In a commercial space, the flooring material whether carpet, carpet tiles or vinyl gets so much abuse with countless people walking up and down. Installing the correct flooring products will ensure that, despite the high volumes of traffic and footfall, the material will not show much wear and tear. Finding the right flooring product that will withstand this high level of abuse can be very challenging, especially if you are not aware of the latest materials and techniques available. This is where a specialist commercial flooring supplier can advise on not just the type of flooring that would be most suitable, but also on the best material and even designs available.
In order to understand the process any commercial flooring supplier should discuss with you, we have compiled the following steps:
What are your goals?
To start off with you need to decide on your goals. Why are you renovating your floors? Are you after an updated design? Did your previous flooring material not last as long as you would have hoped? If the latter, make sure your commercial flooring supplier is aware of the last materials and products so they can recommend something harder wearing. Design and durability should be one of your primary objectives.
Categorise your traffic
What type of traffic do you normally have in your commercial space? Light traffic would be places like private offices. Open spaces or meeting rooms would be considered medium traffic and your heavy traffic areas would be corridors, reception and circulation areas as well as larger open plan offices. Extra hard wearing material would need to be used for areas with extremely heavy traffic such as in public spaces, sports venues, sports halls and retail outlets.
The range of colours you should use and the type of materials and style will be dependent on your traffic and overall design objectives. Dense carpeting, quality carpet tiles, high performance vinyl flooring or linoleum would be the best product choices for very high traffic. More comfortable flooring materials with cushioned backing can be used for lighter traffic areas. It is worth considering that using better quality, harder wearing material on low traffic spots would last longer. It is false economy to just choose the cheapest products or supplier. Think about the longer term and factor in how long you will be staying in your building, how often you want the upheaval of refurbishment and what the year on year cost of flooring investment will be. Does it make more sense to go with cheaper products to last just a few years or to invest in a slightly more expensive product that will last much longer?
Are you after a hard or soft surface?
Do you require a specific feel to your flooring? You know where you stand with natural materials and when installed by a professional they can look stunning, however it is worth noting that a natural floor may not work best in all environments. For example, wood can scratch and dent so if you are installing your commercial floor in a retail unit, this may not be the most suitable material to use. Likewise, if you are fitting out a sports hall or gym, a softer bouncier material may be the better option. There are some amazing specialist sport flooring available and this is something we would gladly discuss with you in greater detail if you need assistance in this area. There are specific products that work best for flooring in hospitals, for example, which protect the floor from the use of heavy beds which can indent and tear the wrong products.
Help is at hand
It is important to carry out a little research into the style and feel you would like to get out of your flooring. Get together information on the type of business, premises, location and expected traffic. With this information to hand, any commercial flooring supplier worth their weight will be able to find the perfect material for you and advise you accordingly. Here at E&M Services we have been supplying and installing commercial flooring since 1988. We are proud of our work and professionalism and have fitted all types of commercial flooring in a vast number of sectors. We specialise in flooring for offices, receptions, hospitals, the education sector and for retail environments as well as for commercial kitchens. We work all over the midlands and would welcome the opportunity to assist you in your refurbishment projects.