Getting Started with Decking & Flooring
McNICHOLS carries a wide selection of Decking and Flooring products with safe, slip-resistant surface properties for walkways, platforms, and other pedestrian travel applications. We carry five main Decking and Flooring product families: Extruded Interlocking Flooring, Overlapping Decking, Interlocking Plank Flooring, Fiberglass Flooring, and Metal Flooring.
Available product types include Overlapping Decking, Interlocking, or regular Flooring in Fiberglass or Metal with product families and surface profiles designed for a variety of environments. Each product family offers unique advantages related to slip resistance, load capacity, corrosion resistance, drainage, and installation requirements.
How to Specify and Order Decking & Flooring
Selecting the right Decking and Flooring solution begins with understanding your project's functional and visual requirements. When requesting a quote or placing an order, it helps to discuss the following information with your Hole Team member!
Application
To begin, it is recommended that specifiers first determine the kind of environment in which their application will be located. This is particularly important when the environment may require special material or resilience specifications, such as environments exposed to salt spray or where electrical conductivity may be an issue. Lightweight, corrosion-resistant Fiberglass flooring is often used in trench drain covers, pedestrian walkways, and vapor containment. Metal Decking and Flooring are often used for walkways, platforms, and other pedestrian traffic ways exposed to the elements or requiring frequent cleaning.
Construction Type
McNICHOLS® Decking and Flooring is available in five main construction types, each offering unique features to support a variety of project needs.
Extruded Interlock Flooring connects adjoining sections via an “interlocking” mechanism to create a strong, continuous walking surface.
Overlapping Decking joins planks with overlapping edges to form a solid surface.
Interlocking Plank Flooring interlocks a Fiberglass mechanism to create a continuous system.
Fiberglass Flooring offers a lightweight, corrosion-resistant solution with textured surfaces that provide reliable traction.
Metal Flooring offers multiple surface profiles for different traction design needs and offers drainage options when needed.
Construction types are available in configurations designed for high-traffic industrial environments. With materials and patterns to suit a variety of needs, you can trust our slip-resistant products, designed for ADA compliance.
When selecting a construction type, consider your environmental, load-bearing, and drainage requirements to help identify the right solution for your project!
Series Type
At this time, with the exception of Metal Flooring, each construction is configured to one specified series type. Expand the dropdowns below to see what series type options exist and learn more about each flooring construction type:
Fabricated from lightweight Extruded Aluminum, McNICHOLS DIAMONDBACK® Extruded Interlocking Flooring has aggressive, diamond-serrated ridges that provide slip resistance superior to other skid-resistant Aluminum Flooring. This unique Flooring has legs that raise it just above floor level to allow for drainage and longitudinal stiffness. One edge (along the product’s length) of the Flooring has an interlocking channel, while the opposite side has a male-like edge that fits securely into an adjoining piece of Flooring. This easy-to-install product has a solid surface but is available with a vented opening if the passage of liquids or debris is an application requirement.
SAFDECK® is a high-strength, 24” wide Fiberglass Overlapping Decking system of planks designed to form a continuous solid surface when two or more planks are connected. McNICHOLS SAFDECK® Overlapping Decking is suitable in wet or dry environments as well as in certain chemical environments. This ADA-compliant product is fire-retardant and meets the requirements for a Class A Flame Rating of 25 or less per the ASTM E-84 Standard. SAFDECK® is stocked as a solid-surface plank, but a vented version is available by custom order.
McNICHOLS SAFPLANK® Interlocking Plank Flooring is an ADA-compliant, high-strength system of Interlocking Planks made from Fiberglass composite material that is ideal for dry, wet, or certain chemical environments. One edge (along the product’s length) of the Flooring has an interlocking channel, while the opposite side has an edge that fits securely with an adjoining piece of Flooring. SAFPLANK® is stocked as a solid-surface product, but a vented surface is available as a custom order. This product comes with both a smooth and fine-grit surface.
SAFPLATE® Pultruded Fiberglass Flooring has a textured, slip-resistant surface suitable for both wet and dry environments. The ADA-compliant product is a corrosion-resistant, lightweight alternative to Metal Flooring and features a coarse-grit surface for added traction. This surface style provides enhanced slip resistance, improving safety in high-traffic areas or wet environments.
Metal Plate provides a strong, durable surface for industrial flooring, platforms, walkways, stairs, and other high-traffic areas with a smoother surface profile than other Metal Flooring choices.
McNICHOLS TRACTION TREAD™ Metal Flooring, primarily available in Aluminum and Carbon Steel, has the strength and durability to withstand heavy traffic loads. A surface of aggressive, raised perforated buttons facilitates drainage and provides excellent traction for pedestrian footing. Multiple patterns are available, including a Stainless Steel chevron pattern design.
GRIP TIGHT® Metal Flooring features a raised traction surface engineered for demanding industrial environments. The product is commonly selected where slip resistance and durability are critical. Benefits include its enhanced slip resistance for improved safety, durable construction for high-traffic environments, and high strength-to-weight performance. Like all Metal Flooring, this product is known to have a long service life with minimal maintenance. Common applications include industrial flooring, elevated platforms, maintenance walkways, equipment access areas, and catwalks. If you’re interested in GRIP TIGHT® Metal Flooring, we invite you to request a quote today!
PRIMARY MATERIAL / PRODUCT FINISH
Select the primary material type from Aluminum, Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel, or Fiberglass. Material selection should consider corrosion resistance, load requirements, environmental exposure, and maintenance expectations. Should your product environment require chemical resistance, consult our Fiberglass Decking and Flooring Chemical Resistance Guide.
Metal inventory is typically mill finish unless otherwise specified. For more information on primary material types and product finishes view our Primary Materials Chart.
RESIN & TYPE
If you are selecting a product with Fiberglass as the primary material, choose the resin and type for your application. Resin selection matters because it can impact flame rating, chemical resistance, food-grade requirements, and overall suitability for the product’s intended environment!
- FFR Polyester Resin is food-grade and fire-retardant (food-compatible ingredients are used in the fire-retardant additive), meeting the requirements for a Class B flame rating of 35 or less per the ASTM E-84 Standard.
- SFF Polyester Isophthalic Resin is food-grade and fire-retardant, meeting the requirements for a Class B flame rating of 30 or less per the ASTM E-84 Standard.
- SGF Polyester Orthophthalic Resin is architectural-grade, fire-retardant, and meets the requirements for a Class A flame rating of 25 or less per the ASTM E-84 Standard.
- SPF Polyester Resin is fire-retardant and meets the requirements for a Class A flame rating of 25 or less per the ASTM E-84 Standard.
- SPH Phenolic Resin is extremely fire-retardant, meets the requirements for a Class A flame rating of 25 or less per the ASTM F-3059 Standard, and has a flame spread index and a smoke-developed index of 10.
- SVF Vinyl Ester Resin is highly resistant to a wide variety of harsh chemicals, is fire-retardant, and meets the requirements for a Class A flame rating of 25 or less per the ASTM E-84 Standard.
- XVE Vinyl Ester Resin is highly resistant to a wide variety of harsh chemicals, is extremely fire-retardant, and meets the requirements for a Class A flame rating of 10 or less per the ASTM E-84 Standard. XVE has a flame spread index and a smoke-developed index of 10.
- NFR is made of various composites, is not fire-retardant, and therefore does not have a flame rating per the ASTM E-84 Standard.
View or download our Resin Characteristics Chart here.
ALLOY, GRADE, OR TYPE
Choose a secondary material characteristic that applies to your application. A specific material alloy, grade, or type can be an important consideration in your product selection. Factors like temperature, corrosion resistance, and environmental surroundings can be important variables to consider prior to placing your order.
COLOR
If your product selection is a Fiberglass Decking or Flooring item, choose the preferred color for your application. If it is a Metal Flooring item, choose from our RAL color offerings for specialized coatings that meet brand specifications.
GAUGE / THICKNESS
Choose the material gauge number or thickness in inches for your Decking or Flooring product selection. Extruded products do not have an actual gauge due to the manufacturing process. These items are specified as an extrusion.
It’s important to consult load tables and to determine the appropriate gauge, thickness, and clear span for your product.
- DIAMONDBACK® | ADA | Solid | 12" Width
- SAFDECK® | ADA | Solid | 24" Width
- SAFPLANK® | ADA | Solid | 12" Width
- SAFPLANK® | ADA | Solid | 24" Width
- SAFPLATE® | ADA | Solid | 48" Width | 1/4" to 1" Thick
- GRIP TIGHT® | ADA | Solid | 60" Width | 3/16" to 1" Thick - Aluminum
- GRIP TIGHT® | ADA | Solid | 60" Width | 3/16" to 1" Thick - Carbon Steel
SURFACE PROFILE / PRODUCT HEIGHT
When choosing your Decking and Flooring product, the surface profile is important for determining traction. Surface profile selection considerations include both the type of surface, solid or vented, or the type of opening, like button-top, and the width of the product measured in inches. Additionally, some items also require a product height selection to be made.
Surface options vary by Decking and Flooring series type but can include slip-resistant grit surfaces, ribbed profiles, button traction surfaces, or solid walking surfaces.
PERCENT OPEN AREA
Although most Decking features solid surfaces, TRACTION TREAD™ Decking and Flooring series comes with slight perforations and open areas. To view button-top measurement specifications, you can download our Traction Tread Metal Flooring Specification Chart.
PRODUCT SIZE, FORM, & QUANTITY
Depending on your product selection, determine the number of Sheets, Planks, or Plates, including cut-to-size pieces for your project. Be sure to consult our handy Decking & Flooring Tolerances Chart before denoting cut-to-size dimensions.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
In addition to the standard requirements, should your project require any special customizations our Hole Team would love to help! We encourage you to specify anything from fabrication requests to nonstandard tolerances or other custom needs so that we can find the right solution for your project. McNICHOLS offers a variety of Value-Added Services designed to streamline your project from start to finish!
ACCESSORIES
Complete your installation with compatible accessories and fastening systems designed for your selected Decking and Flooring product. Available options may include fasteners, clips, connection hardware, Stair Treads, or structural components.
Accessories matter because they help secure Decking and Flooring products correctly, support the intended fit between connected pieces, and contribute to a safer, more stable finished installation. Using compatible fasteners, clips, interlocks, or connection hardware can also help maintain long-term performance by reducing movement, supporting load transfer, and helping the system hold up under regular use.
If your product selection is Extruded Interlocking Flooring, please specify the number of Bar Interlocks required for your application.
Aluminum Bar Interlocks
Aluminum Bar Interlocks are used to attach two adjacent McNICHOLS DIAMONDBACK® Extruded Plank Grating items via a dovetail slot in the side channels that run along the edges (length) of the plank. With no welding required, the result is a continuous surface with enhanced structural strength, as well as a simplified installation process.
Get Started Today!
Whether you are specifying a walkway, platform, maintenance area, or other flooring application, McNICHOLS® Decking and Flooring products offer the slip resistance, durability, and material versatility needed to help support safe, long-lasting performance.
Ready to move forward? We encourage you to connect with us via Live Chat, call one of our knowledgeable Customer Service Specialists, or request a quote today for help selecting the right solution for your project.