In the eyes of a customer a used mezzanine floor, and anything with a description of ‘used’ to that effect, always means ‘cheap’. Don’t get us wrong, most of the time it is indeed true but when it comes to industrial equipment, nothing is that easy (is it ever?). Having a bespoke mezzanine floor designed and manufactured to suit the specific business needs is a much more convenient route. However, we wouldn’t be talking about this today if there was no market for second hand mezzanine floors. Scroll through the below to make sure you get all the benefits of a used mezzanine floor but don’t suddenly discover health and safety issues.
Check the Specs of the Used Mezzanine Floor
You need to gather as many details about the used mezzanine floor as possible to ensure it fits your needs and conforms to numerous standards. Start by asking the following:
- What was the mezzanine floor previously used for?
- What kind of loads did it sustain?
- How were these loads allocated on the deck?
- What conditions was the floor used under?
Always ask for the original engineering drawings. Make sure that disassembly of the mezzanine was carried out correctly and carefully, without inducing damage to decks and other components. In order for the used mezzanine floor to serve your business right, you must obtain calculations for the ground loads. This will ensure this mezzanine is suitable for a given purpose, whether it is to store goods on pallets, racking or be part of a production chain. Your working environment might require special customisation so you have to make sure the used mezzanine floor has all those aspects already accounted for. It often makes sense to find a mezzanine floor that has been used for a similar purpose as you intend to use it for. That way, many of its attributes will suit you.
Conform to Health and Safety Standards
An inappropriately installed mezzanine floor can lead to serious health and safety issues. And the team responsible for installation might not always know all the details regarding its condition. In order for your employees to be safe make sure your newly-fitted floor has handrails and edge protection.
Mezzanines are specifically designed for certain work environments. Buying a used one means it already served some purpose and therefore may not be exactly what you need. Knowing exact specifications, it is easier to assess if a given floor is the right one for your business. If you decide that it fits your needs, the process of taking it apart on the old site and installing it in your building must be made according to regulations and with a qualified structural engineer present. It is a legal requirement that you hire an engineer to do all measurements and assessments.
Is a Used Mezzanine Cheaper Than a New One?
If you are on a budget, a mezzanine floor is a great solution to expand floor space. And a used mezzanine should be even cheaper, you would think. But it’s not that simple. A second hand mezzanine floor can cost almost the same as a new one. Yes, you save money on components and installation does not have to be very expensive. There are other costs and risks however that you have to take into consideration. As mentioned above, you need to hire a structural engineer. Calculations of numerous parameters are necessary to ensure stability and safety of the new structure. The engineer will have to do a site visit prior to making any decisions, assess your needs and see if that mezzanine floor will actually fit in. This will save you the headache of finding hidden costs in the long term.
You can consider installing the floor all by yourself but we would always advise to hire professionals. They will perform all the necessary checks and make sure the mezzanine is safe to use to avoid future problems.
There are a lot of other aspects to consider when designing a mezzanine floor, such as vibrations, humidity, weight you are planning to put onto the floor and many others. These can all be accounted for when building a new mezzanine but with a second-hand one there will always something you have to forego, which can potentially lead to safety hazards.
The verdict is: a new mezzanine is a much safer option. But if you do decide to purchase a second-hand floor make sure all measurements are triple-checked by engineers.
Featured Image: © Wacker Neuson Ltd.
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