Top 5 Commercial Flooring Options by Experts

Harry

Oct. 07, 2024

Top 5 Commercial Flooring Options by Experts

With in full swing, you may be thinking of new ways to remodel your business&#; flooring. Commercial floors come in a wide array of options, and finding the right choice for your space&#;s needs can be challenging.

KAIYAO contains other products and information you need, so please check it out.

When considering the right commercial flooring options, there are four main criteria to consider before proceeding into the nitty-gritty details: durability, style, ease of maintenance, and cost. Notably, some commercial flooring options work better in some spaces than others.

So, let&#;s compare each commercial flooring option. Each option contains helpful pros and cons and installation methods to better decide what suits your space best.

Stone-plastic composite (SPC) vinyl flooring is an excellent option for high-traffic environments due to its 100% waterproof construction and unmatched durability. SPC vinyl flooring is top of the line, thanks to its advanced four-layer flooring technology, consisting of a backing layer, SPC core, printed vinyl layer, and wear layer.

Top-notch rigid core vinyl flooring offers extremely convincing wood-look, tile-look, and stone-look options that can withstand harsh environments, all while being eye-catching. Not to mention, maintenance requires only minimal cleanup.

Best for: Areas that receive a lot of foot traffic, such as restaurants, medical offices, hotels, kitchens, and bathrooms.

How to Install Commercial SPC Vinyl:

Click and lock:
SPC vinyl features a tongue and groove interlocking system that&#;s user-friendly for both vinyl planks and tiles.

Related Content >> How to Install Vinyl Flooring

Pros of Commercial SPC Vinyl:

100% waterproof: SPC vinyl consists of layered construction that is 100% waterproof throughout. This is a fantastic choice for businesses worried about moisture content or water damage.
Durability:
SPC vinyl&#;s core protects against dents, while its wear layer withstands spills and scratches.

Easy installation:
Installation is no hassle, with interlocking planks that snap into place.
Sound absorbent:
SPC vinyl&#;s attached underlayment absorbs sound waves very effectively
.

Cons of Commercial SPC Vinyl:

Price:
SPC vinyl can be more expensive than some other commercial counterparts, but with all the perks of stylish, realistic, and resilient flooring, it pays off.
Comfort:
It has a sturdy and rigid feel, so users may notice this flooring is slightly uncomfortable underfoot.

SHOP ALL RIGID CORE VINYL

Laminate is one of the leading stone and wood flooring alternatives on the market. Its synthetic structure allows for beautiful flooring at a relatively low price compared to hardwood flooring. If you&#;re looking for ultra-realistic details, you can choose from our variety of smooth, hand-scraped, embossed, and distressed laminate flooring.

Another popular feature of laminate is that it&#;s both scratch and stain-resistant, making it an excellent choice for commercial spaces. Also, laminate&#;s wear layer works against yellowing and fading from UV light better than other options on the market, like vinyl.

Related Content >> Laminate Flooring Buying Guide

*Pro-tip: Consider the AC rating of your laminate flooring choice. Our experts recommend an AC rating of 4 to 5 to ensure your flooring stands up to your commercial environment.

Best for: Business owners that love a wood look for their space. Offices, boutiques, fitness studios, apartment complexes, and cafes are often popular places for laminate flooring.

How to Install Commercial Laminate:

Click and lock:
Like commercial vinyl, commercial laminate flooring is DIY-friendly. Interlocking planks&#; tongue and groove connectors align to create a &#;floating floor&#; over your subfloor. Laminate makes it easy, and you don&#;t need glue, tape, or adhesives for a professional, long-lasting finish.

Pros of Commercial Laminate:

Styles:
Laminate flooring comes in several stylish and cost-efficient styles to spruce up commercial spaces. Compared to genuine hardwood flooring, laminate flooring offers consistent textures and tones.
Comfort:
You&#;ll find this flooring option comfortable underfoot and great for everyday use in commercial environments.
Maintenance:
Like vinyl, the wear layer of laminate flooring is easy to maintain.

Cons of Commercial Laminate:

Sound:
Laminate can create a hollow sound if placed over an uneven subfloor, to begin with. Follow the manufacturer&#;s recommendations and include a good underlay for the most seamless installment.
Water resistance:
Nowadays, many laminates come in various waterproof options. However, some are only water-resistant. This category of water-resistant laminates can only handle a certain extent of high-moisture concern, and they should be kept dry. If not, a
vapor barrier
can help mitigate this concern.

SHOP ALL LAMINATE

Vinyl sheet flooring is a modern twist on a classic household choice. From tile to stone to decorative wood looks, you&#;ll surely find your ideal vinyl flooring.

Today, vinyl sheets are highly durable and consist of multiple layers that can withstand commercial settings with heavy traffic. For the best protection in commercial environments, our experts recommend you purchase a vinyl sheet with an extra thick wear layer of 15MIL to 20MIL.

Best for: Any commercial space looking to show off its unique aesthetic. You can find vinyl sheets in office foyers, hotel lobbies, hospitals, and schools.

How to Install Commercial Vinyl Sheet Flooring:

Glue down:
The traditional method provides more permanent and stable results for high-traffic areas.

Related Content >> How to Install Vinyl Flooring

Pros of Commercial Vinyl Sheet Flooring:

Styles:
Vinyl sheets come in a wide range of colors and designs. This flooring product often comes in large sheets, making it perfect for projects that require a seamless look.
Durability:
Vinyl sheets also have a reputation of having a strong wear layer, which makes them perfect for maintenance and withstanding scratches and dents that come with heavy traffic.
Stain-resistant:
The transparent layer on top of vinyl sheets acts as a surface barrier against spills and stains. This type of flooring requires minimal maintenance to clean thoroughly.

Cons of Commercial Vinyl Sheet Flooring:

Replacements:
When damaged, replacing vinyl sheets isn&#;t the easiest. You will have to remove the entire flooring section, unlike removing a single tile or plank with other flooring options.
Not DIY-friendly:
Considering that commercial vinyl sheet flooring must be glued down, it can be challenging to install. For proper installation, it&#;s recommended flooring professionals manage the process.

SHOP ALL SHEET VINYL

Related Content >> How to Choose Commercial Vinyl Flooring

Commercial Tile Flooring

Tile flooring is not only stunning and durable but 100% waterproof (if glazed). From porcelain to ceramic, you will find a large selection of tiles to choose from.

Commercial floor tiles are often thick and sturdy, making them a fantastic choice for high-traffic areas. With endless patterns, designs, and shapes, you can craft your aesthetic desires for your commercial space from the ground up.

When shopping for porcelain tiles, it&#;s essential to consider the space you are placing them. Although not commonly used nowadays, the PEI rating from the Porcelain Enamel Institute can offer guidance. It may be helpful to consider porcelain tiles with a rating of 4 to 5 on the PEI scale for your high-traffic environment.

Body-color (bisque) of the tile is also something to consider. When chipping and damage happens to floor tile, the body color doesn&#;t always match the top glaze. More often than not, porcelain tiles have the same color, and ceramic tiles have a red body. However, no need to fret, as floor tiles are one of the long-lasting commercial flooring options!

Best for: Entryways for restaurants, lobbies, spas, and luxury spaces. Anywhere you would like to make a visual impact, flooring tiles are the way to go.

How to Install Commercial Floor Tile:

With floor tiles, there are endless variations in installation design. The most important part of the flooring project begins with proper preparation and leveling of the subfloors. Installation may be pretty hard, but if you&#;re comfortable with mortar, grout, and tile saws, this flooring option is for you.

Pros of Commercial Floor Tile:

Durability:
Great maintenance can ensure your tile&#;s lifetime of over 10 to 20 years.
Maintenance:
Due to its non-porous structure, floor tiles can be easily sanitized. With a quick sweep or mop, your floors look as good as new.
Cheaper than natural stone:
If you&#;re searching for cost-effective options, ceramic and porcelain floor tiles offer an array of beautiful stone, decorative, and marble looks.

Cons of Commercial Floor Tile:

Price:
Floor tiles range in price due to the type of materials. If you have the budget to upgrade to tile, it can offer long-term results that require little to no maintenance or upkeep.
Comfort:
Floor tiles may not be the best for physical workspaces because of their rigidity and slippery, smooth texture.

Commercial carpet rolls and modular carpet tiles offer looks that are both trendy and customizable. The three most common materials for commercial carpets are nylon, polyester, and polypropylene, all of which are ultra-durable.

Related Content >> What is Carpet Tile? We have the Answers

Many commercial carpets, also known as Berber carpets, are made with loop pile fibers. The fibers are looped through the carpet backing, making the carpet durable and with a short pile height. Your carpet tile won&#;t get easily crushed or matted, like those with cut fibers. * Pro-tip: Many people buy rubber roll underlayment with their commercial carpet for extra comfort and sound absorption.

Best for: Creating a comfortable and inviting space! You can find many commercial carpet designs in offices, apartment complexes, gyms, and rental real estate.

How to Install Commercial Carpet:

Installing commercial carpet can be difficult but doable! If you&#;re seeking a DIY project, interlocking, and peel and stick carpet tiles offer a more effortless experience. However, we recommend consulting a contractor before starting the process to ensure the installation will work for your commercial space.

Before carpet installation, check that you have the necessary tools: T-square, utility knife, and pressure-sensitive adhesive.

Glue-down:
For high-traffic environments, we recommend using a pressure-sensitive adhesive to maintain the lifespan of your broadloom carpet or carpet tiles.

Pros of Commercial Carpet:

Styles:
Commercial carpet has loop fibers, making them extra durable against dirt, vacuum trails, and footprints. With a range of sizes and looks to choose from, you&#;ll find your match.
Sustainable:
For eco-conscious buyers, many carpet rolls and tile options are made from organic or recycled materials, like plastic beverage bottles.
Additional reading:
The Best Garden Hose for Your Tiny Patio or Giant Yard
If you want to learn more, please visit our website heavy duty industrial flooring.
Price:
Compared to other commercial flooring options, carpet is a winner for being cost-effective.

Cons of Commercial Carpet:

Thickness:
Depending on the quality, you may notice a range of thicknesses among broadloom carpet and tiles. However, it&#;s all based on personal preference!
Maintenance:
Carpets attract oil and dirt and require additional care to keep a fresh appearance. Depending on what material you purchase, you can hide imperfections quite easily.

SHOP ALL CARPET

Related Content >> Commercial Carpet Buying Guide

Conclusion

Whether you&#;re looking for an industrial, modern, or luxury feel for your commercial space, there&#;s flooring to fit every situation. Remember, design and layout are important, but so is functionality. Your choice will directly impact the people who use the space. If you consider that, your employees and clientele will surely appreciate it!

We hope our guide has helped you hone down on the best flooring choice for you and your business. Ready to take your commercial flooring project to the next level?

ORDER FREE SAMPLES SHOP ALL COMMERCIAL FLOORING

The most durable commercial flooring options for high- ...

The most durable commercial flooring options for high-traffic areas

All of the flooring in your facility will see its share of wear and tear &#; but high traffic areas are on another level.

You may be looking to install a lobby flooring system to impress potential tenants and stand up to moisture, dirt and near-constant use.

Or perhaps you&#;re searching for a material that can meet cleanliness and safety standards in patient rooms and stand up to frequent rolling in of heavy medical equipment.

Regardless of your facility goals, there&#;s one necessary common denominator for these busy spaces: Durability.

While durability is always a consideration when selecting a flooring material, it&#;s an absolute must for high-traffic applications such as airport terminals, schools, hospitals and restaurants.

In this article, we&#;ll give you a complete rundown of six of the most durable commercial flooring materials based on cost, application and other major considerations. Using this as a guide for your materials search, you can achieve a flooring system that meets your aesthetic, cost and performance goals and stand up to heavy use.

Terrazzo: Upscale and LEED-friendly for large spaces

When it comes to durability in flooring, terrazzo is an obvious leader. Terrazzo can be made from a cement matrix, or an epoxy resin mixed with marble or recycled granite glass, and a wide choice of other aggregates.

And because terrazzo is one of the most aesthetically versatile products on the market, it&#;s perfect for incorporating custom logos and designs into your flooring. Terrazzo is used in situations where you want to impress: opry houses, showrooms, entranceways and high-end office spaces.

Although it&#;s incredibly durable and carries a low lifetime cost, its high upfront material and installation costs are prohibitive in lower budget applications. It must be poured in place, cured and then polished mechanically to achieve its signature shine. Generally speaking, terrazzo is not worth the cost in small rooms or sections of a building &#; the cost-per-square-foot actually increases as the space decreases. It&#;s recommended to allow a scope of at least 2,500 square feet to achieve a cost-efficient installation.

Overall, terrazzo is best suited for large, high-traffic areas such as airports or showrooms where the designer is aiming for a chic look. For upscale applications, this LEED-friendly flooring is about as durable as it gets.

Quarry tile: Industry standard for commercial kitchens

Quarry tile is proven to withstand spills, foot traffic and grease buildup, making it a first choice for many commercial kitchens. While porcelain tile works in terms of function for heavy-duty applications, quarry tile &#; made from hard-fired clay &#; is much cheaper and offers the same functionality and durability benefits. Quarry tile will last as long as you need, provided it&#;s installed properly to begin with and maintained properly throughout the lifetime of the flooring system.

It&#;s important to use the right materials &#; epoxy grout and thin-set adhesives &#; during installation. Although there are cheaper alternatives to epoxy grout, they&#;re not designed for high-traffic, hot water spills or grease buildup and will break down prematurely. To extend the usable life of your quarry tile system, ongoing maintenance and cleaning are key. Clean the floor daily and replace sections of flooring as they wear out.

Although it&#;s cost-effective, durable and easy to maintain, quarry tile doesn&#;t offer much design versatility. It&#;s typically laid in straight lines and comes in a limited range of colors. (Red is the most common color, but grey, tan and brown tiles are also available depending on whether more shale, feldspar or clay is used.) In the receiving and commercial areas where quarry tile is commonly found, however, function trumps form.

Check out our commercial kitchen guide to learn about all of the flooring products durable enough to withstand such a heavy-duty environment. You&#;ll learn more about the cost and performance of quarry tile, but also other durable options such as recycled PVC and epoxy flooring.

Choosing kitchen flooring materials for safety, durability and performance

Commercial kitchens have unique circumstances that make their floors a challenge. We created this product guide to highlight the three best available flooring material options for commercial kitchens.

Download our guide

Luxury vinyl tile (LVT): Achieve any look for busy common areas

In the past decade or so, luxury vinyl tile (LVT) has taken the flooring industry by storm. This resilient material is made up of three layers: A base layer composed of vinyl to provide dimensional stability, a digital graphic film (able to imitate practically any other material) and an outer wear layer.

LVT has proven to be durable enough for high-traffic hospital common areas and attractive enough for upscale restaurants. With a variety of products in every price point and design, LVT is one of the most versatile commercial flooring products on the market today.

While LVT probably isn&#;t suited for high-impact industrial or commercial kitchen environments, it&#;s plenty durable to withstand the foot traffic, abrasions and spills of any office, hospital or school application. Especially in comparison with other resilient flooring products, LVT is more flexible and aesthetically appealing for commercial applications.

Further, the design possibilities are endless. It&#;s available in a wide range of sizes, colors and patterns to mimic almost any material from ceramic tiles to hardwood to terrazzo, and everything in between. With LVT, you can achieve durability without sacrificing your aesthetic.

LVT has proven over time to be able to withstand heavy traffic loads common to commercial applications. In our experience, restaurants, offices and daycares only replace their LVT because they want to change the design &#; not because it wore out. And because LVT is much quicker to install and cheaper than many of the materials it imitates, it&#;s a good way to cut flooring costs in a commercial construction project.

To learn more about LVT, check out our quick-reference guide to commercial vinyl flooring products. It compares the cost, performance and design versatility of all of your vinyl flooring options, from LVT to vinyl composition tile and sheet vinyl. Download the guide today.

Reference guide to commercial vinyl flooring products
Take the guesswork out of vinyl product selection. This guide cuts through the noise, offering you quick takeaways about the pros, cons, price and performance of LVT, VCT and vinyl sheet flooring.

Download our guide

Epoxy flooring systems: Industrial-strength and versatile, too

Epoxy flooring is a cost-effective solution for a variety of applications &#; think of healthcare offices and food distribution warehouses. This flooring system is created by applying a thermosetting resin directly onto a moisture-treated concrete slab. The epoxy coating then prevents wear and tear due to abrasions, foot traffic and chemical spills.

Versatile and durable, epoxy is strong enough to serve as the flooring in manufacturing facilities and hangars, aesthetically appealing enough to find its way into retail spaces and sanitary enough for use in strict lab environments. Additionally, its ability to protect against staining, mold and odors has made it a vastly popular healthcare facility option as a LEED-certified product.

While epoxy flooring is designed for durability, it must be installed correctly to reap those benefits. The concrete needs to be cleaned and cracks patched with urethane prior to application of the epoxy coating. If applied before prepping, the epoxy is likely to peel or chip prematurely.

Finally, maintenance with daily sweeping and infrequent deep cleans should be sufficient to keep your epoxy flooring looking like new.

Carpet tiles: Easy install, easy replace

Carpet tiles are taking over the soft-surface flooring market due to their functionality advantages over broadloom carpets. While carpet tiles are more expensive than broadloom, carpet tile systems are easier to replace. For high-traffic areas especially, carpet tiles are your best soft-surface option &#; it&#;s much more cost-effective to replace a ruined carpet tile than it is to re-seam, re-stretch and replace an entire roll of broadloom.

With the rise of industrial-strength carpet tiles and water-resistant carpet tiles, concerns about spills and moisture have become less of an issue. Most carpet tile floors will adequately maintain their appearance with consistent vacuuming and cleaning, even under high traffic demands. And as sections wear out, the tiles are easily replaced &#; saving valuable time and money for your facility by avoiding a full-on replacement.

To learn more about the durable commercial carpet products on the market, check out our carpet buyer&#;s guide. It&#;ll give you all the information you need to select the right carpet product for your facility based on your budget and performance requirements.

Selecting carpet for your budget, interior design and facility environment

Selecting a carpet that matches your design vision, stands up to your facility environment and aligns with your budget is no small task. We&#;ve created this guide as a resource to help you make an informed carpet purchasing decision.

Download our guide

Rubber flooring: Safe and durable for hospitals and gyms

Not only is rubber flooring resistant to the wear-and-tear of heavy traffic loads &#; its cushioned design also prevents fatigue of employees and customers as they walk. It also reduces the volume of noise such as dumbbells dropping or carts rolling, prevents impact damage to the subfloor below and is slip-resistant, too.

While it&#;s easy to install and maintain, its &#;rubbery&#; smell will linger long after installation. And its lack of design and finishing options makes this more of a utilitarian product than an aesthetic one. Despite its drawbacks, rubber flooring is a great product for use in gyms, labs and hospitals due to its strength, durability and acoustic qualities.

Still have questions about durable flooring options?

In this article, we&#;ve shared the best commercial-rated flooring materials for use in high-traffic areas. But figuring out the best solution for your facility&#;s needs must take a variety of factors into consideration.

We can help with that.

At Spectra Contract Flooring, we&#;ve installed nearly every type of commercial flooring across 400,000 installations and counting. We can walk you through your durable material options and help you select the right choice for your budget, design vision and environment. Start a conversation with a commercial flooring expert.

How to save money on commercial flooring: value engineering, better materials and smarter solutions

We&#;ve packed 350,000 projects worth of unbiased recommendations into this brief, no-nonsense guide. Read it to arm yourself with valuable negotiation insights, source the right materials at the best prices and cut through product hype.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of automotive shop flooring. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Comments

Top 5 Commercial Flooring Options by Experts