Commercial flooring options all have pros and cons. You, the buyer, have to decide which of the floors’ characteristics are most important to you. We will look at several different types of commercial flooring with a list of their respective pros and cons.

These are the characteristics we’ll judge them by: (1) Cost, (2) Service Life (how long do they last), (3) Ease of Cleaning, (4) Ease of Repair, (5) Environmental (plusses or minuses), (6) Affect on Sound and (6) Safety

1. Carpeting

Pros

Carpeting is soft and makes a room feel warm and inviting. It looks luxurious.

It’s relatively easy to clean if you pick, for example, one made with the new Antron nylon fiber.

If you have carpeting, the air is cleaner. Microscopic dirt that is usually moving around in the air stays in the carpet until it’s vacuumed up.

Because it’s soft, it has pretty good traction and is safer than hard floors, cushioning a fall. It has a dampening effect on sound.

Cons

Some carpets may have a shorter service life than hard floors. While cleaning can be a little more challenging than hard floor, modern advancements have made that burden easier to overcome. Some carpets are now more stain-resistant as well. Rolls can be a little more on the expensive side to repair, but carpet tiles are relatively easy to fix and replace.

2. Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT)

Pros

It has a great price point. It comes in a million colors and textures and styles. It has a very long service life. It’s very easy to clean and is very durable. It is sometimes made from recycled materials. It’s easy to repair if laid in tiles. Harder to repair if laid in sheets. It’s safer than a stone floor, but not as safe as carpet. It can have good traction.

Cons

Some people don’t like it because it’s artificial—it’s made of vinyl or plastic. Depending on how it’s made and installed, it can off-gas volatile organic compounds (VOC’s). Depending on the style, it can be slippery when wet.

3. Wood

Pros

Wood floors look beautiful. They can be refinished and have a pretty long service life. People like the look. Wood looks warm and inviting. It’s not as durable as a stone floor and not terribly resistant to scratches or gouges.

Wood can be harvested in an environmentally friendly fashion and considered a renewable product.

Cons

Wood floors are not as easy to repair as LVT or carpet tile. They can be slippery when wet, but not as slippery as tile. It’s a relatively hard floor, so not as safe as a softer floor like LVT or carpet.

4. Porcelain or Ceramic Tile

Pros

Tile looks very clean and classy. Very easy to clean although grout will likely have to be cleaned separately on a regular basis. Very long service life. Very durable. A broken tile is easy to replace if the floor has been correctly installed initially. It’s extremely resistant to damage from scratches, water, and even chemicals.

Cons

Proper professional installation is critical. Higher installation (upfront) cost, but lower cost over time. Breakable objects will shatter when dropped. People can get hurt when falling on such a hard floor. Sounds will echo without proper furnishings.

We certainly haven’t covered all the commercial flooring possibilities. We haven’t mentioned rubber, linoleum, polished concrete, or a host of others. But we wanted to just give you a quick glimpse at the all the things you have to think about when choosing commercial flooring.

And that’s why you need to know ahead of time what is important to you and your business. Talk to experienced commercial flooring professionals before choosing commercial flooring. You’ll be much happier with the finished product if you do.

We are experts at specifying the right product for your commercial flooring projects. @EagleMatFloors is family owned and operated, providing sales and installation of commercial flooring products to Property Managers and Commercial Building Owners in the Washington DC Metro area for over 35 years. Eagle Mat & Floor Products specializes in renovating facilities in the Corporate, Education, Government, Healthcare, Hospitality, Multi-Family and Public Spaces.

For more information please contact us at (301) 762-2000 or sales@eaglemat.net