| Commercial specialty flooring has more options today than it did in the past. You can almost choose anything you want, as long as you are careful with the maintenance aspect of it. The look and feel you seek for any given application will help guide your choice. |
If you are a business owner, you understand how important your flooring choice is in the entire look and feel of your business, especially if your business is customer oriented. Commercial specialty flooring must be appropriate for its use, durable, easy to clean, comfortable to walk on, and pleasing to the eye. Finding the right flooring that combines these three requirements is sometimes quite difficult and frustrating. The good news is that if you find commercial specialty flooring that fits your decorating style and needs, then you will be well on your way to giving your business the final touch that it needs.
There are many different commercial specialty flooring options for you to use for your commercial space. From hardwood to vinyl to granite to carpet, you are sure to find the right flooring for your business. You need to take into account the nature of your business and the traffic that is going to walk the floor so that you can determine which particular commercial specialty flooring is the right choice for you.
- Carpet: A beautiful, warm choice that makes a business feel inviting. It is a good choice if you want to add warmth, but if it is going to get quite a bit of traffic, then it may not hold up very well.
- Hardwood: A sound investment for some businesses. Hardwood does not hold up well to moisture and may cup or warp with prolonged exposure to moisture. And grime that’s tracked onto it can be a problem if there isn’t a good maintenance program to protect it. An option that looks much like hardwood that you may want to consider is engineered hardwood flooring or laminate flooring.
- Granite: This is a way to add a professional look to your commercial space. Granit, and other stone can durable and beautiful, but can also be cold or hard if you have to walk or stand on it for long periods of time. It can also be quite expensive. Stone often requires lots of maintenance to keep its beauty shining, but that’s a small price to pay for such a gorgeous look.
- Vinyl: A common choice many business owners consider. It requires regular maintenance to keep it shiny and attractive. It is also very susceptible to scratching from dirt, grime, and other abrasives, so care needs to be taken to protect the vinyl, especially at the front door. This can be a choice that you may have to replace more quickly than you had planned.
- Linoleum: This flooring material has come a long way in the last ten years in color and style. It is an excellent choice for businesses because it is durable and holds up excellently to a great deal of traffic, partially because the color goes all the way through the material, unlike vinyl. Some linoleum laid 30 to 40 years ago is still as beautiful as the day that it was installed. If you want flooring that will last you for years, then linoleum is one commercial specialty flooring option that you will want to consider. And it’s environmentally friendly!
- Stainedd Concrete: This has become a popular choice because of its durability and maintenance easiness. The color and design options are endless because you control the decisions, not the manufacturer. It’s a harder surface than the others discussed here, so you want to use it with care, but that hardness is also what makes it good for many commercial applications.
The choices in commercial specialty flooring will give you an opportunity to find the right flooring for your particular style of business. Look for commercial grade flooring in the type of flooring that you want to make sure that you are getting the most durable flooring possible. By taking your business and traffic into consideration when making your commercial grade flooring choice, then you will be able to find the right flooring to help make your business more welcoming and profitable.
We have a medium sized restaurant with a good amount of traffic. We had carpet for 3 years but it is time to replace it now and I would love to have your opinion on the type of floor that you would suggest for a restaurant dining room. Thanks!
Getting rid of carpet thrills me. And the options open to you are great!
I don’t know what themed restaurant you have, but there must be a variety of flooring types that would work with what you have.
Tile, hardwoods and stained concrete come to mind. But having a hard, durable, cleanable finish is critical to whatever you choose. If you want to give me more information about your space I’d be glad to offer more ideas.
Our church needs to replace the carpet in our main hall. This is a multi-purpose room, as it is also used for parties. The coffee and wine stains are impossible to remove. We are looking for a different surface. What do you suggest?
It seems to me a hard-surface flooring is in order. Brushed concrete would be durable, but a bit hard — both in sound and under foot. You didn’t say what the subfloor is, and that of course makes some difference. I think linoleum or cork would be wonderful.
The linoleum can be purchased as sheet or tile so you can create any number of patterns or looks you want. It is easy to care for, durable and somewhat muffles noise. Cork, with a water-based polyurethane coating, would be durable, easy to care for, hide dirt, and muffle noise fantastically.
I agree carpet is not the way to go in rooms like that. In addition to the stain problem it holds dirt and dust creating an allergy nightmare.
Another advantage of both the cork and linoleum is the sustainable aspect of the ingredients. That’s good for the earth, something a church would care about.
I am replacing the flooring in a plastic surgery office building. I was wondering if you can give me some places to look for good quality commercial linoleum. Also, what would the longevity and care be for this type of floor?
I don’t have any specific sources for commercial flooring. I’d like to think a flooring specialist could get it for you though.
Linoleum is a sturdy flooring and with proper care should last for years — better than carpet or vinyl. One reason it’s so durable is that the color and pattern go throughout the thickness of the material so scratches, dents and dings don’t damage the look as much as they would on vinyl where the pattern is surface thick.
Proper care includes following the manufacturer’s instructions for waxing the floor and then frequent sweeping/vacuuming and mopping. I’m partial to 1:10 vinegar:water for my mopping solution. And be sure to change the solution frequently so you don’t end up smearing the dirt in the water over your clean floor.
Forbo makes a great linoleum product. Armstrong has one too, but I’m not sure it’s as durable or natural as Forbo’s. Check into them both and decide for yourself.
What is a good flooring type to be used in a walk-in refrigerator. So it needs to hold up to cold, moist conditions and be easily mopped clean and able to withstand heavy traffic and heavy loads. Any ideas? Also something that will stand up to harsh chemicals.
I’m not an expert on walk-in refrigerator floors. It seems to me, from my kitchen-working days, that the walk-in ‘fridges I walked into were made of concrete.
And why would you want to use harsh chemicals near food? There are non-harsh ways to clean food areas, you know.
But if you insist, concrete holds up pretty well to most general use — even chemicals. But do talk to your contractor about the cement they pour to make sure it’s the strongest and best for what you are going to dish out to it, if you’ll excuse the kitchen pun.
I own a children’s clothing store that gets lots of foot, crawling and stroller traffic. The existing carpet is ancient and needs replacing. I dislike carpet for the amount of dirt it retains (especially yucky for crawling babies) so would like to install something kid-friendlier than concrete and cheaper than hardwood. Any suggestions?
Hi Sarah,
For starters, what is under the carpet?