The function of a commercial washroom is the same whether it is in a shopping centre, grocery store or fitness centre, however, when choosing commercial flooring you should look for material that will last and retain its appearance and value for years to come. Looking for proper commercial washroom flooring can be tedious at best. You need to take into account how many people use your washrooms on a daily basis, to weigh the pros and cons of your available options.
Flooring materials must be able to handle heavy traffic from customers and should be resistant to cracks and surface damage, while also being visually pleasing coordinate with your commercial washroom design. Another good aspect to keep in mind is the difficulty of cleaning. If the flooring material is overly porous than it will be rather difficult to clean and remove stains. You should choose a material that is solid such as vinyl, which is common in medical buildings like hospitals do to its slip resistant qualities. The more daily use that a public bathroom sees, the more important that these characteristics become.
Important Commercial Flooring Factors
Water Resistance: A Commercial Bathroom is typically humid, damp environment. If porous or permeable flooring is used in this area, eventually moisture can penetrate down underneath which can become a breeding ground for mold and bacteria. On the other hand, flooring like vinyl that can require regular resealing which increase facility maintenance costs. The ideal commercial flooring option should be resistant to moisture penetration and require little maintenance costs long term.
Durability: Whenever you begin shopping for new commercial flooring in Toronto, select a couple options and consider the durability of each. The more traffic that your commercial restroom sees on a daily basis, the more your flooring surface will suffer from repeated wear and tear. Key factors to look for are scratch-resistance, fading, cracking, and breaking which can reduce the costs of future repair and /or replacement.
Safety: Liability is another often forgotten aspect of commercial flooring replacement. Washrooms have typically damp and slippery floors due to people spilling water and drying hands. If someone slips and/or falls and gets seriously injured, a lawsuit can be a potential problem to your business. The chances of a potential lawsuit can be reduced by choosing a floor that is slip-resistant or has increased traction / grip.
Health: As any business owner knows, it can be rather difficult to keep your public bathrooms spotless. A higher quality floor can help! Flooring material that is solid and easy to clean will be much easier to maintain than rough, porous flooring options. There are also many options available to provide extra anti-microbial properties reducing the chances of bacteria making their way deep into your flooring.
Design: Just because your bathroom is a bathroom, doesn’t mean it isn’t an important part of your business. The flooring you choose for this room should not only coordinate with your overall style but if it’s possible you could use this as a place to be creative and create a visually intriguing floor.
Affordability: The price of flooring material can vary greatly depending on the option you choose. In addition to product cost, you should also take into account the cost of installation, repairs, replacement, and maintenance.
Flooring Options for Your Commercial Washroom
Concrete: Concrete is a great, low-cost alternative for first story bathrooms in commercial locations. Concrete typically already exists as a subfloor underneath flooring and can be pretty inexpensive to polish, stain and/or other decorative treatments. Concrete is easy to maintain and do need to be sealed regularly, but after that can be cleaned simply with water and a mop & bucket.
Vinyl: An inexpensive and resilient flooring option, vinyl flooring products come in many different designs and finishes. Vinyl flooring options can range from faux stone and hardwood patterns are available as well as many coloured options. Vinyl flooring is resistant to moisture and stains and is fairly easy to clean with simple mopping on a regular basis. One major drawback of vinyl is that it fades over time. Vinyl flooring typically lasts around 8-10 years before it begins to look faded, and old.
Ceramics: Ceramic tile is made from clay and other natural sediments, they are fired in an oven (known as a “kiln”) until they begin to resemble stone. Ceramic tile can be printed to match almost any style of flooring - even wood!. That makes this style of flooring incredibly durable and versatile. Ceramic tile is a great option for washrooms with high-traffic area and heavy daily use. Click here to read more about the benefits of Ceramic Tiles
Natural Stone: Natural stone is a durable option that will more than likely outlive many of us if treated and cared for properly. They have an incredibly unique texture that will give the floor much-needed grip when the bathroom floor is wet. While being one of the most durable, it is also one of the more expensive options and can be expensive to maintain. Natural stone are very porous material and should be chemically resealed every 6 months to 1 year.
Brick: A durable, rich and vibrant material with a wide range of uses. Brick is very popular in cafes, bars, bistros, restaurants, and pubs due to its warm appearance and rich colour. Like natural stone, brick is a very hard and tough material, which means that it will need to be sealed in order to be used as flooring. Once sealed, brick becomes almost virtually indestructible. Most brick sealants are resistant to stains and moisture and the durability of the brick makes it a great long-term flooring solution.
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