Carpet and Carpet Tiles: Quiet, Affordable and Easy to Replace

Carpet is an affordable and versatile choice that can dampen noises and create a warm, inviting environment. Special carpeting designed for commercial applications and high-traffic areas is extremely durable and will last for years with proper care. Stain-resistant material can help preserve your floor’s overall appearance, but all carpeting will eventually need to be cleaned.

If you decide carpet is the best option for your corporate space, you may want to consider carpet tiles. When installed properly, they look exactly like rolled carpet, but they make it easier and less expensive to repair small areas. Today’s carpet and carpet tiles come in a wide array of patterns and styles so you can easily choose a design that matches your brand or sets the tone for your office.

Vinyl Flooring: Resilient, Comfortable and Affordable

Vinyl might not be the first material you think of when you consider the best flooring for commercial space, but it’s an option many businesses prefer. It can give you the same look that comes with ceramic tile or hardwood floors, but it’s more affordable, easier to install and absorbs noises fairly well.

Even when installed in high-traffic areas, vinyl flooring is easy to clean and maintain, and it retains its attractive appearance for an extended period of time. As a bonus, if you have employees that stand for most of their workday, vinyl flooring is more forgiving to the human body than harder materials. Many retail stores and hospitals are floored in vinyl.

Rubber Flooring: Provides Traction, Heat Resistance and Sound Absorption

Rubber is a viable option for hospitals, airports and restaurants as well as similar types of businesses. This commercial flooring option is perfect for high-traffic area because it’s durable and easy to maintain. Other benefits include:

• Comfortable to stand on
• Heat and water resistant
• Slip resistant
• Sound absorbent
• Available in multiple colors and textures

Hardwood Flooring: A Timeless, High-End Look that Always Makes a Good Impression

Hardwood flooring is more expensive upfront than many other options, and it does require maintenance to preserve its elegant appearance, but this type of flooring will last more than a lifetime with proper upkeep, and nothing sets a professional and successful tone quite like hardwood. If you are designing a commercial space for a law office, an advertising firm or a financial management company, hardwood flooring is an obvious choice.

New advancements in manufacturing have increased surface durability making this attractive material harder to mar or scratch than it used to be. You can find hardwood flooring made up of many different types of wood and in a variety of finishes from classic oak to rich cherry.

Laminate Flooring: Get the Look of Hardwood for a Lower Cost

As long as you choose a high-quality laminate, this commercial flooring option can provide you with a durable surface that looks almost exactly like hardwood flooring at a fraction of the cost. Today’s laminate can also give the appearance of stone, tiles or almost any other material. It’s easy and fast to install, simple to maintain and holds up well under heavy traffic. To make laminate flooring, the manufacturer presses multiple sheets of material together, then seals them with a protective coating that preserves the finish and gives laminate flooring a long life.

Hard Tiles: Ceramic, Glass, Slate, Marble or Granite

The options are virtually endless when you consider hard tiling for your office space. Depending on the material, the price can be relatively low or very expensive, but hard tiles are extremely durable, resist stains and can provide you with a very attractive look that will last. On the downside, hard tiling is exhausting to stand on for long periods of time.

What You Should Consider When Selecting the Best Flooring for Your Commercial Space

For the best outcome, consult with a flooring professional who specializes in corporate flooring to select the best materials for your office. Together, you should go over:

• Expected traffic level – Spaces like school hallways, shopping malls and museums require hard materials like granite, marble or concrete to stand up to years of constant traffic. However, if you operate a call center where employees come and go but few customers enter, you may be better off with softer, more affordable carpeting as your commercial flooring choice.
• Ease of repair – Some flooring like carpeting or vinyl will eventually need to be repaired or replaced. Consider how expensive it will be to repair, how long the repairs will take and how much the repairs will inconvenience your clients or employees before you make your final choice.
• Maintenance requirements – Different types of flooring have very different maintenance needs. Discuss whether you can do the maintenance yourself, if you will have to hire someone to do it for you and the average yearly cost of maintenance.
• Life expectancy – Ask how long each type of flooring is expected to last if it’s maintained properly. Carpeting generally has the lowed expected lifespan while hard tile and hardwoods have the longest.
• Components – Find out if any volatile chemicals or any other problematic materials were used to make each type of flooring. Some chemicals can have an impact on air quality or prevent you from recycling old flooring at the end of its life.
• The total cost to own – Just like buying a car, your overall cost to own will include more than the initial amount you pay to purchase your new flooring and have it installed. Include the cost to maintain and repair as well as life expectancy in your calculations. Don’t forget that upfront savings can cost you more in the long run.

If you need help choosing the best flooring for your corporate space, please give us a call. Our team of commercial flooring experts is ready and able to help.