What is the best type of flooring for a modern office space?

Vinyl, laminate, hardwood, rubber or ceramic tiles? We take a look at the ideal commercial flooring option for your office space. This means considering, service life, traffic levels and maintenance when making your choices.

When deciding on the best type of flooring for a modern office space, there are a number of popular commercial flooring options to consider and factors that could make one option better than another. This article may help you when discussing options with clients.

Key considerations when choosing office flooring

Not all floor finishes will suit every location. Factors to take into account include:

Traffic levels and service life

Consider the life expectancy of your chosen flooring type, taking into account the traffic it will have to withstand. High footfall through the office will need flooring that is robust enough to withstand the wear and tear. In this case Class 33 will be a key requirement.

This classification system, which is used for flooring made of carpet, vinyl, laminate, parquet, ceramic tiles, etc. roughly defines what type of room each floor can be used in. Class 32, means that the floors can be used for moderate commercial use, while Class 33 signifies heavy commercial use.

The standard requires that the flooring product will last at least 10 years without presenting problems, if used in a designated room type.  However, the floor must have been installed according to the instructions and used and maintained as prescribed for this to apply.

Repair flexibility

Be sure to choose flooring that is easy to access should it require repair, with minimal inconvenience to staff and clients.

Maintenance

Consider the cost of labour required to maintain the flooring over time versus the installation cost.

Installation

Some forms of flooring are much cheaper and quicker to have installed than others, so remember to take this into account when looking at your available budget and practical downtime.

Cost

The cost of your choice of flooring material should be weighed up against ease of maintenance and life expectancy; cheapest is not necessarily the most cost-effective in the long run.

Different types of flooring

Carpet and carpet tiles:

Carpet and carpet tiles are ideal for businesses that require noise insulation and they can help to keep the environment warm too. Tiles are more easily and cheaply replaced when damaged and can be more hard-wearing. This often makes carpet tiles a more sustainable option over broadloom.

Vinyl flooring:

Vinyl flooring is a popular form of commercial flooring due to its longevity and hard-wearing performance qualities. Vinyl is perfect for office premises with high foot traffic levels as it is resistant to damage, such as dents from heels or scratches from dragged furniture. It’s also easy to clean and requires minimal maintenance.

Rubber flooring:

Rubber flooring is also very hard-wearing and suits environments where resistance to heat and water is important. It’s slip-resistant, easy to walk on, and sound absorbent too.

Hardwood flooring:

Hardwood flooring is stylish and gives an office a classic, executive feel. It’s very durable although it can be damaged by water. The main drawback of hardwood flooring is that it is usually the most expensive flooring option. Hardwood can also be slippery if it is over-polished.

Laminate:

Laminate offers a cheaper alternative to hardwood, ceramic tiles or stone. Laminate is simple and cheap to install and is very resistant to dents and scratches, also being resistant to water damage. Laminate is available in many different varieties of hardwood and stone effects and can still give an office a very natural looking appearance.

Ceramic tiles:

Ceramic tiles can be a good flooring option for an office where water damage could be an issue. Although tiles are easy to clean and maintain, and they do last a long time, they can be problematic to replace should they become cracked, and they tend to lack the noise insulation properties of other flooring options. Tiles would be best-suited to an office in a particularly warm building as they tend to lack the warming qualities of vinyl, rubber and carpeting.

 

In addition to above considerations, it will be important to consider the overall look and feel you want to achieve and the main purpose of each room. Acoustics, health and safety, and creating the right atmosphere will all impact on choice of flooring.

 

Image shown on this page is kindly supplied by Zentura – read our case study 

Practical office design for productivity and aesthetics

How can practical office design affect employees’ productivity? We take a look at the role lighting and decor play in getting things done.

When employees’ work conditions are designed with comfort and health in mind, you will be rewarded by increased productivity and staff morale, as well as a much more attractive working environment for everyone to spend their day in. We take a look at two of the more eye-catching design elements of an office: décor and lighting.

The role of lighting and decor in office productivity

Décor

You can quickly and inexpensively change the whole aesthetics of your office, simply by changing the colour of the wall. White walls can appear stark and clinical, while a University of Texas study discovered that walls painted in a bland colour – such as grey or beige – can actually invoke feelings of sadness and depression in certain people.

With that in mind, you should opt to accentuate certain shades in your office design, without going too overboard (the same study showed that orange and purple can have negative effects on men). Consider incorporating a feature wall in a cooler, blue-green colours, which can be less ‘aggressive’ than reds and therefore encourages productivity in some workers, according to Nancy Kwallek.

Of course, there’s more to décor than colour. Partitions have been accused of making people feel isolated, but a glass partition could offer numerous benefits, including improved productivity from workers knowing that they are being scrutinised. Glass partitions can also help your office space to appear more open to light, which brings us on to our next point…

Lighting

Getting the lighting right in the office is essential if everything else is to work. Natural light is best where possible, as it allows your employees to feel more connected to the outside world and helps to do away with the feeling that workers are unable to see daylight for much of their working day. Louvres – a form of window blind or shutter – are a flexible option which allow your staff to control just how much light makes its way into your building while reducing glare and maximising airflow.

Some office buildings may not be in a suitable location to attract natural daylight, necessitating the need for an artificial lighting solution. Often, lighting in offices is restricted to the ceiling, but studies show that the more lighting, the better in terms of productivity – the Light Right Consortium found that only 70% of employees working with purely downward lighting were comfortable, while 91% working in an office with direct/indirect lighting and plenty of vertically lit surfaces were happy with their work environment. For more detail take a look at this article.

A mixture of different lighting, with individual employees able to control brightness, is surely the best way ahead for any forward-thinking enterprise.

Four types of space that support creativity and innovation in business

green tiles matching pod

For when four walls and laminate flooring just won’t quite cut it, here are four types of space that should help foster creativity and innovation in the workplace.

How to inspire employees with office design

Creative agencies seem to have cottoned onto making work spaces conducive to creativity and innovation. Corporate companies, however, are less inclined to make such adjustments, but if you want your employees to sit up, take action and feel inspired throughout their working day, ensure you invite one of these four types of space into your office environment to get the most out of their time.

A stimulating space

Remember when your teacher used to take your lessons outside to the playground in the summertime? That wasn’t just to treat you to a little sunshine; being outside has actually been proven to boost concentration and creativity. Although you might not be able to move desks outdoors, you can bring a little nature into your working habitat. Think natural looking wood flooring designs, real plant life scattered about the place, windows that actually open and perhaps even a little aquarium? That feeling of freedom and being in touch with nature is likely to boost productivity, tenfold.

Nature not your thing? There are many office spaces cropping up with faux trees sprouting within, or tardis’ in the corner of rooms, so why not inject a little spirit into your office and celebrate the uncanny instead? Start with a picnic area instead of a canteen, complete with turf and benches, or perhaps a meeting room decorated in the style of an old school classroom to stimulate the mind. If you don’t feel like going all the way, simply experiment with colourful carpet tiling and floating floors to achieve a modern and stylish look. After all, 9-5s needn’t be boring.

A fluid space

Who wants to be cramped up next to someone who chews loudly or hammers their keyboard at 70 miles per hour? Create space (or at least the illusion of space) between desks and work stations using raised floors for different areas, separation screens and larger desks so you feel you have the space to create… or even just think. Sitting, hunched over, tapping away at your laptop or computer for eight hours a day is not ideal either, so introduce standing desks, collaborative work stations and interesting ‘break out zones’ where employees can head to when they need a little movement.

A playful space

There’s a reason why breaks during the working day are encouraged, if not mandatory, so why not create playful spaces your employees can relax, get to know each other and even do their best thinking in? Lots of creatives say their best ideas come to them when their mind is distracted i.e. when they are hanging out with friends or having fun – so create somewhere for them to do just that within their working day and watch their productivity sky rocket. Think ping pong tables, bean bags or retro game machines to start.

A quiet space

Everybody needs the time and space to reflect on things every once in a while. In fact, it is only natural for the human brain to want to tackle a problem by taking a moment of quiet to try and solve it, so having areas in your office space that allow for such thinking will be conducive to your employees’ performance. Think less fuss and more bright whites and bare walls in these areas in order to limit distraction and free the mind.

Of course, not all of these types of space will appeal to every type of business, but consider incorporating at least some of these aspects into your workspace.

Image shown on this page is kindly supplied by Zentura – read our case study

How to assess the risk of flooring in your workplace

Flooring Risk Assessment

 
Ensuring that your workplace is safe for employees and visitors is a legal requirement. You are required to carry out a risk assessment of your premises to ensure that your flooring is safe and fit for purpose.

The most common cause of injuries at work, according to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics, are slips and trips. The cost to employers in lost production amounts to over £512m every year.

Half of all reported injuries to members of the public and contractors in the workplace are attributable to slips and trips, costing companies dearly in damages claims and increased insurance premiums.

Your legal obligations with regards to flooring

What causes workplace slips and trips?

The primary causes of workplace slips and trips include uneven floor surfaces, unsuitable floor coverings or wet floors. Every company has a legal and moral duty to ensure the safety of its employees and of visitors to the workplace. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 state that floors should be suitable, free from obstructions, and in good condition.

How to assess the risk of flooring in the workplace

Clearly, the type of flooring that you install in your workplace will be dictated by the nature of your business. However, whether you have commercial carpets or specialised safety flooring, you must carry out a risk assessment, as defined by the HSE, to ensure that your premises are safe and operating within the Regulations.

Observations

First of all, you must take a good look around the workplace for obvious slip and trip hazards. Check the condition of your floor coverings and look for any uneven areas of floor, including outside. Remember that weather conditions may be a factor in the condition of the floor.

Who is at risk?

Consider who is at risk of being harmed and how an accident might occur. Are there some people who come to your premises who could be at a higher risk than others?

Consider risks

Now think about the risks that could be presented by the flooring in your premises and look to see if you can deal with them. For example, are the floor coverings in each area of the premises suitable for the work carried out there or the expected foot traffic that will pass through? What systems are in place for cleaning and maintaining the floor coverings?

Record and review

Write down your findings and be sure to regularly review the flooring for safety, especially if there are changes made.

Accident prevention

You can take inexpensive, simple steps to reduce the risk of slips and trips in the workplace.

Ensure that any spills are quickly cleaned up, and use signage to warn people that the floor is wet. If the floor covering immediately after people have entered the premises is prone to becoming slippery, i.e. marble or ceramic tiles, you could consider replacing it with a non-slip floor covering.

If changing the floor covering is not practical, put down rugs or mats that are securely fixed to the floor so that the edges don’t present a trip hazard. If floor surfaces are slippery, assess why and treat them accordingly. This could mean having the floor repaired, cleaning it or treating it chemically. If some areas of your premises are inclined to become slippery under certain conditions, make sure that your workers are wearing suitable footwear with the right kind of sole.