Fermentation tanks, washdown cycles, and chemical cleaning create conditions that destroy ordinary concrete floors. Gatineau Concrete builds brewery and winery slabs with urethane cement or chemical-resistant epoxy, sloped to trench drains, finished for grip during wet operations. We assess your production zones on-site and quote in writing before any work begins.
Fermentation produces acidic wort; wine production introduces tannic acid; CIP (clean-in-place) systems spray hot caustic chemicals across the slab; and washdown cycles run water continuously. Standard commercial epoxy breaks down under these conditions within months. The solution is a urethane cement system (4–6mm hand-troweled) or a specialized chemical-resistant epoxy rated for acid and caustic exposure.
Water management is equally critical. Brewery washdown generates more volume per minute than point drains can handle. Water pools, chemical exposure extends, and the coating fails prematurely. We install trench drains across the production zone, sloped to move water out fast, so the floor stays dry and the system stays intact.
Tasting rooms and bar areas operate under different conditions. Chemical exposure drops dramatically, so a polished concrete finish or standard coated floor works well and looks sharp. We design both zones into the same project, with each system matched to its actual exposure. See our broader retail and restaurant work for context.
Recent work
Installation sequence
How Brewery Flooring Gets Built in Gatineau
Zone assessment and chemical mapping
We tour the facility with your operations team, identify which areas see acid spills, caustic washdown, hot water, or light exposure, and select the right system for each zone rather than applying one coating across the entire space.
Slab prep and drain installation
The existing concrete is diamond-ground to the system profile, old coatings and contaminants removed, cracks repaired, and trench drains installed or rebuilt with the correct slope to them.
Chemical-rated system application
High-exposure zones receive urethane cement (hand-troweled, 4–6mm) with cove base up the walls; moderate-exposure zones get chemical-resistant epoxy with broadcast aggregate for slip resistance. Each zone is finished to its spec.
Verification, cure, and handoff
Floor slopes are checked during install, trench drain connections are detailed flush, and the production area returns to service after cure time. Tasting and bar zones receive their separate finish system on the same schedule.
Drainage is the foundation
Why Trench Drains Make Brewery Washdown Possible
A brewery washdown cycle moves 50+ gallons per minute across the floor. Point drains cannot handle that volume. Water pools, sits on the coating, and the acid or caustic in that water eats through the system. Trench drains capture the full washdown flow and move it out in seconds, so the floor dries fast and chemical exposure stays minimal.
We design the trench drain layout and floor slope as a single system, then install both together. If your brewery has an adjacent kitchen or bar, we coordinate the drain system with those restaurant flooring zones. The whole project ties together as one retail and restaurant concrete system.
Chemical resistance, trench drains, urethane cement systems and tasting-room finishes.
Because of the chemical exposure. Wort acidity, hot caustic CIP cleaning chemicals, tannic acid in winery operations, and constant wet conditions all degrade standard epoxy. The right brewery floor is a urethane cement or specialized chemical-resistant epoxy system rated for those exposures.
For the production floor, yes, urethane cement handles thermal shock (hot wash on cold floor) and chemical exposure better. Epoxy can work in zones with moderate exposure and proper spec. We pick based on the actual zone exposure, not a default.
For any real brewery production floor, yes. Point drains cannot move the washdown volume; water pools, exposure prolongs, and the system fails sooner. Trench drains across the zone capture and move water fast.
Tasting and bar zones get a different system because the chemical exposure is dramatically lower. Polished concrete or a coated floor is typical there, matched to the brand look. Both systems install in the same project but as separate zones.
Production floor: typically a week or more depending on size, plus cure before returning to service. Tasting and bar zones add a few more days. The schedule is built around your production downtime needs.
Client reviews
What Gatineau Operations Say About Their Brewery & Winery Floors
Production floor with urethane cement system rated for our CIP chemicals. Three years of brewing, no degradation, washdown cycles work. The trench drains made it possible.
Z. Y2
Brewery Owner, Gatineau
★★★★★
Acid resistance for wine production zone, polished concrete in the tasting room. Two different systems, clean transition at the doorway. Both have held perfectly.
Y. K2
Winery Operations, Ottawa
★★★★★
They specced for our actual chemical exposure, not the cheapest option. Production floor is solid, no soft spots, no failed seams. Worth the right spec.
Q. M2
Microbrewery Founder, Barrhaven
★★★★★
Trench drains across the production area changed our washdown game. Water leaves in seconds instead of pooling. The floor stays sharp because exposure is short.
X. M2
Cidery Director, Nepean
From the blog
Concrete Guides & Articles
Practical reading on planning, finishes and caring for concrete in Gatineau.
Describe your production zones, chemical exposures, and any tasting or bar areas. We will spec each zone's system and send a written quote within one business day.
