Choosing the Best Flooring for Your Retail Premises

If you own or run a retail outlet, you will no doubt know how important it is to your commercial flooring In addition to practical considerations, such as maintenance and cleaning, you will need to consider customer and staff safety, appearance and cost. Here are the main points you will need to think about when looking for new flooring for your retail premises.

Business location

This can play a bigger role in your decision if you are in an area exposed to the elements or run a business where you might expect a lot of dirt and mud to be trodden in; for example, if your business has customers walking in off the street, you might expect your flooring requirements to be different to those of a store located within a covered shopping centre. Likewise, if your storefront is open - as many are these days - you might expect rain and dirt to enter the shop from time to time. Using some kind of heavy duty matting along the entrance - much like a giant doormat - can help to reduce the amount of moisture and dirt that ends up on the shop floor. If your business is somewhat open to the elements, you will probably want to avoid expensive and less stable materials such as hardwood.

Customer safety

Slippery floors are a no-go in any premises that are open to the public, and especially in cafes or other businesses where spills can occur frequently. Avoid any kind of flooring that becomes slippery when wet, as you won't be able to keep it dry when it is wet outside and customers are entering your shop with dripping umbrellas.

Colour and design

Light coloured floors make spaces look bigger and airier, so you might want to take this into consideration when choosing your flooring. If you are veering towards laminate flooring, for example, lighter shades can really open up your space and make it look more inviting and aspirational. Conversely, dark floors will hide a multitude of sins and can be a good option if you have heavy foot traffic and don't want the floor to look dirty by lunchtime each day. vinyl flooring is an extremely popular choice for retail partly because of its affordability and durability but also because it is available in an almost limitless variety of colours and designs.

Article kindly provided by carpetdesignandflooring.co.uk