September 23, 2021

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There are many different types of commercial floorings, all with many strengths and weaknesses.  A common trait that is needed that links most commercial flooring solutions together is that they seem to all be suitable for “high traffic” areas. 

This can be confusing and there are several questions you need to understand before you choose what flooring solution is best for you. The two main ones are; is my area high traffic and am I on a budget? This blog will explore which flooring is suitable to you if you answered yes to one or both of these questions.

What Does High Traffic Mean?

High traffic and high traffic flooring refers to the amount of use that surface is walked on. Hospital floors, shops and schools would all be considered high traffic areas because they have a lot of people walking over their floors every day. 

It is important to realise if your area is high traffic when making a flooring decision because the higher the traffic, the faster your floor will deteriorate. If your area is high traffic, you will need a durable flooring solution.

What Commercial Industries Have High Traffic?

There are many commercial industries with high traffic. Try and think of all the industries that have lots of people in the same room at the same time or industries where people come and go frequently.  Probably the most notable few come down to:

  • Retail: Lots of people come in and out of retail stores to browse their selection.
  • Hospitality venues and canteens: Hospitality sees high traffic from many patrons and staff moving about their venues. These floors also need to be somewhat water and stain resistant.
  • Hospitals: Hospitals see high traffic with the many doctors and patients moving about them.
  • Aged care: Aged care venues have many people living in them and many visitors. They also have things like wheelchairs and walking frames dragging across them every day and need to be resilient to withstand them.
  • Community centres: Community centres see high traffic because they hold many community events and have many visitors. Sometimes these can be sporting related so they need to be durable.
  • Gyms: Gyms have lots of people coming and going as well and have people exercising in them. Their floors need to be durable enough to withstand heavy weights being shifted and dropped on their floors.
  • Offices: An office will see high traffic with employees and clients coming and going. Their floors will also need to be durable to withstand the wheels of chairs gliding over them. 

What Are Your Commercial Flooring Options?

All of the industries above use various different commercial flooring solutions, all of which need to be resilient enough to not require a new floor every six-months.  Some of the commercial grade flooring options available on the market are:

  • Vinyl planks and vinyl tiles known as luxury vinyl flooring (LVF).
  • Vinyl sheet.
  • Carpet tiles.
  • Broadloom carpet.
  • Concrete grinding and polishing.

What is Commercial Vinyl Flooring

Commercial luxury vinyl planks, tiles and sheet, is an affordable, easy-to-install, durable, waterproof, stain-proof, comfortable to walk on flooring option that nearly flawlessly imitates premium flooring materials like hardwood and stone.  

Vinyl flooring can be either glued to the subfloor or can be installed as floating flooring through an interlocking engineered vinyl system.  The interlocking engineered vinyl is thick and has a stone core interior, which also hides impurities in the subfloor.  

These features make vinyl flooring options incredibly versatile.  Because of these features, vinyl is an extraordinarily popular flooring choice for those particularly heavy foot traffic industries such as the ones that are listed above.

The Pros and Cons of Commercial Vinyl Flooring

Pros 

Vinyl flooring, as previously highlighted in this blog, has many advantages, which include: 

  • Cost-effective. 
  • Easy-to-install. 
  • Durable.
  • Waterproof. 
  • Stain-proof.
  • Comfortable to walk on.
  • Looks great and comes in a lot of different styles.  

Because of this, it means vinyl is incredibly versatile and can be used in almost any situation.  The pros of vinyl flooring make it perfect for high traffic areas.

Cons

As with most things, there are still downsides to vinyl. Despite the many benefits, these are things you should still consider:

  • It is plastic and not very environmentally friendly (though it can come in sustainable plastics).
  • It is prone to fading from the sun.
  • It cannot be fixed/refinished easily.
  • It is not genuine hardwood or stone, so it may reduce the value of your space to a buyer that is concerned with that. 

How to Maintain Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl flooring’s biggest enemy is sand and dirt.  Sand and dirt when scraped along the vinyl flooring acts like sandpaper and can significantly scratch and damage your surface.  

Commercial floor sealers help to combat this, but it is not a cure all method.  To make sure you maintain your vinyl floor, regular vacuuming and sweeping should be done to remove all the sand and dirt.  Microfiber mops are a great tool to give your floor a close clean and make sure it lasts.

How Much Does Vinyl Flooring Cost?

Vinyl is a cost-effective durable commercial flooring solution that has sensational value. It’s cost can vary, but in general it is: 

  • Vinyl costs approximately $4-$6 per square foot, with an additional $1.50-$6 per square foot in installation.  
  • For comparison, engineered hardwood flooring costs around $3-$8 per square foot to install, and solid hardwood costs even more than that!  

Seeing vinyl flooring has so many benefits and looks great, the value of the product is truly remarkable.

4 Things to Consider When Choosing a Flooring

When you choose a flooring, there are four things you should consider that will best place you to choose best:

  1. Is your space high traffic? 
  2. Does your flooring need to be durable? 
  3. Does your flooring need to be waterproof? 
  4. Do you care if your flooring is genuine material?  

If you ask yourself these questions, I think you’ll find that vinyl flooring solutions are the best option for your commercial floor. Commercial vinyl flooring may not be a viable option for your high traffic area if you are flooring a warehouse, or an area that needs even more durability. In that situation, a concrete ground and polished floor would be more suitable.

Who is Going to Provide You a Flooring Solution? 

Jupps Floor Coverings will be able to provide you the best and friendliest flooring solutions.  This is because we have been providing them since 1962.  Our staff are highly trained and our method ensures you get the quickest, most affordable and pleasant flooring solution.  Contact us on our website or over the phone for any questions or a quote today.