Office flooring: a comparative overview of the best options

We will not loudly call the office floor the "face" of the company. It is highly undesirable for anyone to appear at the level of its surface. We acknowledge that the floor is the foundation that patiently endures the hardships of intense movement, the blows of fallen objects, and the shocks of the furniture being moved. Spilled liquids and dust persistently seek to leave their mark on it. We will understand that when we see a scrubbed untidy coating, we ourselves irretrievably lose confidence in the partner company and pay due attention to the choice of this very status category.

Sex in the office and its meaning

We will completely forget about the time when the subordinates were called “to the carpet”, and their downcast gaze persistently rested on the gray democratic linoleum. Few people were interested in the image and organization of the work environment that stimulated working capacity. There was no reason for flirting with customers, because the excuse "and so it goes" was justified by limited means and a small number of competitors.

Now, rivals in business have “bred” unmeasured. To build a reputation as a trustworthy organization, additional arguments are needed, including excellent office renovations. Moreover, the lack of finance for decoration, to put it mildly, is alarming. However, excessive pomposity also suggests the problems of taste and the inability to manage money. It is important to calculate the middle ground, capable of forming a convincing background while maximizing the preservation of funds for the development of the business. Conclusion: we will look for material to cover the office floor, combining presentability with efficiency.

Office flooring selection criteria

The design of the office floor is an inaccurate concept, depending on the mass of components, among which are the specialization of the enterprise, the area of ​​the facility, lighting, corporate colors, style, even the age of employees, etc. Office owners will deal with these factors on their own. We will consider the practical and aesthetic side of the sexual issue. We will evaluate floor coverings, given:

• the appropriateness of their installation in the office;
• number of employees and estimated visitor flow;
• price aspects;
• wear resistance, determining the frequency of current and overhauls;
• scheme and installation time, as during the period of work, you will have to rent a room, and this is undesirable additional costs;
• maintainability;
• safety;
• resistance to pollution typical for offices;
• ability to accumulate static electricity.

The last point should be treated with due respect. After all, static electricity will attract dust, causing at first an allergic reaction in employees, then diseases, sick leave and their payment.

Detailed assessment of flooring

Initially, we will determine the size of the accumulations, which we can easily allocate for the purchase of flooring and its installation.Recall that it is unreasonable to finish the director's office, stairs and technical rooms with the same materials, and proceed to research.

Natural = prestigious + expensive

Given the abundance of flooring, interest in parquet, massive planks and cork floors does not weaken. However, you must admit that in recent years no one has noticed them in the premises for employees. Here it is possible to emphasize the prestige of the organization in the office of the high authorities and in the conference room organized for negotiations. But there is no way to give female hairpins and furniture legs to be torn to pieces.

Here is what is best to put on the floor in status rooms that are not distinguished by active attendance:

• Parquet or solid board with oil treatment. Material that is not very stable, but can be restored by scraping and renewing oil impregnation. Serve for 50 years, and maybe longer. You can loop until half the thickness of the board is cut off. Those. the thicker the parquet, the longer it will not be necessary to change the coating.
• Varnished analogues. They are less susceptible to abrasion and scratches. The degree of their stability depends on the amount of decorative protective varnish layers deposited on the surface. Restoration is carried out according to the previous method, but much less frequently;
• Parquet board, in which only the front part is made of wood. It is also repaired by cutting a worn surface. This means that the thicker the veneer is, the longer the floor will last;
• Corkvery sensitive to heels, to thin furniture legs and to the neighborhood of rubber rollers of office chairs. There are dents and black marks from the wheels on it. To protect the cork floor, it is better to open it with varnish, to equip the furniture legs with gaskets and remove the rubber parts in contact with the coating;
• Marmoleum - A natural prototype of a large family of PVC linoleums. The effective coating attracts with its natural structure, an abundance of colorful variations and environmental priorities. He is unlikely to please the not too wealthy businessmen at the cost, but he will enjoy the respectable appearance and faithful 50-year-old service.

The segment is elite, not everyone can afford it. Materials capricious, requiring competent care. Laying is long and troublesome. However, in terms of isolation and environmental indicators, as well as in terms of respectability, they have no rivals.

However, the above options have a competitor in aesthetic characteristics. This is an artificial prototype of a natural massif - laminate. Not only various types of wood can imitate a laminated floor, but also marble, onyx, granite, tiles, dressed leather. In the marking of the most durable varieties of laminate with numbers from 31 to 33, the wear resistance class is affixed. True, even commercial laminated options should not be installed in offices. It abrases quickly, does not make friends with wet cleaning, and when it violates the rules of styling, it annoyingly clicks. After 5-7 years, it will have to be mercilessly changed.

Please note that floor coverings suitable for office furnishings are labeled with the name of commercial materials. This means that the strength characteristics are focused on the intense load inherent in the operation of office floors.

About the good old linoleum

In previous years, low-cost PVC linoleum proudly led the list of coatings for office furnishings, and now it is not completely forgotten. This material is still kind to stackers, but modern brands cannot be called old. From molten polyvinyl chloride make exact copies of all existing types of flooring. However, a skilled designer, even from an unpresentable vinyl "source" can make a stunning decor.

At the disposal of developers of design projects and their customers:

• Homogeneous linoleumhaving the same color and structure throughout the power of the material.Due to this property, the wiped surface of homogeneous grades can be restored by grinding with subsequent polishing. In care, the use of household chemicals is permissible, but regular processing with mastic with a minimum six-month periodicity is required. It will prevent the appearance of trodden paths. To purchase for installation in the office should be expensive products with high density and with a well-known brand. Cheap household options are suitable for rarely visited utility rooms;
• Heterogeneous linoleum with fiberglass backing. In terms of wear resistance, it is inferior to a homogeneous counterpart, but significantly ahead in the field of textural and colorful variety. Dense commercial brands practically do not absorb dirt, wonderfully wash. However, at the expiration of the years indicated by the manufacturer, the upper protective layer together with the decorative layer will be erased, due to which the heterogeneous linoleum will need to be changed. And one more thing: the scratches on it are almost indestructible.

Advice for those who decide to buy heterogeneous linoleum for installation in the office - the thickness of the upper protective shell will be a sign characteristic. Ideally, the material should have a protective layer with a thickness of 1.0 mm. If you find that a little expensive, 0.7 mm will do.

Homogeneous brands are produced and delivered in rolls, heterogeneous brethren can be bought in roll and tiled versions. Tiles are easier to lay, more promising in design, but more expensive. The material may or may not be equipped with a backing. It is desirable that it be in the name of improving the heat and sound insulation qualities. If your eyes are resolutely focused on products without a substrate, please note that this insulation layer will need to be purchased separately.

All types of linoleum are laid on glue or on adhesive tape. Flooring of rolled varieties is carried out extremely quickly, and finishing with tiles is done very quickly. It is more practical to use the adhesive tape mounting scheme, because linoleum placed on the adhesive will be incredibly difficult to remove before the next repair. Read more about laying linoleum in the article - “How to make linoleum flooring with your own hands: a comparison of adhesive and adhesiveless methods«.

Pay attention to the advanced developments in the linoleum production segment! These include materials with bactericidal properties from the Belgian manufacturer DOMO, coatings with a protective varnish coat from the Dutch company FORBO, linoleums with diamond dust, optimizing strength, produced under the brand TARKETT, etc.

Last Look: Quartz-Vinyl Tile

In fact, the mineral-vinyl innovation is a modernized variation on the topic of PVC coatings. Only the composition is enriched with mineral chips. In the table of ranks for wear resistance, she was awarded a very solid 43 class. Customers are presented with a lot of color solutions, complemented by modular advantages. Due to which it is possible to designate zones, lay out a logo, form a unique corporate style.

Quartz-Vinyl Modular Material it is difficult to distinguish from natural coatings, the illusion of which it is intended to create. But in contrast to wood and cork, you can wash it at least 5 times a day, there will definitely not be stains on the surface. Tile dust does not attract a priori, it is very suitable for arranging rooms with numerous office equipment. Coating is laid without much effort in an enviably short time. Spoiled elements due to the mentioned modularity can be quickly replaced.

Stylish bulk floors

It was a sin not to remember the bulk method of arranging the floor; it allows you to create a monolithic floor without seams. The care is simple, the design is unlimited, the runtime is considered eternal.

In the list of bulk options are listed:

• polyurethane decorative and monotonous floors with volumetric effect and without it;
• epoxy floorsinferior to its predecessor in decorative capabilities, but ahead in strength;
• concrete floors, which can be done in a monophonic key, decorate with a pattern or split into multi-colored segments.

Polyurethane floor is applicable in representative rooms, epoxy and concrete surfaces are appropriate in the lobby and corridors, especially if they are located on the first floors of office buildings.

“Gently Feeling” or about Carpets

Those who prefer time-tested carpets will have no problems with a long wait for finishing and with a choice of decor. The noise from walking will not disturb, and the legs of employees will be less tired.

The carpet is produced in the form of a roll covering with different widths of the canvas and in the format of carpet tiles with dimensions of 50cm × 50cm. Tile buyers have more opportunities to create their own design and change untimely wiped elements. The tile is more expensive, but it is more profitable to use it, because according to the observations of specialists, 20% of the office carpet is trampled down. The worn rolled carpet is removed completely, and the tile coating can be partially restored.

The coating will last longer with tightly twisted threads, a split or loop pile, up to 7 mm high. New carpet products weakly attract dust, easily part with pollution. True, an industrial vacuum cleaner is required for cleaning. Only SELENIUM carpet can withstand wet cleaning.

Floteks - a wonderful novelty

The material combines the best qualities of carpet and linoleum, in reality it is a villus firmly fused into vinyl. In the assortment there are respectable varieties, a rich and colorful range is offered. They will arrive quickly, there will be no problems with care, rotor units are allowed to clean. Dust and dirt does not hold back, you can walk on it even with a march accompanied by an orchestra.

Rubber in the office interior

Rubber coatings are the dream of owners of large offices with active attendance. Absolutely indifferent material to superloads, oil, spilled coffee and dropped cigarettes. From short-term exposure to chemical aggressors do not suffer, quickly fit and look interesting. Lightly earlier floor rubber flaunted in the halls and corridors, and now it is also used for decoration of representative premises.

To summarize our research

Only the coatings most in demand in the field of office decoration are listed. In fact, the choice is much wider. According to our analysis, you can buy:

• For laying in director's offices and rooms for the reception of partners - natural floor coverings, carpet, polymer floor. A young and daring company should pay attention to the new vinyl, rubber and flotex;
• For the arrangement of premises for employees, all of the above coatings are applicable;
• For the decoration of corridors, lounges, smoking rooms and lobbies, you can purchase carpet, linoleum, rubber coating, flotex, quartz-vinyl tile, laminate, which resists burning.

Porcelain stoneware, clinker and tile, necessary for the repair of hygienic rooms, were deliberately not mentioned. And in order to prevent sick leaves, stairs and entrance groups should be trimmed with rubber with an anti-slip surface. The choice is huge, it remains to combine the desired with financial reality.

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