Transforming a vacant 60,000 sq ft building on Chicago's Southside into the world's largest pita bread manufacturing facility was a challenge for Olympia Food Industries, manufacturer of specialty food items for distribution to restaurants and supermarkets.

Dubbed the "Pita Pan" building by Olympia owners Andre and Kostas Papantoniou, the facility underwent a total renovation before its scheduled opening in September 2006. Olympia invested more than $4.5 million in upgrades and construction, along with another $15 million for the state-of-the-art robotic equipment necessary for manufacturing high-quality pita bread, flatbread, and cheese-filled breadsticks.

Flooring Presents Special Challenges

Installing a flooring system with the strength to withstand sweltering hot baking ovens, near 100% humidity, steam cleaners applying 220°F heat, holding freezers that dipped below -10°F, and a spiral freezer at -40°F in the ultra-sanitary food processing areas was one of the toughest tasks the renovation crew faced. Construction manager Bill Wallrich of JWW Builders & Consultants worked closely with Concare, Inc (Melrose Park, IL), concrete floor repair and restoration specialists.

According to Wallrich, standard epoxy flooring was out of the question for numerous reasons, but primarily because it does not effectively control contaminants commonly found in food plants. Without control measures, contaminants such as fungi and mildew will degrade concrete surfaces over time and threaten hygienic compliance, leading to costly repairs and production downtime -- two things Olympia could not risk.

The ovens were another issue. Pita breads must be baked at high temperatures (+700°F) in order for the flattened rounds of dough to puff up dramatically. Making matters worse, heat reflects off the floor, causing expansion in the concrete, which leads to cracking.

"No doubt, the ovens were the greatest flooring challenge. They run red-hot during the day but are then turned off at night, leading to substantial fluctuations in concrete expansion and contraction," said Wallrich. "Of course, the area also requires washdowns and other sanitary measures, which further complicated flooring choices."

Valspar Has It Covered

Concare recommended a combination of Valspar flooring products, including the installation of 12,000 sq ft of Flowfresh RT for the critical production areas -- mixing, proofing, preparation, and cooking -- subject to USDA sanitary requirements. Flowfresh floors contain a continually regenerating performance antimicrobial that inhibits growth of mold, mildew, bacteria, and fungi. The antimicrobial agents are incorporated throughout the coating, so if it gets scratched or worn, the bacteria-fighting protection is not compromised. In addition, because it has the same coefficient of expansion as concrete, Flowfresh withstands extreme thermal shock, allowing it to tolerate sudden temperature changes without cracking or delaminating from the concrete surface.

"Flowfresh's antimicrobial protection and thermal shock resistance make it ideal for food, beverage, and pharmaceutical plants," notes Ellen Melnitzke, a sales specialist for Concare.

After an extensive grind and polish, Concare also applied Valspar's clear Federal Formula hardener on the concrete floors inside the warehouse, silo room, and two freezers. Valspar EpoRok heavy-duty resurfacer was applied on the badly damaged floors of the packaging and loading docks, and Valspar EC-6, a self-leveling 1/8 in. slurry epoxy coating, was used in non-production rooms throughout the facility, such as bathrooms and the lunch area. Sedona Red quartz finish was added to some quantities of the EC-6 for application in the toolroom, boiler, and corridor. To meet Olympia's requirements for unique colors, Valspar mixed a special Royal Blue batch of Flowfresh, as well as a one-of-a-kind Colonial Blue EpoRok for the dock area.

"I like to visit the building projects I worked on a decade earlier to see that they're still up and running," says Wallrich. "When I eventually pay a visit to Olympia, I fully expect the original Valspar flooring to be here, proving its value."