So, no doubt by now you’ve heard of raised floor systems. These systems were initially popularized in the United States to serve computer rooms because of their cable and power distribution capabilities. Today, we are seeing these systems being used more and more, and no longer just in computer areas. With today’s technology changing daily, upgrading infrastructure can be a major expense for companies. By using this type of system in administrative areas, reconfigurations are now much more cost effective; data, power, and ventilation can now be redistributed at will and at a fraction of typical cost. Couple these factors with lower energy costs (by discharging air at higher temperatures) and a healthier work environment (by having more efficient air changes) and this system truly becomes competitive.

 

So, those factors aside – what’s so different about our installation? We decided to stain the floor and use it as an exposed system. Sure, now that I’ve said it, it seems obvious. But you should have seen the looks on the design teams faces when I announced that this is what we were going to do.

Concrete staining is not new. Normally on a raised floor you would install carpet tile. As is inevitable with any carpet tile, reconfiguration of the floor will require replacing previously cut carpet tile with full pieces. In the big scheme of things, this is not a large issue – it just means you have to keep attic stock. We had a new idea – if you eliminate the carpet tile, you eliminate the need for attic stock. Less materials to maintain equal lest cost, both initial and long term.

Let me outline our design scenario. As with any renovation, we were faced with multiple items that needed addressing. We were converting space, previously been utilized as shop space, into administrative office space. None of the electrical was able to be reused; it was previously fed from the ceiling and along the walls – walls that were to be removed. As new office space we needed a suitable electrical distribution system that could feed non-powered modular furniture wall systems while also being able to accommodate future reconfigurations. Dropping out of the ceiling into power poles, while functional, was not the answer.

Further complicating this was the construction of the slab. This being a prior military facility, it was designed to last forever. Our initial coring determined that the slab was a minimum of 8 inches thick. On top of that, several of the walls that were scheduled for removal sat upon bond beams, with the adjacent slabs spanning in between. Removal of the walls left us a wide open space with a large variation in finished floor heights.

Economically, it was infeasible to saw cut the slab and install a new electrical distribution. Equally infeasible was floating out the slab to correct the varied finish floor heights. Using a raised floor system could correct both these issues.

I had previously used this type of floor system on several projects (click here to read more about what makes up these systems, and what they can do ). However, there was one more design criteria that we needed to meet. For this type of facility, it is highly probable that we will have higher than normal levels of dirt in the facility. We specifically did not want carpet in the administration areas, as it is significantly more difficult to clean grease and tar out of carpet when compared to concrete.

I consulted Paul Kinsella with Allied Interiors, the distributor that I had used several times in the past. We explained what we wanted to do, and we were hoping that this had been done before; after all, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. We quickly found out that this was not an entirely new concept. There are raised floor systems that don’t use carpet – unfortunately, the vinyl tile computer look was not the aesthetics we were trying to achieve. They did offer a clear sealer that really brings out the nature of the concrete. But this system was also going to serve as a design element, and we needed color.

Because of the way that the panels are manufactured and sorted, I knew that there was no way to ensure consistency of stain. So, this aspect was designed into the system. If we did all the panels the same color, the color would be close but not an exact match. When placed side by side, you would be able to distinguish a change in color across the floor. Factoring this into the equation led us to use several different colors. My original intention was to install the panels in a random mosaic pattern. While sounding good in theory, we needed to keep the color selection to a minimum. My contractor came up with the idea of installing the panels in a diagonal pattern – this was definitely the correct solution!

We used our painters to stain the panels on site. The biggest challenge with this was allowing for the low VOC content of the stain, since this was a LEED building. The first stain that we used was within the VOC limits, but had no other favorable qualities. The panels looked so hideous we didn’t even take them out of the truck. Once the painters realized that I wasn’t going to give in, they gave a concerted effort and found an appropriate stain. Once the initial colors were approved, we had the panels delivered to the site and spread out in one of the bays. Here you can see the staining in process.

Installation was pretty standard. As you can see, we decided to wait to seal the floor until it was installed. This would cut down on touch- ups, and ensure a consistent depth of sealer. The panels soak up the stain like a sponge. It’s not until the sealer is applied that the true color comes out.

We did have to do one additional step before sealing the floor. I had the contractor back out all the screws about a quarter of an inch before the sealer was applied. This was so that in the future when reconfiguring the space, we would not have to worry about chipping when unscrewing the panels. The very last step was fully removing the screws and replacing them, due to the amount of sealer in the heads. We also utilized a gasket system at the perimeter to account for an air tight seal between the panels and the exterior wall.

What other items do you need to take into consideration when using an exposed stained raised floor system? It is best to do a layout similar to a reflected ceiling plan. Minimize your cuts, and establish a starting point for full panels. In this case, we poured our stairs, ramps, and landing out of concrete for a finished look.

We’ve now covered the aesthetics of the system, and you’ve sold the Architect and Owner on the idea. But what about your Mechanical and Electrical Engineers? In a future article we will discuss the components that we used for electrical and mechanical distribution, along with the benefits and limitations. Stay tuned!