When Hilliard’s Chocolates expanded its North Easton, Massachusetts, operation with a new facility on its property, the flooring needed to serve two different purposes. The manufacturing area called for a durable, cleanable surface, while the back-of-house space needed a decorative finish suited to everyday candy production. New England Floor & Wall installed two epoxy flooring systems over a plywood substrate to meet those distinct requirements.
Food Manufacturing Epoxy Flooring Project Overview
- Project: Hilliard’s Chocolates facility expansion
- Location: North Easton, Massachusetts
- Industry: Chocolate and confectionery manufacturing
- Substrate: Plywood
- Manufacturing flooring: ¼-inch epoxy mortar resurfacer
- Back-of-house flooring: Decorative flake epoxy flooring system
- Preparation and detailing: Plywood sanding, seam filling and fiberglass reinforcement, epoxy mortar patching, zinc termination strips and integral cove base
- Completion: Flooring work finished on schedule alongside the contractor team
Two Flooring Systems for One Chocolate Production Facility
Hilliard’s Chocolates had operated its Kitch-In-Vue Candy Store in North Easton for decades. As the business expanded, its new building created an opportunity to specify flooring according to the needs of each working area. NE Floor & Wall and the project team selected a ¼-inch epoxy resurfacing system for the manufacturing space and a decorative flake finish for the back-of-house area.
The unusual detail was the substrate: both flooring systems would be installed over plywood rather than a conventional concrete slab. That made preparation and reinforcement central to the installation.
Preparing Plywood for Industrial Epoxy Flooring
The crew sanded the plywood using swing sanders and 36-grit paper, vacuumed the surface, and filled the plywood seams with an epoxy and amorphous silica blend. Fiberglass reinforcement was installed over seams, with epoxy mortar patches where needed. Zinc strips defined termination points, and integral cove base detailing helped manage water at the floor edges.
In the manufacturing area, the team installed the ¼-inch epoxy mortar resurfacer to provide a durable surface suitable for cleaning and sanitation. The back-of-house area received decorative flake flooring designed to combine traction with an attractive finish. High-performance topcoats completed both areas.
NE Floor & Wall finished its flooring work on schedule, coordinating with the wider contractor team as the new facility took shape.
Planning flooring for a food production or commercial facility? New England Floor & Wall can help evaluate flooring systems for the way the space is used.