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“When you investigate your choices it’s easy to prioritize when you group your requirements into six areas: aesthetic appeal, safety, maintenance, stain resistance, traffic and wear, and cost.” Some points to discuss include:

• What is the expected foot traffic?
• What is the expected life of the floor substance?
• Will the material perform in the climate?
• Is the color range offered by a product line acceptable?
• How easy is it to clean?
• Will it maintain its appearance over time?
• Does the product contribute to energy savings?
• How does the material perform in terms of fire and heat protection?
• Is the material slip resistant?
• Does the material have the flexibility to work with the facility’s design and is it adaptable to future design?

According to Turner, you’ll also want to examine the resources the material manufacturer offers, such as technical expertise and support, production capacity and distribution availability. “If you’re designing a national or international chain of restaurants you’ll want to work with someone who has the capability to deliver what you need when and where you need it—no matter what,” he says.

Laying a path to the future

Residential, commercial and industrial venues are showing a continued increase in the specification of hard surface flooring.

“While I can’t predict the future, as baby boomers age, I see continued expansion into the retirement and healthcare environments,” Cacciari says. Also, as buildings age and require facelifts, there is more interest in retrofitting with pre-figured systems that accommodate computer cabling, ductwork, power lines, security systems or cubicle walls installed with conventional floor systems.

“The industry has gone through a revolution in the past 15 years,” Patterson says. “We are now part of the fashion industry. Public awareness and growth of this industry has been steady on the upward tic.” According to Patterson, not so long ago the choices in hard surface flooring were very limited in scope with monochromatic size and color. Now there is a plethora of choices with an array of sizes and shapes taken from ancient to modern art.

On the residential front, hard surface flooring is no longer relegated to just certain areas. The U.S. market is adopting the European tradition of hard surface materials throughout the home because of their durability and availability in so many finishes that replicate other materials without the high cost and maintenance requirements.

Next time you step off an elevator, walk up a flight of stairs or simply walk through a door, take a look around and down. Regard the palette of tile, concrete, glass, laminates and hardwood that makes every one of your steps possible.