case-studiesBooths, Ulverston - Ucrete

Ucrete Installation – Booths Supermarket, Ulverston

The food preparation areas at Booths Supermarket in Ulverston are constantly in use. Floors in these environments are exposed to heavy foot traffic, regular cleaning regimes and daily operational pressures. Any refurbishment work has to be carried out carefully to ensure the finished surface is durable, hygienic and capable of withstanding the demands of a busy supermarket environment.

H³ Construct were appointed to replace a failed vinyl flooring system and install a new industrial-grade floor designed for long-term performance. Rather than simply patching over the existing surface, the works involved removing the failing Polyflor finish, preparing the concrete substrate correctly and installing a heavy-duty Ucrete polyurethane concrete system that would provide a robust, seamless and hygienic flooring solution for years to come.

Before the new flooring system could be installed, the existing surface had to be completely removed and the concrete substrate properly prepared. The floor was still carrying the remains of a failed Polyflor vinyl system, along with residual adhesives and surface contaminants that would prevent any new resin system bonding correctly.

The existing finish was stripped back and the slab mechanically diamond ground to remove adhesive residues, laitance and any surface contamination that had built up over time. This process exposed clean, sound concrete and created the mechanical profile required for a high-performance polyurethane concrete system to bond effectively to the substrate.

Additional preparation works were carried out to ensure the new floor could integrate correctly with the surrounding structure. Channels were carefully cut into the slab to allow the Ucrete system to be securely tied into the floor construction, preventing edge failure and ensuring long-term durability under traffic and cleaning regimes.

Perimeter details were also prepared to allow hygienic coving to be formed, creating a seamless transition between floor and wall. This eliminates dirt traps and allows the floor to be properly cleaned and maintained in a food preparation environment.

Only once the substrate had been fully prepared and stabilised was the surface primed and ready for installation of the new Ucrete system. The objective was not simply to install a new finish, but to ensure the underlying concrete was correctly prepared so the floor could perform reliably under the demands of a working supermarket environment.

With the substrate fully prepared, the concrete was primed to regulate absorption and ensure a consistent bond between the slab and the new flooring system. The primer acts as the intermediary layer between concrete and polyurethane concrete, sealing the surface and stabilising the substrate before the main system is installed.

Applied evenly across the prepared slab, the primer penetrates into the open pores created during the mechanical preparation process. This locks into the concrete surface and creates a stable bonding interface capable of supporting the weight and mechanical loading that the finished floor will experience in service.

The aim at this stage was not simply to coat the concrete, but to control the way the Ucrete system interacts with the substrate beneath it. By sealing the slab and creating a uniform bonding condition across the floor, the primer ensures that the system cures consistently and performs as intended under heavy use.

Only once the primer had fully bonded to the prepared concrete was the surface ready to receive the Ucrete installation. This step ensures the floor becomes part of the structure itself, rather than a layer sitting on top of it.

With the primed substrate ready, the Ucrete UD200 system was installed across the prepared floor area. The material was mixed and placed onto the slab before being spread and compacted to the specified thickness, forming a dense polyurethane concrete layer designed for heavy-duty service conditions.

Unlike conventional resin coatings, Ucrete is a full-bodied flooring system. It does not simply sit on the surface of the concrete but forms a robust polyurethane concrete layer that integrates with the prepared substrate beneath. This construction gives the floor exceptional compressive strength and resistance to mechanical impact, thermal shock and aggressive cleaning regimes.

The material was applied evenly across the floor and compacted to achieve a consistent thickness and surface finish. Care was taken to ensure the system was properly tied into the previously prepared channels within the slab so that the edges of the floor remained secure under long-term operational loading.

Once cured, the finished surface provided a dense, chemically resistant and highly durable floor capable of performing reliably within a busy supermarket food preparation environment. The result was not simply a replacement finish, but a robust flooring system designed to withstand daily operational demands.

The junction between floor and wall is one of the most vulnerable areas in food preparation environments. Sharp corners trap moisture, debris and cleaning chemicals, making them difficult to maintain and allowing contamination to build over time. In high-hygiene facilities these details must be eliminated rather than simply sealed.

To address this, hygienic coving was formed around the perimeter using Sika Ucrete RG, a polyurethane concrete render specifically designed for coving and vertical detailing within Ucrete flooring systems. The material was built up at the wall junction and shaped to create a smooth, continuous radius that links the horizontal floor surface with the vertical wall.

Using the same polyurethane concrete technology ensures the coving performs in exactly the same way as the floor. It delivers high mechanical strength, resistance to aggressive cleaning chemicals and durability under constant washdown conditions. The material is impermeable to liquids and does not support bacterial or mould growth, making it suitable for demanding food and beverage environments.  

The finished detail creates a seamless transition that allows the floor to be cleaned effectively while protecting the floor-wall junction from impact, moisture ingress and long-term deterioration.

With the Ucrete system fully installed and cured, the floor formed a seamless, heavy-duty surface designed to withstand the operational demands of a working supermarket environment. The finished floor provides exceptional resistance to mechanical wear, aggressive cleaning chemicals and constant foot traffic while maintaining a dense, impermeable structure.

Particular attention was given to the perimeter details and thresholds to ensure the floor was fully integrated with the surrounding construction. Junctions were carefully sealed and mastic-filled where required, allowing controlled movement while maintaining a watertight finish.

The completed system delivers more than a clean appearance. It provides a durable, hygienic and easy-to-maintain surface capable of supporting daily operations while protecting the underlying concrete structure from moisture ingress, contamination and long-term deterioration.

The result is a floor built not just to perform today, but to remain reliable under continuous service for years to come.