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Advertising supplement provided by Domco Tarkett Commercial

Design Considerations

Many factors should be taken into consideration when determining which flooring material to select for a specific application. There is a broad range of floor coverings, each with specific performance characteristics for various applications.

“Designers must look first at the entire building environment,” says the product manager for a Texas-based manufacturer. “The architect must know his client and the environment for which he is designing.”

“Some flooring performs better in certain locations than others,” he says. Solid vinyl requiring buff maintenance, for instance, may not be the best choice for entryways where road salt, sand, and oils may be tracked. There, a more durable finish, which will require less frequent maintenance, is required to stand up to the wear-and-tear.

When looking at slip-resistant floors, designers need to look at those that offer the best performance along with ease of maintenance. A high coefficient of friction (COF) should not be the only factor in high-traffic areas that may require high maintenance because of the general nature of slip-resistant products. As a general rule, the higher the COF, the more maintenance the floor will require.

Designers must consider these performance characteristics when specifying resilient flooring:

Design flexibility. Vinyl sheet flooring and tile are available in myriad styles and colors. Vinyl tile is available in shapes that can be custom cut and laid out in patterns using different colors or finishes. Tiles can be arranged to depict a corporate logo or to guide traffic in a hospital or retail setting. Resilient flooring’s diverse product options allow for easy transition between marble, wood and stone visuals due to the similar, if not identical, gauges available. This consistent gauge profile eliminates the need for depressed slabs or alteration of door or cabinet heights in remodels, It allows for a more seamless transition between floorcoverings of almost any type.

Usage. Designers must look at both aesthetics and safety and be aware of traffic patterns that will determine the best characteristics of the flooring. The flooring may need to support static loads or the movement of vehicles. Moisture resistance may be a critical factor, or resistance to fading.

Resilience. Vinyl flooring reduces noise and provides comfort underfoot. Unlike such hard surfaces as wood, laminate, terrazzo or ceramic tile, vinyl floors have “give” and thus are referred to as “resilient” flooring.

Durability. Vinyl flooring is durable and time-tested, maintaining its beauty under heavy foot traffic and use. It is moisture, chemical and stain resistant, so spills can be easily removed. When compared with alternative materials, vinyl offers an attractive installed cost with economical maintenance over the life of the floor.

Safety features. A wide range of both tile and sheet vinyl floors is available with enhanced slip-retardant surfaces suitable for a variety of commercial and institutional applications.

Moisture resistance. May be critical depending on the type of subfloor, since moisture conditions may affect adhesive performance. In most cases, resilient floors may be installed in areas where water might be spilled on the floor, providing the correct adhesive is used and the floor has a minimum number of seams.

Stain resistance. Will vary by product and manufacturer. Special formulations are available for use in areas where exposure to chemicals and staining reagents is likely to occur. In general, vinyl floors are resistant to alkalis, acids, alcohols, oils, greases and aliphatic hydrocarbons. Ketones, esters and chlorinated and aromatic hydrocarbons may cause softening.

Light reflectivity. Light reflectance data is published by manufacturers. In general, when looking to accentuate natural lighting, lighter colored flooring is recommended. Light reflectance is a measure of the percentage of light reflected off a surface. The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America recommends that floors have a reflectance factor of 20-40 percent in offices, 30-50 percent in educational facilities, 20-30 percent in hospital operating rooms, and greater than 20 percent in industrial settings.

Sound Insulation. Of special importance in areas with heavy floor traffic. Resilient flooring, in general, will cushion impacts and thereby reduce traffic noise or noise from dropped objects more than other hard-surface floors such as wood, marble, ceramic or concrete. In addition, underlayments are available to further reduce impact noise and sound transmission.

Fire retardance and heat performance. Most resilient floors are manufactured to be safe from normal fire hazards. In large-scale experiments that have been run to simulate actual fire conditions, vinyl flooring products have not been significant contributors to the spread of the fire or resulting hazards. In fact, vinyl flooring resists burning and typically does not continue burning when an external flame is removed. However, a resilient floor surface can be permanently damaged or scarred by burning cigarettes, matches or very hot items.

Cost. Vinyl is a cost-effective flooring material both in initial and lifecycle cost. Vinyl lasts considerably longer than carpet and can, therefore, save money on repairs and replacement and vinyl flooring typically costs less than other hard-surface floors. Typically, commercial vinyl floor tile has an installed cost of from $1.25 to solid vinyl at $8.70 per square foot, depending on the thickness and pattern. Commercial sheet vinyl has an approximate installed cost of $2.64 to $6.00 per square foot, compared to square-foot cost of $3.84 for wood parquet flooring (oak, standard, 5/16" thick, not including finish); $7.00 for ceramic tile (natural clay, thin set); and $7.75 for terrazzo (1-3/4" thick, bonded to cement). Commercial grade carpet ranges from $18.20 per square yard/$2.02 per square foot (nylon, level loop, 26 oz., light to medium traffic) to $70.00 per square yard/$7.77 per square foot (patterned wool, 48 oz. heavy traffic).

Maintenance requirements. Overall, vinyl is tough, resistant to scratching, scuffing, staining, indentation and other daily abuse. This durability is especially critical in commercial settings where routine wear and tear take a toll on floors.

The thickness of a vinyl floor’s wearlayer is an important element in determining its performance and ease of maintenance. The thickness is generally measured in mils, or thousandths of an inch. Higher-quality vinyl floors may also utilize a urethane wearlayer, while lower-priced floors generally feature a vinyl wearlayer to protect the underlying pattern. In general, a urethane wearlayer makes the floor easier to clean and more stain-resistant.