Rapid Repairs for a State Liquor Warehouse Floor Stabilization

The Challenge

12,000 Ft warehouse uneven floor developing cracks.

In 2012, the State of Wyoming purchased a warehouse for use as a storage and distribution hub for Wyoming’s statewide liquor inventory. Shortly after purchase, officials installed new 15-foot tall shelving units to store over $18 million worth of liquor inventory. Soon after the liquor inventory was stocked, however, warehouse managers noticed cracks developing and growing in the floor slab. The topple hazard from uneven shelving and the trip hazards created by uneven floor slabs were huge safety concerns for employees.

The Wyoming liquor warehouse facility represented a significant capital investment for the state, and improvements to the facility in the form of additional storage capacity meant that the project had already cost the taxpayers dearly. State officials needed a solution that wouldn’t break a budget already worn thin throughout the warehouse conversion.

Additionally, with new and existing cracks growing before their eyes, officials knew that whatever solution they picked had to be reliable and most of all, fast. State officials called on Groundworks to evaluate the problem and propose a solution.

Key Facts

The Solution

Injections used for rapid repair.

After a site visit by Groundworks personnel, test results showed numerous areas of differential settlement in the slab, unraveling joints in several locations, and growing cracks in the concrete slab ranging from hairline to ¼-inch in width. The additional weight from the liquor inventory combined with the constant pounding and vibration from forklift traffic had expedited the weakening of the sub base and floors. The polyurethane injection process was proposed as a rapid repair for the warehouse slab and underlying soils.

Groundworks technicians mobilized to make the warehouse slab repairs. They used polyurethane injection at various depths, but mostly targeted the weakest areas in the upper ten feet to provide direct support to the warehouse slab.

The Impact

12,000 ft warehouse floor stabilized in 3½ days.

Groundworks’ technicians successfully repaired and stabilized the 12,000 ft warehouse floor in only 3½ days using the polyurethane injection process. Polyurethane injection consolidated the weak soil, filled voids, and increased the bearing capacity of the concrete slabs. Groundworks saved the state of Wyoming time and money and kept their new liquor warehouse up and running without incident. Warehouse managers were happy with the solution, and to date there have been no more issues with the warehouse slab.