Flooring in the Education – What Schools Need on the Floor
Like every building category, education buildings and schools are evolving. Whether it’s through architecture or design, schools are looking to modernize and improve functionality in meaningful ways for students… and this includes what’s on the floor. With countless feet moving throughout corridors and hallways, the floor becomes an important consideration.
Flooring needs will change depending on locations within the facility ranging from cafeteria and play space to classrooms, corridors, and offices. The right flooring will create the atmosphere and influence safety, sound, aesthetics, and comfort. There are several things to consider within each educational flooring space, including:
- Value – initial and lifetime maintenance costs
- Durability – must hold up in high traffic areas
- Environmental concerns and sustainability
- Slip resistance
- Comfort under foot
- Design and color options
- Noise and sound abatement
In recent years, the trends in flooring for education facilities have started to move away from ceramic tile and standard vinyl composition tile (VCT) and transitioned toward the more modern, versatile, and design friendly products.
Luxury vinyl tile (LVT): LVT is one of the hottest products on the market today. This product is 100% vinyl, so not porous. Major manufacturers, including Armstrong by AHF (with their Diamond 10 technology), Shaw, Flexco, and Mannington have embraced LVT’s durability, stability, and wide range of design options. Versatile and strong, LVT can has countless design possibilities. It can look like anything from ceramic and travertine to slate and marble, while the wood creations have become increasingly popular and mimic a spectrum of hardwood and laminate floors. The natural appeal of the LVT planks (available in authentic plank lengths and widths like real hardwood) has opened a new look for the education sector.
Carpet Tiles: Carpet tiles have mostly replaced broadloom in the education space. In terms of comfort and simplicity, carpet tile has gained a lot of popularity. Slip resistant, quiet, and having endless design and color options, carpet has always remained popular. Warm and welcoming, carpet extends the learning space to include the floor, especially with younger children. In facilities with children, carpet provides a much softer surface meaning falls will be less likely to result in an injury. Carpet tile is an ideal choice that fits budget and safety requirements. Each tile has its own backing and can be installed directly to the subfloor There is a wide choice of patterns and it’s very easy to replace if there is damage to an individual tile. (No furniture to move… just pop it out and replace!)
Rubber: Rubber flooring goes beyond the gymnasium and is another consideration that may fit the educational budget. Quiet, slip resistant and low maintenance, this type of flooring may be real player for the heavy traffic areas. Whether for matting for full surface coverage or tiles, rubber can change the dynamic of any school space. Unlike harder flooring materials, rubber absorbs sound, contributing to a less stressful environment. Rubber also marries form and function with underfoot cushioning helping teachers and other educational personnel withstand long hours on their feet. Manufacturers like Ecore, DinoFlex, and Flexco offer full lines of formats in raised and textured products that also include stairwell and base options.
Walk Off Mats: Whatever type of floors, they will benefit from walk-off mats at entrances to scrape dirt from shoes and prevent allergens and other pollutants from distribution throughout the school. Popular for custom imprints and logos to boost school spirit, mats also protect and extend the life of any resilient flooring and carpet tile. Floor mats offer a variety of solutions for educational facilities, including entrance mats, logo mats, anti-fatigue mats, slip resistant safety mats, flow through mats and anti-static mats.
Whatever your education facility needs, Continental has the answer.
Please feel free to contact us for product advice, free samples, assistance in specifications, or to place an order. We welcome contract purchases, formal bids, RFQs or Open Market requirements. One call will do it all!
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Continental Flooring has been servicing government agencies since 1979 and continues to be a top flooring and ceiling provider in the public sector.
