Composite Metal Deck: The Ultimate Flooring Solution

Creating new buildings is more important than ever before. The global population is expected to be nearly 10 billion by 2050, creating a greater need for housing complexes, industrial manufacturing spaces, and workplace office buildings than ever before.

To accommodate this growing need, people will need to create strong, durable, and long-lasting structures. Composite metal deck solutions can help ensure strong building foundations. Read on to learn more about this material and its many benefits.

The Basics of Composite Metal Deck Solutions

A metal decking floor system is one of the most important components of a steel building. Whether it’s a single-story unit or a multi-story skyscraper, decking is essential for strengthening the floor system. Unfortunately, this often means that people need to add extra weight to the floor, which puts a lot of pressure on the framing of the building.

Composite flooring was created as a solution to this problem.

Composite metal decking is a type of flooring made from steel. It comes with an embossed pattern manufactured onto the sides at even distances from each other. These patterns help the surrounding concrete bond strongly to it as it cures.

This makes the structure of the steel building significantly stronger.

After the concrete is completely cured, the metal decking and the concrete become one unit. They’re totally bonded together into one complete metal floor deck. This final product is extremely strong and ensures that your building has a top-notch foundation.

The Benefits of Composite Flooring

The strength of composite metal is the main reason that architects, metalworkers, and construction/manufacturing companies prefer the material.

It can withstand a lot of weight over a long period of time, making it ideal for both high-foot-traffic areas and heavy equipment storage. It is also weather-resistant and won’t corrode due to water damage.

They also have high ratios of strength to weight. They’re light but give a lot of tensile reinforcement. This means that they’re simple to work with, incredibly strong, and have a higher axile strength than alternatives.

Sustainability

Building operations constitute about 40% of carbon emissions around the world each year. Using sustainable materials to create structures is a critical step toward reversing the climate crisis. Composite metal decking is one of the most eco-friendly solutions available.

This is because it’s made of steel. It creates a long-lasting structure, so materials don’t need to be replaced regularly. Even better, it can be continuously recycled without getting rid of any of the inherent properties that make it a valuable building material.

Smart construction processes are also available for composite metal. These systems use fewer natural resources and fossil fuels. So, you’re saving the world in more ways than one!

Cost-Effective

The lightweight flooring doesn’t just mean less waste. It also means lower project times. This means that you don’t need to pay workers as much because there’s less labor required for the construction process.

You will also pay less for the decking itself. After all, thinner decking means fewer materials are used. Of course, this translates to an overall lower price.

Plus, less concrete is needed, and props also won’t be used during construction. You don’t need to shell out for these unnecessary material costs.

Storage requirements are also lower because of the thinner material. This means lower loading costs. It also means that you won’t have to pay for as much storage or warehouse space as you would for thicker, non-composite metal decking.

Easy to Use

The construction method for composite flooring isn’t just efficient. It’s also easy and time-saving.

You won’t need any additional reinforcement for most buildings when you use strong composite metal decking. Sure, there will be some times when the design parameters necessitate them, but they’ll be few and far between.

This is partly because the slabs come in several different thicknesses. Construction firm owners, metal manufacturing companies, and individual metalworking businesses can select thinner slabs if they need to work with a lightweight solution. This means that foundation loads will take less material, cost less, and be easier to transport and work with.

The Types of Decks Made From Composite Metal

There are multiple types of composite metal deck solutions that you should know about. The first thing to know is that there are two different side lap types:

• Standard interlocking side laps, which are connected by professional seam welding tools
• Screw fastened side laps, which lock slabs together with strong industrial screws

Standard interlocking side laps are the most common and generally preferred method. But all applications are different, so keep an open mind and examine all your options.

Thickness

The biggest distinction between types of decking lies in the metal’s thickness.

1.5″ decking is generally the most lightweight option. It can hold up concrete slabs of between 3.5″ and 7.5″, so it’s effective for many single-story buildings. They’re ideal for short-term conditions.

3″ composite metal deck types are often the thickest available option. They’re good for long-span floor conditions. They can hold concrete slabs between 5″ and 9″ thick, making them ideal for extremely sturdy structures and multi-story complexes.

There are several metal thicknesses between these two extremes. 2″ decking, for example, is also common. Talking with an expert can help you determine what your requirements are.

Get Started

While there are many different building materials that architects and builders can choose for construction, composite metal deck solutions are one of the best. Now that you know why, it’s time to begin designing and constructing steel buildings the right way.

Bushwick Metals, also known as Intsel Steel East, is committed to helping you select the right type of composite decking for your project. We’ll also talk about logistics and decide whether you need custom services like saw cutting section bending, and plate processing. We’re excited to talk about how we can help, so contact us for a quote on quality steel products.