Flooring is often one of the biggest components of a scheme and can have a dramatic impact on how a space looks and how users engage with it. Floor finishes can add personality and character to large open areas and help to delineate or zone spaces.
Certain types can help add warmth and a homely touch, inset rugs and textured floors can add that little extra layer of luxury and the use of timber flooring is always a simple way of adding a natural, warm aesthetic, as timber floors are available in so many patterns and formats.
A heavy duty commercial quality engineered timber floor with a good wear layer – if well maintained – will last for years, improve with age and if necessary can be sanded down and resealed and refreshed in the future.
Lighting can change the appearance of a floor finish and reflects differently off hard and soft surfaces. Using a dark floor finish can create the illusion of lowering the ceiling/bringing the ceiling down. A clever combination of floor finishes can also elevate the space and create the illusion of raising the ceiling.
When planning the layout, we always think about how the natural light illuminates the space and if a connection to the outside can be part of the design. We then use the same floor finish inside and outside to create a seamless transition.
Key considerations when purchasing
Floor finishes come in numerous thicknesses so it’s vital that where they meet the junctions have been carefully considered, ideally to achieve seamless, level thresholds.
When specifying flooring we’re always thinking about the end use and how we can create a feeling of quality, the ability to easily keep the floors clean and safe and minimise operational issues.
Wet, poolside areas, changing areas, fitness gym and studio areas, reception and arrival spaces and spa and wellness facilities all require different considerations and flooring types.
In wet areas such as pools and showers, getting the right balance between slip resistance and cleanability is essential. For these areas we often specify large format porcelain tiles that are not too textured but still achieve the requisite, barefoot anti-slip rating. In wet areas, tiles are often combined with underfloor heating which makes them dry, warm and comfortable for barefoot users.
The use of large format tiles helps to minimise the number of grout lines and consequent cleaning and maintenance. We’re currently seeing a move away from the use of small format floor tiles (such as mosaics where there is a lot of grout) towards the use of micro cement and resin floors made from natural biopolymers.
Particular care has to be taken when designing wet spaces to ensure there’s no water ponding; this can be avoided with the correct angle, direction and gradient of falls to floor drainage gullies.
In fitness studios we often recommend a sprung flooring system like Boen Sports grey oak floor which has a very natural feel to it, unlike the usual polished oak finish that’s ubiquitous in many sports clubs. Sprung sports floors are specifically designed to reduce impact and injury and are an ideal choice for multiple high- and low-impact activity classes.
Flooring for free weights areas
In free weight areas consideration is always given to impact, heavy equipment and reverberation. A quality specialist rubberised/rubber crumb system is often the best solution and these are available in a multitude of thicknesses with many different underlay options which can be tailored to suit specific environments. With this type of floor logos and graphics can also be embedded into the floors to create a dynamic branded look.
In fitness studios we often recommend a sprung flooring system to reduce impact and injury