One of the most frequently asked questions put to architects and designers is what to do about resilient flooring. More and more people want to install a floor that truly lasts, without showing rapid wear from normal usage, and they are willing to consider a wide range of unconventional materials and emerging solutions to see it happen. This is particularly important with the slowdown in the housing industry and the economic recession, since people are careful about investing money in something that won’t hold up well, remain stylish long-term, and appreciate in value. What exactly is the best choice for resilient flooring? Let’s take a look at the options.
Resilient flooring really needs to meet two standards. The floor of any space takes the most abuse out of any part of the building: it’s exposed to the most potential damage and the most risk of stain and dirt. So ideally your floor needs to be both highly durable and powerfully stain-resistant. Any floor that can hold up to these two standards is going to be an excellent investment that pays for itself in the long term. But surprisingly, most of the traditional flooring materials people immediately think of fail miserably to meet one or both of these standards. Think about it: carpeting stains easily, wood warps from moisture and is easy to scratch, linoleum gouges easily, tile can be hard to clean and chips if anything heavy is dropped on it. The materials we use most commonly are in many cases the least resilient flooring available, and in some cases are not cost-effective either.
That’s why I’ve come to view rubber flooring as one of the best and most resilient flooring materials available. Rubber flooring is extremely shock-resistant and water-resistant just as you would expect rubber to be. It is one of the greenest materials available and can help a construction project qualify for LEED certifications. It’s low cost, but it outlasts many other materials, and is less likely to scuff, scratch or wear. In fact rubber flooring is used in many heavy-use work studios and commercial spaces because it combines a beautiful elegance with incredible resilience. It is easy to clean, hard to stain, and it actively inhibits the growth of mildew or mold.
At the same time, rubber flooring is one of the most attractive flooring materials on the market. It is available in sheets and tiles, textured or smoothed, in solid colors, speckled, or a number of inviting natural wood and stone tones. It’s comfortable to walk on and works for indoor and outdoor spaces equally well.
If you want to make sure you have resilient flooring in your space, take a look at what rubber flooring has to offer.
