Flooring Approved by the USDA and the Hidden Benefits

Most people have heard of the USDA, but few know what it stands for, nor what kinds of protection they are offering. The letters USDA stand for the United States Department of Agriculture, and even though the full name brings to mind heads of lettuce and bright red tomatoes, the USDA goes much further than simply dealing with salad items. In conjunction with the FDA, which is the Food and Drug Administration, both these government entities are responsible for the full protection of public health. They are the ones who make sure that your food, as well as its preparation is properly labeled, wholesome, sanitary and of course completely safe to eat. So, as you can see having flooring approved by the USDA is something that we should all be extremely thankful for.

In order for any flooring to pass the rigid constraints that the USDA has with regard to flooring, the floor must stop algae, bacteria, mold and fungus from ever growing on it, or under it. Now, if you imagine that any food plant that might utilize water or other liquids in food preparation, would need to have a floor that is not only steam-cleanable, anti-skid, anti-microbial as well as suitable for heavy traffic or heavy loads such as forklifts, you get the idea of what a USDA approved flooring must have!

Various food businesses that think that the USDA will approve any pigmented sealers or perhaps epoxy sealers on floors will find that these are not acceptable. The reasons why are that in order for floors to pass their rigid requirements, flooring must be proper and keep out any and all problems that are associated with businesses that might handle produce, poultry, dairy, pork, or beef. All freezers and walk in coolers also need to adhere to their requirements, thus commercial kitchens of all kinds, including the poshest of restaurants need to have USDA approved flooring.

The USDA does not only check to see how sanitary a floor treatment is, they wish to make sure that it is odorless, forklift rated, slip resistant as well as chemical resistant too. In freezers it is very important that such a floor is also thermal shock resistant.

Flooring approved by the USDA is not totally uncommon, but some floors go way beyond what the USDA requires. One of those is Silikal. Silikal is utterly non-porous, and it is even warranted to be pinhole free. It is of course, a totally seamless flooring surface, so that nothing can attach to the floor, not dirt, nor bacteria, nor can water leach under it to cause embarrassing odors. In addition, this is an anti-slip product, and since kitchens and food plants of all kinds are wet atmospheres, this becomes more important, as businesses wish to prevent all slips and falls. Besides all those wonderful things that one can say about Silikal it can even put up with mechanical abrasions from various machinery such as forklifts, and can even withstand chemical attacks.

However, keep in mind that in anything from diamonds to floors, there are always better qualities of any product. Silikal surpasses anything else in high quality for flooring approved by the USDA. After all, Silikal will be ready to work on in one hour after it is installed in your establishment. That means no lengthy shut downs, thus more money in your pocket!