If you’re pushing your warehouse toward its storage capacity, it’s time to start thinking of some new ways to get the most out of your space.

And one of the best options is to install some mezzanine flooring. Mezzanines are relatively cheap and open up space which you didn’t know your warehouse even had!

To find out more about how a mezzanine floor could benefit your warehouse, check out this article from Acorn Warehouse Solutions Ltd.

Configuration options

However, one of the other great things about mezzanines is that they’re so versatile and as they’re often custom fitted to your warehouse, there’s a range of different configuration options.

While of these are as simple as health and safety features, you may discover your mezzanine flooring can do more than you ever thought it would.

Conveyors

If you need to transport good from the mezzanine to the ground level in a continuous flow, then you’ll probably want a conveyor mechanism.

In particular, these are useful for pick and pack or assembly operations. While some mezzanines may use a lift, for certain operations this can be too slow.

Conveyors are easy to operate, can be automatically loaded if required and can also connect onto further conveyors on the mezzanine itself.

Safety barriers

Obviously, mezzanine flooring is fairly elevated and as such it makes sense to install some form of handrail or barrier.

Not only will it protect your employees, but it’s also a legal requirement according to the Health and Safety Executive.

You can read more about the dangers of working at height in this brief guide.

The main points are that you need to provide a continuous barrier around the edge of the mezzanine, but gates can be installed so that you can load goods on and off.

Lifts

If your goods are too big and heavy to be loaded onto the mezzanine using a conveyor you might want to use a lift.

This is also useful if you don’t require a constant flow of goods, and they’re available in a range of sizes and can be customised depending on your business needs.

Office space

A mezzanine doesn’t have to be for storage, you can also use it as office space. To do so you’ll need to install some form of partitions to create cubicles or rooms.

These can be made of many different materials such as plasterboard and can be fire and soundproofed and customised in a number of colours and finishes to match the rest of your warehouse.

Flooring/Decking

When choosing the flooring of your mezzanine it’s important to bear in mind what it’s going to be used for.

While mezzanines are often a lot more durable than you might think, you need to bear in mind how heavy of a load it will be able to take and also whether it is resistant to fire and moisture.

The most common materials used in mezzanine flooring are particle board, steel and welded grating.

Fireproofing

Just like the rest of your warehouse, your mezzanine will be subject to fire safety regulations.

This means that it will require adequate fire escape routes and fireproofing measures such as sprinklers and smoke detection systems.

All of the configuration options available to you will be explained to you by your installers, but as you can see, there’s a lot to consider!