse mezzanine floors, they will conduct a site assessment and explain whether or not your space is suitable.
You’ll need enough clear headroom for work to happen comfortably both above and below the new floor, so measure the height of your ceiling and rafters. The new floor will typically have a construction depth of approximately 30cm, accounting for the joists and decking. Aim for minimum clearance between:
- the warehouse floor and the bottom of joists
- the top of the mezzanine floor and the rafters at their lowest point
Note the positions of sprinklers, ducting or lighting could reduce clear headspace in these areas. Can they be moved, raised or avoided?
You should also consider the potential positions of pillars and the staircases. Room for a staircase should allow for stairs at an appropriate angle. If the stairs are not intended for general access, they can be steeper and have narrower treads than a general access staircase.
Load-Bearing Capacity and Structural Safety
Depending on your intentions for using the new space, the planned load capacity of a mezzanine will vary. If you’re installing office facilities, for example, the load will likely be less than if you’re planning to store goods and materials. This changes the mezzanine design, with higher loads (>5kN) requiring more beams with a wider span and more columns placed closer together.
The number and placement of beams required may change the way you use the space below the mezzanine or the type of pallet racking you can install in that area. A structural engineer will be able to draw up plans so you can visualise how a mezzanine will change your building layout.
Compliance With Building Regulations and Safety Standards
All mezzanine floors require handrails and edge protection. There must be suitable fire escapes, with regulations governing how many you should have and how far apart they should be, depending on the mezzanine’s size. In many cases, the flooring used must have a one-hour fire rating.
Mezzanine regulations also stipulate access points, usually the dimensions and style of stairs and staircases. They can be for general or utility access. In areas with offices or where the public can enter, ambulant staircases are a requirement to make disabled access easier.
Choosing the Right Mezzanine Type for Your Warehouse
The type of mezzanine you choose also depends on your available space and the way you want to use it. For warehouses with abundant headroom, you can invest in multi-tier mezzanines to create two or more storeys of additional space. This is an excellent way to create extra office space or triple your storage capacity.
Most warehouse mezzanines are built to maximise storage. You can install pallet gates for reach trucks to access goods. In some warehouses, mezzanines are fitted with conveyor systems to enable safe movement of stock between levels.
Materials and Construction Quality
Mezzanine floors are constructed with strong steel frameworks, using I-beams as columns and joists in most cases. This creates a seriously strong structure that is purpose-built for the intended load.
Floors are constructed from durable decking that is easy to maintain and fire safe, chosen with load capacity in mind. The last thing you need is for your flooring to crack when your racking is full.
Workflow Efficiency
Will the design fit into your picking and packing operations or create obstacles to order fulfilment? How will deliveries be loaded to storage areas on the mezzanine? Consider each stage of your operations and how your new mezzanine will impact them. You might find ways to adapt the design to support more efficient processes.
Mezzanines can also be dedicated to order processing, with goods picked from storage below and processed upstairs in a streamlined system.
Future Scalability
When designing your mezzanine, consider how seasonal stock levels or future expansion may change the way you use it.
You can plan to extend the mezzanine later or build in infrastructure now for a potential change in use, such as electrical and phone outlets, if you might change the area into office space. Most structures will have a higher load capacity than required in case warehouse managers plan to add heavier items in the future, such as production or packing equipment.
Budgeting, Installation Time and Minimising Downtime
A great benefit of mezzanine floors is that the installation process can be fast. There are rarely foundational requirements, so there’s no need to break ground or clear the entire warehouse. The structure can be entirely self-supporting, with no changes to your existing building’s walls or ceiling. They usually don’t need planning permission either.
This simplicity makes mezzanines an affordable option for increasing floorspace. Installation timelines range from a few weeks to several months, depending on complexity. With careful planning, your operations can continue to some extent around the construction.
Is your warehouse ready for more space?
Mezzanines are an excellent way to scale up a warehousing business. Particularly in port cities like Cardiff and Swansea, making the most of your vertical space and increasing your capacity is vital to staying competitive in an economy that relies on large fulfilment centres and high stockholding.
If you have enough space for a mezzanine, as well as budget and time to spare during installation, you’re halfway there. The second stage is communication. Talking to your contractor during the design phase helps them understand your goals, which is crucial if this investment will work for the business and not against it. Make sure the design accounts for your workflows, can adapt to future scaling and is suitable for your intended load.
