Choosing the right flooring for any commercial business might appear, on the surface (forgive the pun) to be an easy decision. Usually it’s a matter of saving as much money as possible.
When that’s the ultimate motivation for doing anything, then you’re going to end up with a cheap floor surface that, no matter how much maintenance you do for it through the years, will need to be replaced more often than other types of flooring surfaces.
It’s important to think about maintenance and how well the different floor surfaces will withstand the expected usage. Perhaps your company or organization will experience mostly foot traffic, such as clients, employees, or customers. It might also see a fair amount of wheel based traffic, such as dollies, carts, and even cars or trucks.
You basically have a limited number of flooring options for any commercial building. The first is concrete. This might be ideal for warehouses, but it’s not going to benefit an office environment or a retail outlet. However, if you are going to have a concrete floor in place to begin with, then you could consider having the concrete grinded and polished. This would provide a great looking floor that will be easy to maintain and that will last for a long time.
Then you have carpeting. While carpeting might be ideal for certain office environments, it does hold a lot of static electricity which can cause problems for sensitive electronic equipment.
Another problem with carpeting is that it will trap a lot of dirt and debris and will need to be thoroughly and professionally cleaned on a regular basis. The average lifespan of carpeting in a commercial space is less than 3 years.
Finally, you could consider linoleum tiles. This is the most common type of commercial flooring for businesses. It requires regular cleaning and occasional stripping, waxing, and buffing, which will require the right set of machines to have on hand, unless you subcontract out this type of work.
When you make an investment in new flooring, thinking long-term rather than immediate savings can help you choose the right flooring surface for your company or organization. The right flooring is one that will endure for many years.