Don't slip up: be careful to choose the right kitchen floor

Nation's Restaurant News, April 29, 1996 by Foster Frable, Jr.

The setting bed allows the floor to be pitched toward floor drains and troughs and away from items like dining-room and walk-in cooler doors. The depth of the setting bed can be adjusted easily to provide the base for a finished-floor transition between level changes in a kitchen. A common use of thick-set flooring is to provide a gentle ramp or slope around the entrance to a walk-in cooler that may have a floor elevation 1 inch or 2 inches above the kitchen floor.

Each flooring option has its advantages and disadvantages, depending on a project budget and the intended use of the area. If a kitchen has heavy volume, with grease collecting on the floor, or heavy cart traffic, a thick-set quarry tile floor is considered by many to provide the best long-term results in performance and longevity. Except in very light-duty operations, it is strongly recommended that thin-set quarry tile floors not be used. The flexible acrylic resin and industrial vinyl floors offer special benefits when thick-set tile floors are not possible or in kitchens with serious waterproofing concerns.