What Goes Into a Warehouse Floor

Most people never think about what is under their feet. But every warehouse floor starts in the dirt, long before it looks anything close to clean. Here is how a slab comes together on an industrial build like the one PAC delivered for TFI International.

1. The base

Aggregate is spread, graded and compacted until it is rock solid. There are no shortcuts here. This base carries everything that comes after it.

2. The pour

Slab placement is one of the most critical days of the build, and it takes weeks of planning. Trucks arrive one after another, concrete goes down in a wave and crews level it on the fly. Scheduling, logistics, finishing crews, equipment and quality control all have to line up, because once the concrete starts flowing there is no second chance.

3. The finish

Then the noise fades. The screed comes through, the finish goes on and what is left is glass-smooth, wall to wall.

4. Go time

Pallets stack up, forklifts start rolling and the floor goes to work. Quiet in the final photo. Anything but quiet to get there.