Low-maintenance flooring for commercial applications: 5 materials you should consider

When selecting a flooring material for your facility, you need to take a close look at maintenance requirements, as they play a big part in the overall lifetime cost of a flooring product ' sometimes exceeding the upfront material and installation costs.

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That's why it's important to frame material selection in terms of long-term value rather than upfront cost. Or, to put it another way, you need to use value engineering principles to select your material. This means analyzing upfront costs, long-term expenses and the durability of each material to select the best-fit material for your application.

Let's say, for example, you want to compare two material options for your commercial kitchen: Quarry tile and porcelain tile.

When comparing initial material costs, quarry tile wins by a mile. Durability's a big concern, too, with the heavy foot traffic, potential grease spills and constant wear. Here, it's a draw ' both materials can withstand a kitchen environment. And they're both relatively low-maintenance flooring options. For both porcelain and quarry tile, a simple sweep and mop after every shift will do. So, after comparing all factors, quarry tile would be the most cost-effective material option, both initially and in the long-term.

Long-term value should be the goal of flooring material selection. Here are five long-lasting materials which, generally speaking, come with lower maintenance costs:

1. Quarry tile

Quarry tile is about as durable as a flooring product can get, although it offers little design versatility. It's available in earth-tones 'hues of red, gray and tan' and comes in standard 6×6 or 8×8 squares.

For areas where function precedes form, though, quarry tile is a perfect fit. It's been the industry standard for commercial kitchens for decades, and also finds a home in other back-of-house areas such as receiving areas and loading docks.

Quarry tile comes with minimum maintenance requirements, too. Quickly sweeping and mopping with a degreaser after every shift should suffice for day-to-day maintenance.

Low-maintenance and low-cost, quarry tile is a good flooring material wherever durability and wear resistance are key concerns.

2. Carpet tile

When it comes to soft-surface flooring, carpet tile is the longest-lasting and easiest to maintain. When a broadloom carpet is ruined, you have to replace an entire roll of carpet. When a carpet tile gets stained, you can simply replace that tile. It requires less labor, material and time to maintain carpet tile than it does broadloom carpet.

In many commercial applications, the added functionality and ease-of-maintenance benefits of carpet tile far outweigh its greater initial cost. And with the emergence of moisture-resistant adhesives and industrial-strength tiles, there's almost nowhere you can't install carpet tiles.

3. Luxury vinyl tile (LVT)

Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is your best vinyl flooring option in terms of maintenance costs. Whereas vinyl composition tile (VCT) is much cheaper initially, it requires constant stripping, waxing and polishing to protect its surface. Because LVT is designed with an outer wear layer, it doesn't require polish and can get by with regular sweeping and mopping.

While LVT comes with a higher price tag, it has greater design flexibility 'it can be manufactured to mimic almost any material, from stone to hardwood. Low-maintenance, long-lasting and aesthetically pleasing, LVT flooring systems provide great value over their lifetime.

4. Epoxy flooring systems

Epoxy flooring systems consist of a thermosetting resin added to a concrete substrate for enhanced durability and aesthetic appeal. These systems are cheap to install, easy to maintain and last a long time. Provided the coatings are applied correctly, they'll be chemical- and abrasion-resistant for years to come.

The maintenance regimen for epoxy flooring is simple: Sweep daily, perform a deep clean every few months and spot clean as needed. For commercial and industrial applications, epoxy systems are about as low-maintenance as it gets.

5. Polished concrete

Perfect for industrial applications, polished concrete is easy to install and cheap to maintain. To install polished concrete, we first treat the concrete substrate with a chemical densifier for increased hardness. Then we polish with a grinder and apply a sealant, which comes in many color variants to provide different looks.

Polished concrete is extremely durable, even with minimal maintenance ' it's able to withstand chemical spills, oil stains and even forklift traffic. And similar to epoxy systems, polished concrete requires only regular sweeping and spot cleaning, with occasional deep cleans. While more expensive initially than laminate or VCT, its minimal maintenance requirements result in a lower life cycle cost.

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These systems 'while hardly an exhaustive list of low-maintenance commercial flooring options' will provide long-term value through durability and ease of maintenance.

Choosing the right flooring material starts with choosing the right contractor. At Spectra, we've handled more than 400,000 flooring projects, and have learned which materials provide the best value for a wide variety of applications in terms of initial cost, ease of installation and long-term maintenance costs.

We've compiled everything we know into a guide aimed at helping you save money and maximize value on your flooring installation. Download our guide to saving money on commercial flooring to learn how to strategically approach material selection and sourcing with value engineering.

Or, if you're ready to discuss the flooring needs of your facility, schedule a no-obligation consultation today.

Establishing an effective flooring master plan

Is your flooring lasting its full lifespan? These industry-proven strategies help facility managers keep flooring systems clean, safe and reliable for years to come.

Every industry has unique operating conditions and business requirements that influence large facility flooring decisions. Many flooring systems exist and at times, the choices may seem overwhelming. If your organization is in the market for new flooring, answering the following five questions may help you identify options that will best meet your needs:

1. Is it a top priority to minimize facillity downtime, while a flooring system is installed? If an organization is renovating its facilities, the management team often has to balance the benefits of large facility improvements with the amount of disruption they will cause to the business. When every day of downtime translates into lost revenue, it's common for companies to seek flooring systems that can be installed rapidly. Methyl methacrylate or MMA flooring systems are a good option under these circumstances. MMA flooring systems are flow applied, which means that large facility floors can be installed quickly and without trowel marks. Black Bear Coatings & Concrete has worked with restaurants and bars, retail stores, showrooms, building lobbies, and more to install MMA floors quickly and with a minimum of disruption.

2. Is the business characterized by stringent operating conditions? In industries like food and beverage processing and pharmaceutical manufacturing, facility floors are subjected to tough treatment to ensure that hygiene levels are maintained. These environments demand flooring systems that can withstand wet conditions and high temperature cleaning with chemicals. Urethane coatings are a logical choice because they produce seamless floors that deter chemical and water intrusion.

3. Is the business seeking a flooring solution with a strong visual impact? In consumer-oriented industries, such as retail and hospitality, it's important for large facilities to project a stylish image that will attract customers. Metallic epoxy flooring is one alternative that's growing in popularity for high traffic flooring. Its glass-like finish and shimmering surface is an eye-catching addition to a building or store. Metallic epoxy flooring can be installed in decorative colors and it provides a seamless, water resistant surface. Polished concrete is another great choice for industries where aesthetic appeal is a top priority. With polished concrete, many design options are available. Floors can be stained in a variety of colors. It's also possible to add stenciled graphics or decorative engraving into the surface of the floor.

4. Are customer or employee requirements a key consideration when selecting a floor? For some facilities, customer and employee requirements are an important input into flooring selection decisions. In healthcare, for example, it is essential to have floors that prevent the growth of bacteria. Seamless floors are the answer and urethane coatings are a good choice. It may also be necessary to use building materials that do not have strong odors or emissions. In these situations, zero VOC urethane coating products are an ideal solution.

5. Is occupational safety the most important requirement for the floor? In many industries, occupational safety is a major concern. In industrial facilities, employee injuries can prompt OSHA investigations. In retail and healthcare settings, customer and employee safety are also top priorities. As a result, non-slip surfaces may be a key consideration when selecting a flooring system. Fortunately, many different flooring systems offer non-slip textures, including epoxy coatings, polished concrete, and more. We're happy to say that it's not necessary to sacrifice durability or aesthetic factors in order to get a safe floor.

To learn more about the best flooring system for your industry, contact the experts at Black Bear Coatings & Concrete. With over 25 years of collective experience engineering floors for companies in every industry sector, we will value engineer the right solution and find a flooring solution that will meet your business and budgetary needs. Black Bear is a leading concrete and coatings flooring company that serves New England ' Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Northern Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, as well as New York (north of New York City). Rest assured that we have the staff, equipment, and expertise needed to make your floor project a success.

We spend time upfront to assess each client's needs, identify the best flooring solution, engage in the right preparation, and then install the floor using industry best practices. We'd love to help your company. Contact us today for a free estimate.

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