Refurbishment to a Tesco bakery floor using our hard-wearing system

The Challenge

The floor of the bakery inside Tesco Extra in Weston Favell, Northampton, was facing significant issues. Made from tiles and composite material, terrazzo, the existing floor had developed cracks throughout, making it unsuitable for the demanding bakery environment at the busy Tesco store. Several attempts to install a suitable flooring system to address the movement of the substrate, had all failed. The existing flooring was block and beam with a screed, and the bakery was situated directly above an underground car park, which added challenges to the refurbishment project due to the amount of movement within the floor. Any new system had to cope with the excessive movement. The bakery had to be closed to allow works, so a fast-curing system needed to be applied. In the end, the waterproofing and surfacing part of the project took only 4 days to complete. Including the screed, it took a week in total. WestWood was approached by Tesco to develop a comprehensive solution to address these issues.

The Solution The primary focus for WestWood was to provide a flexible and hard-wearing system that could accommodate the movement of the existing substrate. The installation began in January 2021, and was carried out by specialist liquid contractors, Genco Construction Services – which had received comprehensive training from WestWood at its headquarters in Poole, Dorset. First, contractors had to remove the existing tiles and terrazzo, as well as the failing screed to expose the block and beam floor. WestWood’s Wecryl System was then installed directly onto the substrate. The cold-applied waterproofing membrane, with a 110g/M2 polyester fleece was installed wet-on-wet, with a cure time of up to 30 minutes meaning a quick application. Although the bakery had been cleared of most equipment, some ovens could not be moved. As WestWood’s cold applied PMMA liquid technology is easy to apply, contractors could work around the ovens, achieving a neat, consistent finish throughout the floor. Over the flexible waterproofing layer, a hard-wearing layer called Wecryl 333 was applied. This was designed to withstand the daily demands of a busy bakery floor. The final layer of the floor required a delicate balance between non-slip properties and ease of cleaning; both crucial for maintaining hygiene and safety in the bakery. WestWood’s WeTraffic EasyClean BX was specified, a product that perfectly met these requirements. Pipework and drainage within the bakery were also thoughtfully incorporated into the new floor refurbishment to ensure a seamless finish and functionality across the entire area. Adhering to a strict 1-week timescale, the project was finished on time and to budget.

Key Benefits

Optimum safety

Once cured, the WestWood System is 100 per cent solid, and does not contain solvents or isocyanates, making it safe and eliminating any health risks to the indoor food and drink environment.

Rapid Cure Time

Each layer of the WestWood system consisted of PMMA, which enabled rapid curing within 20-30 minutes. This allowed the bakery to be back in operation as quickly as possible, limiting downtime and potential loss of revenue.

Functionality and Aesthetics

The WestWood solution offered various colour finishes - including the option to incorporate deco chips - providing flexibility to suit the client's preferences. The Tesco Extra store now boasts a bakery floor that is both visually appealing and capable of meeting the rigorous demands of a busy commercial bakery.