Food grade coving is an essential part of the factory floor within the food & beverage industry. Not many areas of the floor are as prone to bacterial contamination as the gap that runs along the side of the room, where the wall meets the floor. This sharp 90° join is extremely difficult to thoroughly clean, and it is only a matter of time before bacteria grows in the crevasse. So what does coving do to prevent this?
Coving is a curved, sealed finish, that closes the gap between the floor and the wall, providing a waterproof surface to protect the wall. Being a curved surface, coving allows for easy cleaning, and provides no room for bacteria to grow.
Coving is formed out of either epoxy or polyurethane mortar, and is typically installed using a coving trowel, which forms the shape of the cove. The height of the cove varies depending on a couple of things; to accommodate stainless steel sheeting, water use in the area, and wall protection.
Coving needs to be smooth and flat. There is no need for a profiled surface; no one will walk on the cove, and it will only make it more difficult to clean. While a slip resistant floor may be installed, and it may seem like the easy solution to carry the finish up the cove, this is not the ideal solution, as the purpose of the cove is for cleanability. It is critical that coving is installed properly and takes into account the other features in the room, such as sheeting or cool room paneling.
The materials that make up the cove are extremely hard and abrasive resistant. They will achieve up to 60-70 mpa in strength, twice the strength of concrete. So once the coving is installed, it will be there for almost the life of the building.
Our SteriCove solution is an antimicrobial coving solution, that actively fights against bacteria growth for the lifetime of the cove. With our unique antimicrobial technology incorporated throughout each layer of the cove, it further improves the hygiene of the facility, reducing possible outbreaks of bacteria growth.
SteriCove can be installed in various profiles, with our main profile being one that our team has developed over the past 4 years, working with food manufacturing facilities to determine the most effective solution to solve their challenges with coving.
If you are specifying flooring for a food and beverage manufacturing facility and require assistance to determine the height at which the coving must be installed, or if you’re not sure which profile to go for, please reach out to us today, we’d be more than happy to assist you.