As commercial spaces renovate to attract a larger crowd, contractors have many floor covering options to choose from. Two of the more popular materials used in commercial installation are commercial tile and commercial carpet.
Terrazzo and carpeting are popular materials used in commercial flooring installations, and for good reason. Terrazzo provides a long life appeal and ease of maintenance. The flexibility of terrazzo as a design medium allows for highly expressive graphic patterning. By varying matrix colors as well as aggregate size, colors and materiality, terrazzo supports a rich palette of colors and visual textures. From design to durability, terrazzo is a material that is well-suited for the unique demands of a commercial environment.
Another popular material in the commercial tile category is porcelain tile. Porcelain is a denser, less porous and harder option that offers greater stain and water resistance than ceramic tile. Advances in digital inkjet printing technology featuring enhanced high-definition reproduction now allow porcelain tiles to mimic stone, wood, fabric, leather, metal and other materials with amazing precision and realism. Unlike conventional screen and roller printing, inkjet performs flawlessly on textured or relief surfaces, too, making it possible to reproduce both the visual and tactile properties of a material with hyper-realistic dimensional tiles. Tile can also replicate man-made materials such as textiles and fabrics — a fashion-inspired trend that the Italians, for one, have embraced.
Carpet is always a standard in the commercial sector, mainly for its acoustical qualities and easy maintenance. Today’s carpets are engineered to resist staining and fading, and withstand even heavy foot traffic. When properly cleaned and maintained, carpet will maintain its life and beauty for many years.
Commercial carpet offers large-scale patterns, making it ideal for airport concourses, convention centers, office buildings, private box lounges, country clubs and gaming facilities. The look and performance of a carpet is determined by its construction, which may be loop, cut or combinations of the two. In corridors, lobbies and other public areas, loop piles of low, dense construction tend to retain their appearance and resiliency and, generally, provide a better. Cut pile or cut and loop pile carpet are great choices for libraries, offices and meeting rooms.
An alternative to broadloom or wall-to-wall carpeting is carpet tile. While all commercial segments are reporting using carpet tile, suppliers say that corporate is the strongest with healthcare, education and retail experiencing significant growth.
What makes carpet tiles the new “it” choice? They are uniformly sized, totally self-contained (no pad, fasteners or edging required), completely interchangeable pieces that install easily. Unlike traditional carpeting, carpet tile gives you the opportunity to mix and match not just colors, but also styles, fibers and shapes.
Engineered to hold up in high-traffic areas, there are many advantages to using carpet tiles, including easy installation, easy maintenance and design flexibility – if you get a stain, no problem, just pop out the tile and clean it. Or, you can replace one tile – not the whole room.
Carpet tiles offer unmatched design flexibility, and they mix well with other materials. And because each piece is dimensionally identical, you get a perfectly “square” job every time. Plus, it is a natural acoustical conditioner, promoting speech privacy in large spaces; ease of installation or replacement with glueless tack methods that are environmentally friendly; reduction in fall-related injuries; and non-color fading.
No matter what flooring covering you choose for your commercial space, you want it to perform, be slip-resistant and be able to hold up for long periods of time, not to mention look good.