A beautiful spa or salon begins from the floor up! There are a number of spa and salon flooring options and each has its own strengths. Just as importantly, there’s a little extra you can do with most types of flooring to give them an extra advantage that keeps staff comfortable.
1. Ceramic Tile
One of the most common salon flooring options is tile flooring. Ceramic is strong and holds up very well under foot traffic. It won’t wear until you start looking at a timescale of decades. Its durability is stellar.
This can be said of many types of tile, so what makes ceramic superior? One reason is its moisture resistance. It’s tremendously spill-resistant and won’t stain. This makes it ideal for a variety of spa and salon conditions, including areas with high humidity or where water is sprayed or may splash.
Another reason is ceramic’s extreme hardness. It rates a 5 on the PEI ratings that inform how well flooring materials hold up to traffic. That’s the best possible score and evidences a material that won’t wear or chip. Best of all, cleaning and maintenance are a breeze with porcelain.
2. Hardwood
Many still find hardwood the best salon or spa flooring because of how well it communicates warmth and comfort. When we’re inside, we often lose a connection to the outside world. Wood flooring maintains that connection. People find wood flooring reassuring. It eases stress and anxiety, which is part of what they’re paying for with any spa experience.
In these environments, you’ll absolutely need a very good sealer. While hardwood is durable, remember that its one potential weakness is moisture and humidity. Even if you like the look and feel of hardwood in some rooms, that doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for every room. You may prefer to mix in other types of flooring in areas that are exposed to moisture.
As an alternative, you may wish to consider wood-patterned ceramics. These are ceramic tiles that emulate the look of wood. They have all the qualities ceramic tile possesses, but the look itself is more natural and relaxing.
3. Cement
A few years ago, cement wouldn’t have been a high consideration for salon and spa flooring. It’s become more popular for its stripped-down aesthetic. Simplicity communicates effectiveness and transparency.
Cement is ideal for its durability. It won’t wear under high foot traffic, heavy loads, or impacts. It’s also low-cost. Combine this with its straightforward maintenance and you have a floor that’s inexpensive to install and inexpensive to keep up.
The one drawback to cement is that it is hard on the joints. With eight hour shifts, day after day, you may notice staff becoming sore. Use cushioned mats where staff will be spending a great deal of time standing. A comfortable staff makes for comfortable customers.
4. Vinyl
There are several types of vinyl flooring you may wish to consider. Commercial vinyl is available in a few types: vinyl composition tile (VCT), luxury vinyl tile (LVT), and vinyl sheet.
They’re all good choices for high traffic. They can also all help dampen sound in areas that echo.
VCT is the most cost-effective out of the gate, but may need to be refinished by stripping and recoating down the road. LVT is a very good solution that’s much easier to maintain over the long-run. Vinyl sheets essentially make installation easier and reduce the number of seams.
Each type of vinyl can be found in varieties that emulate the look of other materials: wood, stone, tile, concrete. They can use very durable wear layers that are resistant to moisture. Day to day cleaning is easy on each.
5. Bamboo
Hardwood is admired for its hardness and durability. Bamboo is both harder and more durable than most types of hardwood. There are a variety of options for bamboo in terms of how the flooring is constructed. Strand bamboo fuses fibers together under pressure to create a high-density floor that’s three times as hard as edge grain and flat grain options.
Regardless which you choose, bamboo provides a beautiful look that’s extremely tough. Its look is also different from what most expect out of wood. Where hardwood is reassuring in a rough and sturdy way, bamboo communicates an even more relaxed feel. It’s incredibly difficult to wear or dent.
Initial bamboo flooring decades ago meant that natural forests were destroyed halfway around the world, but that’s no longer how bamboo floors are sourced. Today, bamboo farms in the U.S. grow the material in a much more environmentally friendly and sustainable way.
6. Cork
Cork is an option that has more give than hardwood, yet rivals it in durability. It’s very easy on the joints. It also absorbs sound, which can cut down on echoes. Cork is an environmentally friendly option: cork oak can be harvested without harming a tree, and the bark grows back after a few years. Several coats of commercial grade urethane should be applied to ensure easy cleaning.
The floor is also a good thermal insulator, meaning it will always retain warmth well. Just like hardwood and bamboo, it can be refinished from time to time to refresh its look. Unlike hardwood and bamboo, it is easier to damage or scratch.
Consult with an experienced commercial floor installer at East Coast Flooring & Interiors about your spa and salon flooring options. They’ll have experience in each of these choices, and they’ll be able to help you narrow down your options. You’re looking for flooring that fulfills both your practical and aesthetic needs. The ideal floor is out there; it’s just waiting for you to discover it.
