March 10, 2022
Flooring plays a significant role in any office design. It is one, if not the most visible feature when one steps foot into the office space and can either enhance or diminish the atmosphere altogether. In other words, choosing the right flooring choice is an important decision.
Naturally, when making a decision and for one as big and transformative as your office flooring, it is best to list your options down and slowly run through them. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, and possibly too busy to worry about the details, not to fret! This is a carefully curated 3-part checklist designed to help you make a perfectly sound decision on the best flooring options for your office space.
Depending on your style and budget, the factors to consider varies on a case-by-case basis but there are several must-ask questions:
– What is the most durable type of flooring?
– Is laminate flooring good for the office?
– What is the most popular flooring choice?
– How high or low is the office floor traffic?
– Will office furniture damage the flooring overtime?
– What is the brand image you wish to convey to your customers and colleagues?
Apart from answering these questions, having a budget and style in mind can help further narrow your flooring options.
Needless to say, floor covering options are nothing short of abundant. From noise reducing carpet tiles to sleek luxury vinyl flooring (LVF), flooring types come in various designs, levels of durability and flooring materials that can help elevate your floor space to a whole new level. Check out some flooring ideas down below:
These are vinyl planks that mimic natural finishes such as hardwood and stone. With its advanced technology and variety of colour, styles and textures to choose from, it is one of the most popular choices for office spaces. Although they are thinner compared to laminated flooring, this compressed vinyl is much stronger and flexible. They are easy-to-install, durable and easily maintained, a hassle-free option for busy offices.
Before there was vinyl, there was laminated flooring. Its popularity has now mostly shifted into residential homes but many still consider and prefer them to be a commercial flooring option. They are easily maintained, scratch resistant and affordable. However, it does not fare well with moisture, causing swells and damage to the subfloor.
This is a traditional yet still a popular choice of carpeting in corporate spaces. Like most flooring, it comes in many different varieties for you to choose from. With the right underlay material, broadloom carpets can create a softer and plushier feel. There are several drawbacks despite its popularity. One of which is being difficult and time consuming to repair. Especially if it was damaged by moisture or mildew.
Unlike broadloom carpeting, carpet tiles are relatively much easier to install and repair. You would only need to replace the damaged tiles rather than the entire carpeted floor, making this both time and cost effective. Even so, there are some designs that are better suited for broadlooms as seams are much more obvious in carpet tiles.
Commonly known as wood or hardwood flooring, timber flooring is your all-natural, classic floor type. Undeniably, they will emit a premium and authentic look and feel while adding value to your commercial space. Despite being highly durable and easy to clean, timber flooring comes at a cost.
Now that you are aware of the considerations and flooring ideas to choose from, it can get difficult to settle on just one but the important thing is to choose the flooring that best fits your brand image. Hence, prioritise the factors that give the most value back to your company. There are five key-factors you should always fall back to when choosing your right flooring:
From open office layouts to close knit common rooms, flooring can alter the dynamics of your office. You wouldn’t want to have a flooring that bounces noise and chatter from one end to the other nor would you want one that is completely silent. For open space office concepts, an ideal choice would either be carpet or cork flooring with a noise reducing layer.
As we know, offices are sectioned into different parts with different purposes. The way the space is used determines the ideal flooring for its space. For example, meeting rooms would opt for carpeted flooring due to its noise reducing properties while ceramic or vinyl tiles are popular choices for eating areas as its easier to clean.
One of the biggest concerns would be office furniture damaging the floor. You might be wondering, “Will office chairs damage vinyl flooring?” or “How do I get coffee stains out from carpet tiles?”. Luckily, with the modern flooring ideas we have today, there are also modern maintenance solutions and routines that leave your office flooring in good conditions. With solutions like floor finishes and office chair floor protector mats or stick-ons work great with any floor type.
Most tend to overlook climate and temperature being an influential factor towards flooring, when really, it highly affects the durability of the flooring and atmosphere of your office. Flooring such as vinyl and hardwood with constant exposure to heat and light can discolour them. For colder offices, you would opt for carpeted floor as it insulates heat while warmer offices would opt for vinyl floor to keep cool.
Last but not least, you wouldn’t want your office flooring to be easily worn off as it was not suited to the high foot traffic occurring on a daily basis. If you still prefer to have a floor type that is prone to scuffing or scratches, try to install them at spaces where there is less foot traffic for them to last longer. For spaces that do have higher foot traffic, we would recommend floor types such as carpet tiles.
With this simple 3-part checklist, we hope you’ll be able to land on your ideal flooring choice for your office space. If not, give us a ring at Jupps at (+08) 6253 8143 or enquire here for more carpet or wood flooring ideas. Our friendly flooring experts will be more than happy to answer any of your questions and cease any doubts.
