When choosing and designing your office interior, several different factors, like aesthetics and durability, are important to consider. For example, your office should be a welcoming place where you and your employees feel comfortable, since you will spend many hours of every week here. Furthermore, it is best to have a floor that works well with the office chairs: It should be smooth, durable, and resistant to scruffs. Of course, it should also match the rest of your office interior, although you could start off with the floor to set the style and then match your office walls, furniture, and decor accordingly. There are countless options to choose from, so we will only look at a few of them in this article.
Carpet
Carpet is ideal for creating a warm, welcoming, and comfortable atmosphere. It just feels soft and nice when walking down the corridor and carpets come in innumerable different colours, patterns, and styles. Another benefit of carpet flooring is that it works quite well to soundproof the environment and it is rather durable.
One downside is that carpets can easily get stained and require higher levels of maintenance than other types of flooring – especially when it comes to cleaning, since you can’t just wipe them clean. This problem can be solved, however, by using carpet tiles, because, once they’re installed, the tiles can easily be exchanged, which provides more flexibility, and you won’t have to worry too much about stubborn stains. Another downside of carpet flooring is that office chair wheels can easily get stuck in it, especially when the material is too soft.
Therefore, carpet flooring may be an ideal choice for waiting areas, conference rooms or corridors, where it creates a welcoming atmosphere without being an obstacle for office chairs.
Hardwood
Just like carpets, hardwood floors create a homely atmosphere and are very durable. Depending on the kind of wood you get, they might have to be varnished from time to time and can be quite pricey. But they are an excellent choice for the actual workspace, as the chairs will neither slide nor get stuck on them. Plus, they are easy to clean and sustainable.
When it comes to style, hardwood offers great flexibility, too. For example, if you would like to create a rather elegant, homely atmosphere, you can choose a darker wood like mahogany or European walnut. Or if you are aiming to make your office space seem friendlier and more spacious, it might be best to go for birch or bamboo.
Laminate
Apart from being stylish, laminate flooring has plenty of other advantages too. Firstly, it is easy to clean, maintain and you won’t even necessarily need an expert to install it because it’s so simple. Secondly, laminate floors are among the most affordable options when it comes to choosing the right flooring for your office. Although the purchase price might not seem too cheap at first, you will save money with the cheap installation process, long durability, and low maintenance. And, last but not least, laminate flooring is quite resistant to scratches and scrapes that can be caused by chairs sliding over it.
The downside of laminate flooring is that it typically creates more noise than other floor types. Considering the permanent moving of chairs, phone calls and people walking in and out of your office, laminate flooring can create some unwanted background noise in a large office space. However, you can use an underlayment to solve this problem and buffer some of the noise, while creating extra comfort at the same time.
Vinyl
Vinyl rolls and LVT are very similar to laminate floors, as they are just as easy to install and look very similar too.
The downside is that vinyl flooring is usually a bit pricier than laminate, but thanks to its long durability the higher investment pays off. Vinyl lasts almost twice as long as laminate. And, since it is entirely or partially made of plastic, it is water resistant too.
Interlocking Wood Boards
This innovative concept involves hardwood boards that are interlocked in a perpendicular pattern. Since all tiles are clicked together, they offer great flexibility in style choices. Different colours or patterns can be combined easily or exchanged when they get old. Since the boards are made from natural wood, they offer similar benefits to hardwood floors in terms of durability, resistance, and natural materials.
Rubber Flooring
For high-traffic areas such as the reception or office corridors, rubber flooring is a great option due to its high durability, water resistance and easy maintenance. It also feels comfortable, prevents slipping, and insulates noise very well. If you are now thinking of a grey, dull-looking gym floor, you probably haven’t seen the large variety of styles, patterns, and colours for rubber flooring yet.
If this article hasn’t given you enough insight into which floor may be right for your office, Wema Raumkonzepte knows even more. This German company will provide you with all the necessary information on ergonomic workplace advantages and, of course, help you choose the right floor from the countless options on the market.