Choosing healthcare flooring can be a complex process since so many different factors must be weighed. Commercial flooring for healthcare businesses has to be safe, sterile, slip-resistant, and durable, and different types of healthcare spaces have different needs. Here are some of the things you should consider when choosing flooring for a healthcare business.

Make Mobility a Priority

The flooring you choose has to allow for easy mobility for everyone, including people who are in wheelchairs or are using other mobility devices. Hospital beds and other heavy pieces of rolling equipment must also be able to glide over the floor with ease. LVT, vinyl planks, VCT, and vinyl tiles are all good choices for mobility that can also stand up to the pressure different types of mobility devices. Sheet vinyl and rubber flooring can also be ideal for these uses, particularly in in-patient settings where moving hospital beds is most common.

Give Attention to Glare

The floor you choose for a medical setting should have a low level of glare. Glare from the floor can make it difficult for patients to walk, as it can interfere with visibility, which can cause an increase in fall injuries. Staff are also vulnerable to the dangers of walking on floors with high amounts of glare. Further, staff may also experience increased eye fatigue if they spend their days on high-glare flooring, which can interfere with patient care and workplace satisfaction.

Consider the Cleaning Potential

In the healthcare setting, floors must be impeccably clean, and they must be able to be cleaned quickly. No-wax floors that don?t need to be buffed and polished during every cleaning can speed up the process significantly. The floors should be easy to maintain. Sheet vinyl is a good choice for areas that experience a large amount of potential contamination, such as operating suites.

Planning a major home renovation that includes flooring installation? Or perhaps you?re getting ready to put your home on the market, and need to make some updates to get the best offer. If so, there are a few design trends to know about for 2018, and they?re likely to stay in style for years to come.

Wide Planks

Choosing wood flooring is only the first of many design decisions you?ll need to make. Within this category, there?s an incredible range of options regarding color, finish, and even plank width. One design trend that?s likely to continue into 2018 and beyond is the rustic look. The contemporary rustic style can include wide planks, perhaps with a distressed finish. Wide planks help to open up a room and give it an Old World vibe.

Natural Stone Looks

Bring the beauty of the outdoors into your home with natural-looking elements. Thinking beyond wood flooring, consider natural stone floors made from a surprising material?vinyl. There have been significant improvements in the durability and look of vinyl in recent years. Luxury vinyl flooring can mimic just about any look, including natural stone.

Blanched Wood Floors

The warm, rich tones of honey or cinnamon colors are likely to remain popular among wood flooring enthusiasts. However, more homeowners these days have begun switching over to bleached or blanched wood floors. The process of blanching enhances the natural wood grain, while giving it a much-coveted ashy, white-washed appearance. This lighter wood flooring is well-suited to a variety of house styles?from the beachfront look to an industrial or futuristic scheme.

Fumed Wood Floors

If you love strong, bold colors, consider fumed wood floors. These aren?t stained. Instead, they?re treated with airborne ammonia (avoid flooring treated with liquid ammonia). The result is surprisingly rich tones that make the wood grain truly stand out.

There are so many species of wood flooring, and it?s tough to decide which is right for your home because they all have beautiful, unique characteristics. One of your many choices is hickory hardwood. Visit a wood floor showroom to see how your new hickory floor would look before making your choice. You can also ask around among your friends. If any of them already have hickory floors, invite yourself over to check them out.

Durability

Hardwood floors are given a Janka rating, which is an objective assessment of the hardness of the wood. At 1820, hickory has one of the best Janka ratings among domestic hardwoods. This means that, once you schedule your wood floor installation, it may be decades before you consider replacing it?if ever. This can be a major selling point for active families with kids and pets. Of course, no hardwood is completely invincible. A dog?s nails can still make scratches here and there, but this fact underscores another benefit of choosing hickory: The complex grain pattern readily hides minor scratches.

Aesthetics

Hickory has one of the most beautiful and intricate grain patterns you can find. It tends toward a straight, coarse grain that varies from off-white in color (the sapwood) to tan and brownish-red (the heartwood). It can also have attractive highlights of yellow and gold. Hickory flooring will accept stains well, but you could also leave your prefinished planks as is to enjoy the natural beauty of this popular hardwood.

Ambience

Many homeowners choose hickory because it gives their homes an inviting ambience. It?s ideal for rooms that could use a brightening influence, as the palette is on the lighter side. Despite the lighter colors, you?ll likely find that your new hickory floors bring warmth into your home.

Since new flooring is a much more permanent choice than window treatments, you should choose your new hardwood or laminate floors before considering your window treatment choices. To make your decision, it may help to remind yourself that your window treatments are intended to be accent pieces?much like area rugs and sofa pillows. Talk to a design expert about all of your options before scheduling your wood flooring or carpet installation, and consider the top choices below.

Wood Blinds

A well-designed home features elements that contrast nicely with each other. For example, if your siding is dark brown, you might have red or blue exterior trim. The same principle applies to interior decorating. If you?ve chosen to have carpeting installed in your living room or the bedrooms, consider getting elegant wood blinds for these windows. Well-made wood blinds are long-lasting and affordable, and they add an extra touch of sophistication to any home.

Fabric Shades

Shades are a popular choice among homeowners who have chosen hardwood flooring or wood-look laminate flooring. The softness of the fabric contrasts well with the warm wood, and it provides just the right blend of natural sunlight and shade. The result is an inviting glow that illuminates the beauty of the flooring. Choose from Roman, roller, and cellular shades. Fabric shades come in every color imaginable, so you can easily find a shade that will complement your trim and wall colors.

Drapes

Long, flowing, delicately colored drapes in a bedroom or living room instantly evoke a sense of relaxation. They also pair well with wood, carpeting, and laminate flooring. If you?ve chosen aluminum blinds, consider adding drapes to soften the window treatment and increase the visual interest.

Mohawk is a premium flooring brand known for its exceptional laminate products. Flooring contractors highly recommend installing laminate flooring because it gives the home the look of real hardwood, but it offers superior resistance to spills and grime. Learn more about the laminate flooring by Mohawk when you watch this video.

It features a celebrity designer, who explains that Mohawk laminates are perfect for active families. Mohawk?s GenuEdge Technology keeps dust and dirt from burrowing between the planks, and ScratchGuard offers rugged finish protection against scratches and dullness. Choose from weathered oak, maple, or chestnut, and enjoy the realistic texture that closely mimics the feel of real hardwood.