When it comes to healthcare facilities, the flooring material should be selected with a great deal of care and attention. In a hospital or nursing home, the comfort of patients and visitors always remains an important concern. The healthcare floor should be able to withstand the high foot traffic which is common in hospitals. In the market, you will come across a wide variety of flooring products for installation in healthcare facilities. Before making a decision, it is important to have full clarity on the day-to-day demands of a hospital, clinic, nursing home, ambulatory care, etc.
A healthcare facility has multiple areas or departments. These include lobbies, patient rooms, operation theaters, emergency departments, trauma centers, staircases, etc. It is important to understand the specific requirements of each of these areas when looking for ideal healthcare facility floor options.
In this article, we will talk about the criteria for selecting suitable flooring products for a healthcare facility and take a look at the many flooring options available out there to help you make an informed decision.
Criteria for Choosing Healthcare Facility Flooring
Whenever you look for a flooring product, it is crucial to keep in mind the specific requirements of the area or space where the product will be installed. So, a healthcare facility floor should also fulfill the day-to-day requirements of a hospital or clinic. Given below are some of the most important criteria for selecting a flooring product for a healthcare facility.
Comfort Level
Hospitals and clinics are places where safety is paramount. If you want to install a flooring product in a healthcare facility, one of the most important features you should look for is comfort. The installed material should not be very hard to walk on, as it can lead to stress and fatigue, particularly for the hospital staff who spend hours on end moving from one area to another.
It is a good idea to talk to a Healthcare Facility Flooring expert in Manchester, NH, and then make a well-informed decision.
Hygienic
Maintaining proper hygiene in hospitals is extremely essential. That is why flooring for a healthcare facility should have antimicrobial properties. The product you choose should be seamless and without grout lines. If the flooring has grout lines, it will be easy for bacteria and other microorganisms to take shelter and grow in those gaps. Therefore, invest in a flooring material that will enhance the hygiene of the hospital or clinic where it will be installed.
For more tips on hygienic floors for a healthcare facility, reach out to one of our flooring specialists at Minuteman Floors in Manchester, NH.
Safety
The safety of patients and hospital staff is extremely important. This must be kept in mind when looking for healthcare facility flooring. Often, nurses have to rush to attend to patients in a hospital. If the flooring material does not provide a safe working environment, nurses and hospital staff may fall and get injured. That is why the product installed in a hospital or clinic should eliminate the chances of slips and falls and provide safe walking.
Easy Maintenance
The ideal flooring material for a healthcare facility is one that does not require a lot of cleaning and maintenance on a daily basis. If the installed product is hard to maintain, it will create a problem for the hospital staff who remain busy attending to patients around work. That is why the chosen floor should be easy to maintain. Simple sweeping and mopping should be enough to keep the flooring material clean. So, always look for a low-maintenance product.
When making a decision about a flooring product for a hospital or clinic, you should take all these features into account. You should take some expert advice from a flooring specialist or contractor in this regard too.
Best Flooring Options for a Healthcare Facility
There are numerous flooring options available for hospitals and clinics. But you should make a decision based on the specific needs of the kind of healthcare facility you run. Given below are some of the most ideal options that you can choose from as per your requirements and budget.
Luxury Vinyl Tile
Luxury vinyl tile is one of the best options for installation in a hospital, clinic, or ambulatory care unit. Today, LVT or luxury vinyl tiles are in high demand in the healthcare sector. The key reasons behind the popularity of this product are its high durability and low maintenance.
When installed in a healthcare center or nursing home, luxury vinyl tiles will easily last for several years in a row. The best thing is that the material will retain its shape with only a little upkeep. LVT is an ideal option for places where foot traffic is high such as clinics, hospitals, medical labs, etc. If you plan to install suitable material in your healthcare center, you should definitely take LVT into account. The product is easy to install and maintain as well as repair.
What is more, luxury vinyl tiles are available in a broad range of unique prints. Based on your specific needs, you can always find a perfect design. You may want to install LVT with unique prints in areas such as lobbies, entrances, and halls. Feel free to talk to one of the specialists at Minuteman Floors in Manchester, NH, to find out what colors and prints are available.
Sheet Vinyl
Sheet vinyl is another good flooring option for hospitals and nursing homes. For several decades, this vinyl product has remained the best material for flooring in a wide range of residential and commercial settings.
Sheet vinyl is an ideal option for installation in patient rooms. The product is available in multiple sizes including 4, 5, 6 feet wide rolls and 2-3 mm in thickness. Depending on where exactly you will lay down the material, you should go for the ideal width and thickness. Sheet vinyl has long been known for excellent features such as quality, appearance, and durability. Since the product has fewer seams, it is also easy to clean and maintain in a proper manner.
If you look for a flooring material with anti-microbial features while staying within budget, you should definitely consider sheet vinyl.
Vinyl Composite Tile
Vinyl composite tile or VCT is a much more suitable flooring product for hospitals, healthcare centers, nursing homes, etc. On account of its sturdiness, the product is quite popular and preferred in commercial settings.
VCT is not just an economical flooring option, but it will also last for many years. This is a relatively new product added to the vinyl category. It is specially manufactured for high performance in high-traffic areas. The installation of this product is fast and easy. As per your needs, you can also get this material refinished for a brand-new look once again. Repair or replacement of VCT is simple and easy. Provided you give it proper cleaning and maintenance, VCT can last for as long as two decades or more. In short, VCT delivers the best flooring ROI.
Rubber
For healthcare facilities, premium rubber flooring is a great match. One of the key reasons behind the popularity of the product is its seamless installation. However, there are many other useful features that rubber flooring has to offer. The material is known to provide walking comfort and high durability.
After installing rubber flooring in a hospital or clinic, you can rest assured that the product will withstand all the daily wear and tear in a powerful manner and last for a very long period. Rubber flooring is both safe and hygienic. Its anti-microbial features ensure the facility will have a minimized risk of infection. Above all, the material comes in a wide range of designs and patterns to suit specific needs. The product is very suitable both from the viewpoint of patients and the hospital staff. Just remember to buy premium quality rubber flooring from a reliable flooring contractor such as Minuteman Floors in Manchester, NH.
Commercial Carpet
Commercial or commercially-rated carpets are specially designed for installation in areas with heavy foot traffic. This is exactly why the flooring product is a good match for a range of healthcare facilities.
One of the key features of commercial carpets is that they are less soft and highly durable. Other useful features the product has to offer include resistance to stains and simple maintenance. These carpets are not very thick. If you look for a broad range of patterns and color combinations, the commercial carpets will not disappoint you. Whether you are in search of flooring for hospital entrances, lobbies, halls, or offices, the flooring material can be an ideal option. Most of all, commercial carpets come along with great acoustic features. This means the flooring material will significantly reduce the noise level to create a quiet environment.
Talk to a Flooring Specialist
If you still have a question or want expert advice on the selection of the most ideal flooring product for a healthcare facility, reach out to one of our specialists at Minuteman Floors in Manchester, NH. We deal in premium quality flooring materials for commercial and residential spaces. Our services include the installation of vinyl flooring, carpet flooring, epoxy flooring, LVP flooring, etc.
To receive a free product cum installation quote, you can call our phone number or write us an email using the contact form.