A False Economy To Cut Costs When Specifying Flooring
Choosing flooring for a building is a decision that should not be taken lightly. If the properties and performance of the floorcovering do not match the requirements of the building and its occupants, it could prove to be more expensive in the long run. That is whyit’s worth considering the lifetime cost of the flooring choice, rather than the initial cost of purchase. Driving down costs can lead to poorly specified, poorly manufactured rush products.
Durability is iften the biggest factor in choosing a floorcovering – materials with a longer lifespan usually offer better value for money also. Although the initial outlay can be more, this is recouped many times over the lifespan of the building. The purpose of the building is also important – a showroom in retail will have very different demands to a high traffic hallway or wayfaring area. The flooring need to be durable enough to withstand the volume of traffic using it every day.
Higher traffic areas, such as lobbies and hallways require greater durability than that say of a managing directors office. Flooring should always be selected that has robust certification such as a Heavy Contract status and has undergone rigorous independent testing as well as in house testing.
Wrongly specified flooring can cause severe injury by introducing slip and trip hazards into high footfall areas, for example placing slippy vinyl in an entrance area where dirt and moisture ingress can also move into internal areas can be a high risk tactic compared to specifying the correct aluminium primary entrance matting.
Entrance matting is one of the best ways to prevent this and the best products remove approximately 80% of dirt and moisture ingress from the soles of feet before they step into the building. MatWorks aluminium entrance matting is available with a variety of scraper bars and infills for heavy traffic situations.
traction is another important consideration in high traffic areas. Polished marble floors may look attractive, but when maintained or buffed can cause slippery trip hazards the sort of your HSE inspectors nightmares. Facilities managers concerned about health and safety protocols should seek out floorcovering solutions with proven anti-slip properties whether that be the backing or textile top to generate a safe element of friction.
REFURBISHMENT AND REPLACEMENT
So when should you consider refurbishing or replacing your existing floorcoverings? The appearance of rips and tears, thin patches is an immediate sign that your floorcovering is nearing the end and requires some action.Some inferior types of vinyl floors can break at the weld seams and discolouration often occurs when flooring becomes contaminated with microorganisms and bacteria. Certain types of flooring are easier to repair than others. Carpet tiles for example can be taken up tile by tile due to the tacky back system often employed with carpet tile installation. This means lifting one tile up and replacing with the same shade is a relatively simple and inexpensive task.
Solid hardwood flooring can similarly be re-sanded and stained to take the product back to almost new however if damaged the costs of removal of any product should be taken into account when initially specifying. The durability of a material needs to be weighed against how easy it is to remove or replace. While natual stone has great aesthetics is can be costly to replace, carpet tiles although not as durable as stone are still relatively hard wearing but inexpensive to replace. Its worth considering at the outset how often you are willing to replace floorcoverings throughout a buildings lifecycle.
The product is only part of the cost issue…the installer plays a massive role in the longevity of the product you are placing in the building. A good product by be equally ruined by poor installation and if poor installation is found to be a root cause of product defect, manufacturer warranties across most product types can be invalidated.
CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE
Incorrectly specified flooring can lead to increased maintenance time and cost. Major repairs may have to be limited to our of hours and weekend work, increasing the cost still further. Ongoing maintenance is essential to prolong a floorcovering’s lifespan, but it is important to take into account the views of the cleaning and maintenance teams when making a decision. A floorcovering specified for its aesthetics may be beyond the capabilities of the cleaning regime to maintain. leading to deterioration over time. Carpet is usually easy to clean and be simply twin rotor cleaned by a commercial vacuum on a regular basis within quick time constraints.
Aesthetics will always be a large factor in the decision making process. Floorcoverings must reflect the overall look and feel of an organisation and what will create the best impression with visitors. Don’t forget your staff – the morale of staff and their contributing mood towards productivity can be heavily influenced by surrounding colour , texture and light. Carpet tiles are available in hundreds of colours, variations and nylon types even changes of light or LRV where an area may need a point change shade (for example at a point where a corridor turns into a stair case), at Paragon Carpets there are over 300 shades of colours across 30+ ranges.
Build up your portfolio of important characteristics regarding floorcoverings to aid any future decision, it may even make sense to consult an interior designer or space planner to aid with the process and narrow down your choices for any given application.
Paragon Carpet Tiles are available in over 300 shades see the link below for further options
Matworks entrance matting solutions offer varying degrees of specification from Aluminium to Primary and Secondary depending on the intensity level of footfall occurring in the building.
For further information click below .
