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IGA supermarket chooses Transitions Polished Concrete floors again for new Beerwah Shopping Village store

Project Background

IGA Beerwah Shopping Village uses Transitions Polished Concrete floorsBeerwah Shopping Village, a local convenience based shopping centre in Beerwah north of Brisbane, has undergone a major 15,000m2 expansion which has seen the introduction of 25 specialty retail shops including a new anchor store, IGA supermarket. The shopping centres expansion has been welcomed by small businesses in the area, who are delighted to see local spend increasing. The new expansion, which was successfully completed in October, is directly adjacent to the existing Beerwah Marketplace.

Specification

  • Transitions Mechanically Polished Concrete
  • R9 Slip Rating
  • Partial Aggregate Exposure
  • Satin/Low Gloss Level
  • 400 Grit

Scope

  • 1,700m2

Objective 

The client had one very basic objective of the flooring product for the new IGA store at Beerwah Shopping Village and this was to have a minimalistic look and feel whilst performing its functional requirements.

Requirements

Due to the environment in which this floor is to be located, a busy supermarket, the functional requirements are specific. Being a high traffic thoroughfare the flooring product needs to be hard wearing and durable whilst still maintaining it's aesthetic. In addition to this, the client required a flooring product that has low ongoing and periodic maintenance.  

Chosen Product

The chosen product for the new IGA supermarket at Beerwah Shopping Village is Transitions Mechanically Polished Concrete. This product is an IGA approved product and Transitions are an IGA approved applicator, with Beerwah being their fourth store to complete the installation of a Transitions Polished Concrete floor.

Transitions Mechanically Polished Concrete was chosen for a number of reasons, for the new Beerwah store, for which the products inherent characteristics outperform IGAs traditional flooring choice, vinyl. In addition to Transitions Polished Concrete floors meeting all of the objectives and requirements set down by the client, it also has provided the client with a shorter install period and is a more cost effective option.

The Transitions Polished Concrete floor installed at the IGA supermarket had a partial grind to maintain the minimalistic feel and reduce cost. Teamed with this was a satin or low gloss level and R9 slip rating.

The Transitions Polished Concrete floor at IGA, Beerwah also included a semi-rigid polyurea jointing system, which can be polished along with the floor but allows for expansion and contraction of the structural slab. It was necessary for this project as the saw cuts and expansion joints needed to be able to handle the constant wheel loads and trolley traffic alongside the polished concrete floor. The main benefit here is that concrete edges are protected from chipping with heavy loads being wheeled over it on a constant basis.

Overall Outcome

The Transitions Polished Concrete floor delivered at the new IGA Beerwah Shopping Village store had a fantastic result. The floor achieved an average gloss level of 55 and a slip rating of R9, which was on specification. The floor was installed and completed in 7 days rather than the 14 days that was allowed for in the project schedule. Generally in appearance the floor uplifted the look and feel of the store and the client was very happy.

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The Greener Grocer adds colourful design to their Transitions Polished Concrete floor

The Greener Grocer adds colourful design to their Transitions Polished Concrete floorProject Background

The Greener Grocer is an independently owned and operated supermarket located at the newly develop Capri on Via Roma shopping centre in Isle of Capri on the Gold Coast. The supermarket is focused on providing shoppers with fresh produce, sourced from local farmers markets, and other specialty goods, in addition to competitive prices and quality customer service.

Transitions Polishing and Grinding completed works at The Greener Grocer supermarket during the construction of the Capri on Via Roma shopping centre.

Specification

  • Transitions Polished Concrete
  • Transitions Stained Concrete
  • Gloss Finish
  • Sealers - tested to achieve an R9 slip rating

Scope

  • 1000m2 of Transitions Polished and Stained Concrete

Client Objective

The main objective of the floor installation at The Green Grocer was create a seamless transition between the main shopping centre, at Capri on Via Roma, areas and the supermarket tenancy. In terms of design, the client wanted to integrate patterns into their concrete floor to separate the general trading floor and the fresh produce section.  They also wanted to achieve a high gloss finish, to improve light reflectivity and brighten the retail space. Furthermore, a full exposure of aggregate was desired to aesthetically make the concrete floor a real feature within the store and functionally to remove variances in floor levels between the different concrete slabs present.

Client Requirements

In terms of requirements, the client required a very durable and lasting flooring solution that would be able to withstand high levels of trolley traffic without aesthetics being affected. The chosen flooring solution would also be required to fit in with maintenance schedules, only being serviced after trading hours. Finally, with the design of the shopping centre layout, being very open and communal, there are actually no shop fronts present. In addition to this, there were no set downs in the structural slab so that the same finish could be applied in the mall as with the tenancies. This meant that one of the most important requirements was that the floor flowed seamlessly into the supermarket tenancy.

Chosen Product

The product chosen for installation in The Greener Grocer supermarket at Capri on Via Roma was a combination of Transitions Polished Concrete and Transitions Stained Concrete. This combination was chosen to achieve the same overall finish, look and feel, but to create the design and patterns desired by the client.

The stained concrete areas in the supermarket were installed utilising the same orange stain as per the installation in the main shopping centre to create the seamless, uniform look. Transitions Stained Concrete was installed throughout the fresh produce section of the supermarket, with neat defined edges between the stained and unstained parts. This created a very striking look.

The sealers utilised on the supermarket concrete floor are designed for usage in high traffic areas, most specifically supermarket floors. In addition to the polished concrete floors inherently have a large number of advantages for usage in supermarkets. They are durable, easy to maintain and have a long life expectancy. The Transitions Polished Concrete floors also contributed to the aesthetics of the supermarket, being a very natural, organic marketplace that held an element of sophistication.

Overall Outcome

The resulting products of this project were very successful, achieving all objectives and requirements set down by the client. The Transitions Polished Concrete and Stained Concrete floors were able to both functionally and aesthetically perform to standard and the client was very happy with the outcome.

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Project Highlight: Woolworths Supermarket, Surfers Paradise

Supermarket, Gold Coast, with Transitions Polished Concrete floorsWoolworths has grown into a household name with a presence in almost every metropolitan and regional centre in Australia and New Zealand. In terms of their supermarkets, Woolworths are committed to providing customers with the most enjoyable, quality shopping experience possible.

Project Background

Woolworths were taking over an existing retail space in Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast and required Transitions to rectify the polished concrete (coated) floors that had been recently installed. Furthermore Transitions were contracted to install epoxy coatings in all food preparation and deli areas. 

Specifications

- Substrate: Existing Slab

- Full Exposure and high gloss finish. 

ScopeSupermarket, Gold Coast, with Transitions Polished Concrete floors

- 2050m² of Polished Concrete

- 425m² Epoxy Coating System (Trowel with coving)

 Client Objective

Woolworths were unhappy with the pitted, dull and worn polished concrete floors that had been installed in their new store. They were also concerned about the flatness of the surface and contracted Transitions to make vast improvements to their existing floor.


Client Requirements

Woolworths required the following from Transitions:

- The floor to be completed within tight construction timelines due to time already utilised with the installation of the substandard floor from a previous contractor

- Minimal downtime to other trades upon installation of the rectified floor

Supermarket on the Gold Coast with Transitions Polished Concrete floors.

 

- A floor that improved light reflectivity in the supermarket, due to only a small amount of natural light coming in

- Durability and abrasion resistance to withstand very high amounts of foot traffic and trolley loads on a constant basis

- Low maintenance

- Stain Resistant


Chosen Product

As a result, Transitions Polished Concrete was installed throughout the shopping areas of the supermarket. The polished concrete floor was selected with full aggregate exposure and a high gloss finish. This finish was chosen to enhance light reflectivity throughout the store.

The Transitions Polished Concrete installed in this Woolworths store was designed with minimal maintenance in mind. The maintenance requirements on this floor are minimal and as the store already included automatic scrubbing in their cleaning regime, the transition between the old and new floors was limited.

In terms of stain resistance on the polished concrete floor, it was important that the sealers selected could resist penetration from a myriad of different food and liquid types.

In addition to the polished concrete floors, Transitions installed epoxy coatings in all the food preparation and deli areas. The epoxy coatings were designed to match the corporate branding of Woolworths. The existing epoxy floors had to be removed and new floors (with coving) installed, in line with the Woolworths design brief. 

Overall Outcome

Supermarket on the Gold Coast with Transitions Polished Concrete floors.

 

The aesthetic results speak for themselves, the store looks fantastic and the client is very happy with the improved appearance and functionality of their polished concrete and epoxy floors.

In terms of maintenance the polished concrete floors have traditionally been costly for Woolworths due to the expensive coatings applied, however the lifecycle costs on Transitions Polished Concrete are much lower than other traditional polished concrete floors and other floor coverings typically installed into Woolworths stores.

Construction timelines only allowed a four-week installation time, the Transitions Polishing & Grinding team achieved this target with ease, completing all polishing works in two weeks and most importantly on budget. During the grinding works, other trades were able to complete their works, which was also an important factor.

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New IGA Supermarket in Toowoomba asks for Transitions Polished Concrete Floors

New IGA Store in Toowoomba asks for Transitions Polished Concrete FloorsProject Background

The new IGA supermarket in Newtown Shopping Centre, Toowomba opened its doors in late 2013 with the installation of Transitions Polished Concrete floors throughout the main trading areas and an epoxy coating in the deli and back of house areas. The retail space used by the supermarket is a 50 year old retail tenancy that has undergone countless tenants throughout this time. IGA has revitalised the store space bringing it up to date with a modern fit out, whilst preserving many of the historical features of the building; the concrete floors being one.

Specification

  • Transitions Polished Concrete
  • Parchem 6mm Epoxy System
  • R9 Slip Rating
  • Gloss Finish

Scope

  • 800m2 of Transitions Polished Concrete throughout the trading areas
  • 150m2 of Parchem 6mm Epoxy System in the deli and back of house

Client Objective

The client had a number of aesthetic and performance related objectives with which they wished to achieve out of the chosen flooring solution for the new IGA store in Toowomba. Firstly, the chosen product was to utilise the existing slab put down in the building some 50 years ago, to maintain its history. The client wanted a concrete floor with a gloss finish to increase light reflectivity and thus the brightness in the store. In terms of functionality, the client wanted a concrete floor that would stand the test of time and be easily maintained during this process.

Client Requirements

The client had the following requirements for the concrete floor at the new IGA Newtown Store. The floor was to include a three-quarter aggregate exposure with a gloss finish. It was to fulfil all Australian Standard codes in relation to performance and slip ratings. The concrete floor in the supermarket should be easy to maintain and remain in line with the supermarkets' cleaning program. Furthermore it must be able to withstand a high amount of foot and trolley traffic on a constant basis, meaning the concrete flooring product needs to be extremely durable with a long life cycle.

Chosen Product

The concrete flooring product that was specified by the client was Transitions Polished Concrete. This product was chosen due to its ability to fulfil all of the client objectives and requirements, as well as provide a number of advantages of its own. Transitions Polished Concrete floors are an extremely low maintenance and durable product that will stand the test of time in the new Newtown IGA supermarket. Further on from this, the polished concrete floor was finished with a gloss level that assists in bouncing light from the old buildings high bay windows around the supermarket. This makes it a lighter and brighter environment to shop.

The polished concrete floor finished by Transitions has also made use of the existing concrete slab, maintaining the history of the building. This history was brought to the forefront with Transitions during installation, with over 600 holes present in the slab, from 50 years worth of installing and removing fixtures and fittings. Additionally, the revitalisation of the tenancy saw new slabs poured throughout the store, due to new drainage requirements. Although this did create slight appearance differences in colour, Transitions worked very closely with the client, TRG Architects, to ensure that all aggregates of the new slabs were matching in with that of the existing slab.

Overall Outcome

Overall, the Transitions Polished Concrete floor installed at the Newtown IGA supermarket in Toowoomba was a great success. The old floor has been completely revitalised and now highlights a part of the buildings history. The client is overall happy with the product and its performance.

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