What Is a Mezzanine Floor?

Mezzanine floors are intermediate floors built between other floors in a building. Often referred to as a raised platform or a partial floor, mezzanine floors are designed to add more usable space to a building without creating an entirely new floor. There are many examples of mezzanine floors, from the warehouses and retail showrooms that we see every day to the mezzanine levels in loft apartments, gymnasiums, offices, and other commercial properties.

The mezzanine floor definition would be a secondary floor, not designed to span the entire floor below. Instead, it uses the height in the room to create more space and to be used for a variety of purposes.

A mezzanine floor can be used as additional storage space, a work area, a lounge, a display floor, or even as a part of the architecture of a building. A well-designed mezzanine floor can add more function to a room without closing it off and making it feel smaller.https://www.avalonflooring.com/

Why Mezzanine Floors Are So Popular

Mezzanine floors are extremely popular with many properties lacking floor space due to high ceilings. Mezzanines convert this dead space into extremely useful floor space.

These intermediate floors are particularly useful for:

Warehouse storage space
Retailer additional display space or extra office space
Industrial use of mezzanine floors as work platforms
Additional living space in residential properties with high ceilings or large lofts
Fitness studios, showrooms, home offices, and exhibition space
Additional office space without moving to a new property

Mezzanines are so versatile as they are not only extremely useful but also can look amazing and be designed to your exact specifications. Mezzanines are a fantastic combination of engineering, design, and space planning.

How a Mezzanine Floor Works

Mezzanine floors are typically built using a structural framework to support the floor. The framework may include columns, beams, decking, a stairway to access the mezzanine, and guardrails/handrails for safety. The finished flooring on the mezzanine can be any type of flooring, including vinyl, tile, carpet, wood-look flooring, and more. It is essential to ensure any mezzanine floor is designed and built safely with due regard to potential loads, access to the mezzanine, and compliance with relevant building regulations.

Unlike a full floor, mezzanine floors are generally ‘open’ to the floor below. The open nature of a mezzanine floor is one of its many benefits. The floor allows light, visibility, and air to travel through the space whilst adding another functional area.

Typically, a mezzanine floor will consist of the following components:

Support columns: These are vertical columns which support the weight of the mezzanine floor.
Beams and joists: These are horizontal beams and joists which support the decking/subfloor and transfer the load down to the ground.
Decking or subfloor: This is the base layer of the floor upon which the finished flooring will be laid.
Stairs or access points: These are used to access the mezzanine floor.
Guardrails and handrails: These are used to ensure safety on the mezzanine floor.
Finished flooring: This is the surface of the mezzanine floor that people walk on.

Mezzanines involve structural elements and safety; therefore, it is recommended that a mezzanine is designed and installed by a professional, and that the flooring selected is suitable for the intended use.

Common Types of Mezzanine Floors

Every mezzanine is different and can be designed for any number of purposes depending on how you plan to use the space above.

Storage Mezzanines

Storage mezzanines are the most common type of mezzanine used in warehouses, shops, and commercial buildings. They provide additional space for storage of inventory, equipment, supplies, and even items that are only needed from time to time. Storage mezzanines are typically designed with durability in mind and are capable of supporting a lot of weight.

Office Mezzanines

An office mezzanine can turn an overhead space into a number of things, including a meeting room, administrative office, break room, or even additional workstations. An office mezzanine is a great option for businesses housed in an industrial or retail location that need additional office space without sacrificing floor space.

Retail Mezzanines

A retail mezzanine can be used for displaying products, for private consultations with customers, as an additional checkout area, for storage of supplies and merchandise, and even as a staff-only area. With the right design, a retail mezzanine can add to customer experience and make your space look far more interesting.

Residential Mezzanines

Mezzanines are often found in residential loft spaces, studios, and large properties with high ceilings. A mezzanine in a home can be used as a sleeping loft, a reading nook, a home office, additional sitting area, or even a studio for artistic pursuits. The focus of a residential mezzanine is typically on design, how the space will look, and comfort.

Industrial Work Platforms

An industrial work mezzanine is designed to support equipment, to be used as a part of production workflows, for maintenance, and for assembly of goods. Industrial work mezzanines require careful planning with respect to weight, safety, traffic flow, and intended use of space.

Benefits of a Mezzanine Floor

A mezzanine can be one of the most efficient and cost-effective methods for increasing the amount of usable square footage of a building without moving. Savant recognizes that there are several key benefits, including:

More usable square footage: Space created within the envelope of an existing building.
Better use of height: Tall ceilings are put to good use rather than wasted air space.
Flexible design: Mezzanines can be used for storage, work, display, or living purposes.
Improved organization: Allows for better segregation of storage, office, customer, and production areas.
Potential cost efficiency: Can be more cost-effective than relocating to different premises or building a full extension to the building.
Visually effective: A well-designed mezzanine can be a design feature that makes a building work and look that little bit extra special.

The Savant perspective: a mezzanine is not just more space, it is a spatial upgrade—it makes a building work smarter and look smarter.

Important Design Considerations

In designing and completing a mezzanine, one must consider more than the mezzanine platform itself. A mezzanine must fit within a given building, serve given users, and meet future uses for the space.

Ceiling Height

A mezzanine must have adequate clearance above and below the platform. In designing a mezzanine, consideration must be given to how the space will feel in terms of being usable, comfortable, and safe. Mezzanines with low clearance can end up feeling claustrophobic, while those that are properly scaled can have a very elegant and refined feeling.

Load Capacity

A mezzanine intended for use by light general office activities will have completely different construction requirements than would a mezzanine to be used for heavy storage of inventory or for locations that contain machinery and/or equipment. In designing a mezzanine, consideration must be given to anticipated weight, foot traffic, furniture, equipment, and future uses of the mezzanine.

Access and Use

The stairs, ladders, gates, and walkways leading to and from the mezzanine platform all impact how the mezzanine will function. A mezzanine of great beauty can quickly be deemed dysfunctional if it is not easily accessible. The flow of traffic through the space must also be taken into consideration, especially in commercial and industrial applications.

Safety Features

Guardrails, handrails, stair stringer design, edge protection, lighting, slip resistance, etc. must all be considered in designing and completing a mezzanine. Safety considerations must never be an afterthought in the design and construction process of a mezzanine.

Building Codes and Permits

Local building codes may govern the size and type of mezzanine, access, fire safety features, structural design, and maximum occupancy for a mezzanine. Due to the wide variation in building codes from location to location and from building type to building type, it is wise to seek the advice of a qualified designer or contractor prior to initiating any mezzanine construction or major modification.

Flooring Material

The surface of the mezzanine floor will greatly impact how the mezzanine feels and functions. Consideration must be given to the intended use of the space, anticipated maintenance, aesthetic goals, and the substrate upon which the mezzanine flooring will reside.

Best Flooring Options for Mezzanine Floors

When we talk about flooring on your mezzanine, it can really complete the usability, comfort, and aesthetic of the space. Based on whether you are planning to use the mezzanine as part of a residential loft, commercial/retail space, office, or even an industrial unit, there are a number of different options available to you.

The most popular being:

Vinyl flooring: Great for creating a durable, stylish, and easy-to-maintain floor space that can be supplied to look like almost any other flooring type.
Luxury vinyl plank: If you want a vinyl floor with the look of a real wood floor, then this could be the ideal choice for you.
Rubber flooring: Heavy-duty flooring designed for use in gyms, dance studios, corridors, and any other area where there is likely to be a lot of traffic and where good levels of grip are required. Rubber is also very resistant to wear and tear and can offer excellent impact resistance.
Carpet tile: Ideal for offices and other areas where noise needs to be kept to a minimum and comfort is key.
Engineered wood flooring: Perfect for adding a touch of style to your residential loft space or boutique-styled commercial space.
Concrete-style flooring: This is a very cost-effective option and can create an industrial-style look to a space. In many cases, the existing concrete floor can be used and completed with a number of different coatings to provide the required finish.

Vinyl flooring is a great choice for a lot of mezzanine flooring projects. Vinyl flooring is able to provide a clean, versatile, and low-maintenance flooring solution that can work well in offices, retail spaces, residential loft spaces, and a variety of other light commercial areas.

Why Vinyl Flooring Works Well on Mezzanines

Vinyl flooring is the ideal solution for mezzanine floors as it offers the perfect blend of style and practicality. Most rooms are quite small, so the flooring has to be not only beautiful but also comfortable to walk on, as well as easy to clean and maintain.

There are a number of positive points to consider with vinyl flooring, including:

a huge array of wood, stone, and modern designs to choose from
a very comfortable surface to walk on compared to other hard flooring surfaces
easy cleaning and maintenance
good durability for everyday use
moisture-resistant options, depending on the specific product
a polished look without the need for excessive upkeep

As an example, vinyl flooring on a mezzanine office floor can produce a very professional, finished look. On a residential loft floor, it can create a warm and beautiful space. On a retail floor, vinyl can produce a great atmosphere for a brand and will withstand foot traffic.

The key to choosing a flooring solution is to pick the right product for your specific needs and then to ensure that the subfloor is properly prepared for installation. As with any other type of flooring, the success of it will depend upon the flooring system as a whole and the quality of the installation, as well as how well the specific type of flooring chosen for a room will perform in that room.

Mezzanine Design Ideas for Better Function and Style

Exploring Mezzanine Design Ideas? Define the space’s function first. When we design a mezzanine, we should always first try to answer the simple question of what the space above is going to do.

The mezzanine design should then naturally grow from there and become an extension of the building rather than an afterthought.

To help give you a kick start to your mezzanine design ideas, here are a few design directions for you to consider:

Create a Loft-Style Workspace

Create a focused workspace on mezzanine levels above a main floor below. Create a loft-style workspace. This is one of the most common uses of a mezzanine space and can be successfully used in all types of properties, including residential homes, artist and band studios, wine cellars, and a variety of different commercial workspaces.

By combining clean railings made from metal, aluminum, or glass with warm vinyl plank flooring, you can create a mezzanine space that is modern but also extremely comfortable.

Add a Retail Display Level

Add a retail display level. A mezzanine can be the perfect feature for a retail showroom. It can provide a higher floor space to display your premium products and also create separate areas for seasonal displays and for consultations with customers.

The look of the mezzanine flooring can help to define the mezzanine as a separate space but, at the same time, keep it open to the main floor below to create a flow of space that works well for your customers.

Build a Cozy Lounge Area

Build a cozy lounge area on your mezzanine. As we have already mentioned, a mezzanine can be used as a loft-style workspace, but it can also be used as a fantastic lounge area on mezzanine levels.

A reading loft, media room, or even a quiet retreat from the rest of the family could be created on a mezzanine, and with the use of softer textures, warm vinyl plank flooring in a suitable color, and some creative use of lighting, it can be designed to feel as comfortable as possible and not just like a cold functional space.

Use Contrast to Define the Space

Use contrast to define the space. It is not always necessary to use the exact same mezzanine flooring as you have used on the main floor below.

In fact, it can be much more effective to use a slightly different tone of flooring, a different style of railings, and a different lighting scheme in order to define the space and to make it stand out from the rest of the building.

Keep It Open and Airy

Keep it open and airy. Because a mezzanine overlooks another space, it is very important to try to create as much transparency as possible.

This can be achieved by using open railings, creating a clever lighting scheme that flows from the main floor up to the mezzanine, and by using lighter colors of mezzanine flooring in order to create a feeling of airiness in the space.

Design for Movement

Design for movement. One of the biggest mistakes that people make when designing a mezzanine is to forget to leave enough room for people to move around in the space.

With this in mind, you must make sure that there is enough room to walk around the furniture, displays, shelving, and any equipment that you have placed in the space and that the mezzanine has not been designed in such a way as to cause any obstacles or to create a feeling of being claustrophobic in the space.

Mezzanine Floors in Commercial Spaces

Commercial mezzanines are designed to be functional and to serve the purpose of the business.

They can add display floor space, back office space, increase storage within a warehouse, or even provide studio space for a contractor, or act as a showroom with client meeting areas off from the main workspace.

The flooring used on a commercial mezzanine will need to be durable enough to withstand constant use and be easy to clean and maintain. The type of flooring that is most suitable will depend on several factors, including:

The level of traffic that the mezzanine will receive on a daily basis
The cleaning regime that will be in place
The level of slip resistance required to avoid accidents
The level of sound transfer that is required between the two levels
The type of rolling traffic or furniture that will be in constant use
The image that the business wishes to portray
The duration for which the flooring will be required to last

Vinyl flooring is a very popular choice for mezzanines as it can look great and doesn’t require too much maintenance. However, the best floor for a mezzanine will depend on the specific environment.

Mezzanine Floors in Homes

Mezzanines are typically designed to create additional living space in residential design and to capitalize on high ceilings in homes.

Some functions of mezzanines in residential design are:

A sleeping area
A home office
A library or reading room
A play area
A meditation room
A studio for hobbies and interests
A guest nook

Quality residential mezzanines are designed thoughtfully and often have corresponding elements on the lower level, such as stairs, wall treatment and window treatment, and furniture and flooring. Flooring on a residential mezzanine can be wood-look vinyl plank, which is one of the most popular choices for residential mezzanines because it gives a warm, inviting look while still being durable and easy to clean and maintain.

Questions to Ask Before Planning a Mezzanine

Before you invest in a new mezzanine or reface an existing one, it is helpful to ask yourself a few questions:

What are you going to do with the mezzanine?
How much are you going to put on it?
How often will you be using the mezzanine?
How much foot traffic will the mezzanine receive?
Do you need sound control in the space?
What style of flooring will work best for your space?
Is your subfloor sufficient for the type of flooring you wish to put down?
Are you going to need any permits, or will you need to go through any code reviews?
Who will be putting in the flooring, and who will be preparing the subfloor?

These simple questions can save you from a lot of costly problems and result in a much better finished product.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The mezzanine – a clever solution that can add value to a property, but only if done right. Here are the common mistakes to avoid when planning a mezzanine:

Treating the mezzanine as a room for storage without checking the load-bearing requirements of the space.
Choosing a floor covering based on how it looks.
Overlooking where the stairway will go and how it will affect the flow of traffic in the room.
Overlooking the lighting and visibility.
Overloading the mezzanine with too much furniture and too many shelves.
Not seeking professional advice for the structural aspects and for compliance with building regulations.
Installing the floor covering without first preparing the subfloor correctly.

The flooring detail is crucial even for the most beautiful of floor coverings – they can fail if the base is uneven, unstable, or just plain wrong for the job.

Bringing the Whole Space Together

Mezzanines are more than just a raised platform within a building. With the right design, they can create a multitude of uses including storage, style, productivity, and comfort, to name a few.

Whether you’re looking to create a loft space, improve upon an existing commercial floor space, or simply give your mezzanine a makeover, the floor covering is key to the overall look and feel of the space. The floor covering is the surface that people see on a daily basis. They will walk on it, touch it, clean it, and hopefully not spill anything on it. It is a vital component to any space and one that should be given serious consideration prior to purchase.

Zinatex Flooring Vinyl Flooring can provide you with a variety of vinyl flooring products to use on your mezzanine or within the rest of your building.

For more information or a no-obligation quote, please visit us at 2017 25th Ave, Franklin Park, IL 60131, or call or text Mike at 773-540-0423.

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