Retail stores are always in flux. Single proprietors and multi-national mass merchandisers both work hard to draw us into their stores. They are constantly looking for the right design to attract us. The proper selection of flooring is crucial in today’s retail environment. Many of the same principles apply to both small and large retailers when it comes down to choosing the right floor covering. Each requires a strict process to ensure that all requirements are met in order for flooring installations to be successful.
This business segment has five main requirements: Image, Durability and Hygiene, Installation, Product Selection, and Product Selection.
Image
The most common comment made during the selection process for retail flooring is “I want my store to look great.” This usually means that the retailer wants the flooring to play a part in setting the tone and image of the store. The right color and texture selection can help shoppers feel integrated into the shopping experience. Many shoppers make purchase decisions based upon the image they see in the retailer’s advertising campaigns. The retailer then has to transform the advertisement imagery into a purchasing experience. The vast array of flooring options available today gives retailers the opportunity to create transformative shopping experiences.
Floor covering manufacturers continue to improve their products with unique and appealing print films in vinyl, botanol, the texture of fibered products and more color in recycled rubber flooring options.
Durability
It is important to ensure that the product chosen not only looks great but also lasts in the intended environment. This step will assess the product’s durability in relation to the expected traffic flow. This is done to make sure that the materials do not show premature signs of wear. To protect the product’s design, it must have a sufficient wear layer. The store’s image will be ruined if the material is damaged by heavy traffic or pivot points. This could impact the customer’s perception of the value of the purchase and the quality of their shopping experience. For lasting impressions, it is best to slightly underestimate the durability requirements.
It is recommended that interior flooring systems be protected with multi-zoned entrance matting to ensure durability and long service life. An entrance system that removes moisture and debris from footwear is essential.
Commercial flooring must be durable, long-lasting, hardy, made from quality materials and able to withstand liquids, stains and heavy foot traffic.
If debris and dirt are not kept at the entrance, they will easily spread to the interior and cause severe damage to the floor covering. Hard surface flooring materials will be damaged by dirt and debris. The floor will be sanded quickly by debris, which acts like a belt-sander. This can cause damage to the finish of hard surface flooring materials and increase costs. Fibered flooring can be affected by debris, which can reduce its life expectancy. It becomes more difficult to remove debris and dirt that has settled into the fiber. It is important to remove it immediately as the debris can quickly wear away the pile fiber and reduce its life span.
Moisture at the entrance can cause other problems. Moisture from shoes can cause slips and falls and increase maintenance costs. Excess moisture on hard surface flooring can cause damage to heterogeneous sheets of goods, seepage into seams that are not sealed, and damage to porous goods. Moisture can increase the risk of slips and falls on hard surfaces. This liability exposure can be mitigated by proper moisture removal through an entrance system. Fibered goods can absorb moisture and prevent it from evaporating. The shopping experience can be negatively affected if there is too much moisture.
Today’s matting industry is adamant that systems should be designed in multiple stages or zones. The entrance matting system may start outside if there is an overhang. This is often called Zone 1. This is where you can remove large pieces of debris and encapsulate the shoes with an aggressive scraping medium. If there is no overhang, the vestibule or Zone 2 is the next application. This is where the drying process starts and medium particles are removed. Often, drop-through systems are used to encapsulate them. Zone 3 is the interior. It’s most commonly the lobby. The drying process begins and the fine particles are removed. Multi zoned systems are required as no single product can do all three functions. A 20-30 lineal foot length of matting will result in 86% to 100% effectiveness. This system can greatly help you select the right interior floors to meet their expected life spans.
Hygienics
When choosing the right retail flooring, it is important to ensure hygienic conditions. Retailers are becoming more competitive. This means that they are increasingly concerned about creating an “experience” shopping experience, not just a “swing by.” Here are two topics. The first concern is indoor air quality. The selection process today is focused on the VOC’s associated with floor coverings. FloorScore(r), Green Label Plus certification and conformance are becoming more important to decision-makers.
It is not only important to choose the right product, but it is also important to consider the adhesives that are used to attach the goods to the substrate. Similar environmental standards should be applied to adhesives and cleaning chemicals.
The second aspect of the hygienic equation refers to the impression that a clean facility gives its customers. Retail is a busy industry. High traffic volumes can bring huge amounts of debris into the interior. Problem is that shoppers judge facilities based on their cleanliness. The number one way they judge a facility’s cleanliness is through its floor covering. A clean and tidy interior can be achieved by using the right flooring products and applying an effective entrance mat system.
Today’s breakthroughs in resilient flooring products, such as factory-applied polyurethane surfaces treatments or top layers, reduce maintenance requirements. This allows for a cleaner and more welcoming retail environment.
Installation
The actual installation of flooring materials is one of the biggest challenges in retail flooring environments. Although all ASTM standards can be followed for the installation of different types of flooring, the biggest problem is the time and timing.
While new construction might allow for shorter time frames, retail faces the challenge of replacing damaged or worn flooring in open spaces. It often involves removing old flooring coverings from the store, preparing the floor for installation, and then reassembling the fixtures. This can often be done in one day or overnight. The right “fast track” flooring products are required to complete this task.
Products that can be applied with either spray adhesives or roll-on adhesives are popular options to speed up turnarounds. These fast-paced retail environments don’t allow for trowelable adhesives to dry or cure. The adhesive will be set in 24 to 48 hours.
Spray adhesives are more effective because they are applied in thin layers. This allows the flooring to be installed quickly and is ready for fixtures. Because a trowel doesn’t create an adhesive bed thick enough to be used as a trowel, this is why the flooring is not “thick”. The trowel process allows the adhesive to be easily moved under the flooring away from the impact point of the load. The adhesive will leave a “pockmark” in the installation after it has been removed. This is because the adhesive has lost its consistency level.
This environment also offers another option: adhesives that can easily be rolled onto the substrate. Roll on adhesives is similar to spray-on adhesives in that it reduces the thickness of the adhesive bed. This adhesive has a short cure time and is very easy to use, so fixtures can be put back into place quickly. This application is most popular for fleece-backed sheet goods. The fleece acts as a medium for bonding to the adhesive bed and creates a strong bond with the substrate.
New and innovative “click-systems”, which completely eliminate the need for adhesive, are finally gaining popularity in retail settings.
Products
Carpet, wood and VCT were the most popular options in retail environments historically. They offer consistent performance and look. Retail decision-makers are increasingly looking for unique designs and a better customer experience. However, there is a growing demand for other flooring products. The following are some of the latest selections:
Solid Vinyl Plank & tile (LVT), These are made to accept natural-looking wood grain planks or stone-like tiles in an affordable and easy-to-care-for vinyl medium. This segment offers a variety of wood species and colors as well as a large selection of stone replicas such as slate, travertine and more. These designs can be used to design a variety of retail segments. There are many options on the market today, but the most sought-after materials are those that conform to the ASTM F7100 Class III Vinyl Tile Standard. These tiles have a.5mm wear level for a commercial rating. Polyurethane coatings are another popular choice. FloorScore(r), Certification is also available. LVT allows both the retailer and installer to benefit from spray adhesives, which allow for a quick turnaround after installation. The click system is also very popular.
Sheet Vinyl This is another popular selection. You have the option to display natural wood grains, solid colors or tonal gradation in an affordable, easy-to-maintain medium. Today’s selections have polyurethane reactive surfaces to reduce maintenance and glass stabilizing layers that prevent splitting seams. Softeners are also available made from citric acid-esters, which are locally harvested sugar beets. For fast-track projects, sheet vinyl can also be made with fleece backings.
Botanol Sheet Floor Flooring: If durability, hygiene, and ease of maintenance are important, Botanol Sheet Floor Flooring is the newer option. Botonal flooring is made from materials that are more than 90% renewable and infinitely available. A synthesized polyurethane is made from castor oil, canola and chalk. The heterogeneous sheet material is characterized by a unique density due to the polyurethane molecules. This gives vinyl 5x more durability, is easy to maintain and requires no sealing, waxing or buffing. PVC VOC off-gassing is also eliminated from traditional sheet vinyl.
Recycle rubber: This product is becoming a standard in many retail environments. It’s no longer limited to a solid black color or minimal color flecks, as it can be used in a variety of designs. Roll goods are still popular, but recycled rubber modular tiles are becoming more popular. Block design, which is a different manufacturing process than cutting tiles from rolls of goods, eliminates the worry about roll memory. Block manufacturing allows tiles to be laid flat and can be water-jet cut to exact tolerances. You can now buy recycled rubber tiles in different thicknesses depending on your store’s durability requirements. They are available with a square edge for permanent glue-down installations or water jet interlocking for dynamic installations.
Terrazzo Tile This tile has been a standard in the retail sector for a long time. Natural aggregates are a great way to address image issues. They also provide pour-in-place durability and easy maintenance, without the complications that can be associated with traditional installation methods. Today’s terrazzo tiles market has made significant advances in the form of large format tiles, which have fewer seams and are easier to install. A terrazzo tile with a polyester resin binder, which is adhered to the substrate allows the tile to bend when it is under pressure or when the slab is settling, is another option. For hygienic purposes, a unique fusion process can also be used to produce impermeable seams.
Woven Vinyl These floor coverings are a favorite choice for retailers. Three-dimensional woven flooring provides depth and appeal that traditional floor coverings cannot match. Woven vinyl has a lower maintenance schedule. The woven strand flooring surface is easy to clean, and it has the same rich appearance as a fiber. The current color palette of woven vinyl is brown and gray. This allows for natural sisals and seagrass to be assimilated. It also features variegated patterns in blues, greens and yellows. You can choose to install woven vinyl in tiles or rolls with sealed seams to prevent moisture intrusion.
To protect interior floor coverings, it is important to install an entrance mat system. The current offerings include a wide range of foot grilles that can be used in retail environments, great options for roll goods, and modular tiles in a variety fiber choices. This allows you to match the color and texture of different zones and accomplish different tasks in the system.
The unique needs of retail flooring will enable the decision-maker to choose products that are attractive, durable, easy to install, and clean. With today’s wide range of flooring options, retailers are able to achieve their goals quickly and create the perfect shopping experience.
