Are you an architect or designer designing items for Healthcare? Are you fully aware of the difficulties the hospital beds can pose to floors? You may be an interior design student who wants to know more about the importance of floors in the operating room. Then you’re at the right place!
Healthcare facilities are among the most creative sectors of the flooring market. Although there are some set guidelines for safety, the sector also provides thoughtful design opportunities. Click information here!
Suppose it’s a doctor’s clinic or lab unit, an individual hospital suite, a rehabilitation center, a common room at an elderly living facility, or dozens of other rooms devoted to medical staff, patients, and visitors. In that case, flooring is the basis of the area.
Mannington Commercial has worked in these areas for a long time with a group that is dedicated to learning about and understanding specific problems. There are many regulations – with legitimate reasons- but there’s also a lot of joy when you’re part of rehabilitation facilities that positively impact people’s lives.
Operating rooms, for instance, have particular issues. They can make up to 70 percent of the hospital’s revenue and are still open. OR Facilities require a higher level of tear, rip, and gouge prevention.
Flooring must withstand the most rigorous hygiene and infection control standards. Comfort, slip resistance, and the lifecycle are among the most important customer factors. In most of these areas, monolithic flooring, also called seamless flooring, is required.
There are some concepts to learn and kinds of flooring to be aware of when talking about the market for Healthcare.
Flooring made of Monolithic material is seamless and creates a sterile atmosphere. It can be either a poured-in-place material or with seams made of heat, in which they are thermally fused. There are no joints that could be a breeding ground for bacteria.
The resilient flooring type includes products like:
- LVT
- Sheet vinyl
- Vinyl-composition materials, such as VCT
- Cork, rubber, and linoleum
Sheet resilient flooring refers to anything with a worn surface that is not textile, non-wood, or non-stone. This means anything without hardwood, carpet laminates, stones, cement, or ceramic. The two most commonly used varieties are sheets of vinyl and rubber. Both are heated-welded (thermally joining seams) or flash-coved (installing the product 6″ into the walls) for a safe space.
Sheet vinyl’s benefits are:
- It is available in various images.
- Made in a variety of sizes to minimize seams
- Does not meet the monolithic criteria required for infection control areas
- Cost-effective sheet flooring solution
- A flooring option that is easy to keep clean compared to other flooring options.
- Legacy of performance from rigorous health care environments
Two different manufacturing procedures are related to sheet goods. Homogeneous is only one substance, one layer starting from the top and ending at the bottom. Heterogeneous is a type of product that’s made up of layers, with typically separate chemical components for each layer. Products that are resilient and have printed images (like LVT or sheet wood tiles or planks) are heterogeneous.
Rubber
Rubber sheets are popular for use in medical facilities, specifically operating rooms. It’s a cost-effective, non-vinyl solution with low-contrast colors ideal for operating theatre use. The non-vinyl product is produced in a four-foot wide roll with several adhesives. It is 0.118 inches thick, or three millimeters.
The static loads are 1200 PSI, which is extremely impressive for this product type. Most of the time, due to base materials, rubber exhibits more rebound and compression properties, resulting in flooring that offers better foot comfort.
Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT)
LVT is a flexible product, generally made up of backing layers, a print subcaste, and a wear and tear subcaste( s). It’s also cut into colorful sizes, the most popular being plank( occasionally known as LVP) and pipe. In healthcare settings, the wear and tear subcaste is generally 20 mils or further vinyl carpeted with a defensive subcaste like UV- cured urethane with an abrasive particulate that can ameliorate wear and tear and stain resistance.
The consensus in Healthcare is to use a square edge rather than an angle since it’s easier to clean, with less accumulation in seams. Many Environmental Service (EVS) professionals think that a square-edged product can reduce the possibility of bacteria and fluids accumulating, making their cleaning processes more effective.
The seemingly endless range of colors and sizes can be used to create unique solutions that can address typical healthcare issues like branding, performance, wayfinding, and social distancing. Furthermore, the diversity of design images allows subtle patterns to be easily integrated into healthcare facilities and areas that must be aware of people with mobility or memory care issues, where high-contrast, bold designs may not be suitable.
The advantages of LVT include:
- A vast array of images
- A wide range of sizes, from tiles to planks to unique shapes
- Modular format that allows for easy replacement
- Many wear layers and performance options
- Cost-effective solution that can be used in a range of areas
Liquid linoleum
Liquid Linoleum is a unidirectional liquid flooring poured with six essential ingredients: cork, linseed oils, vegetable oils, limestone, and a naturally colored coloring agent. Mannington’s latest line, Legato, a Quantum Guard Elite urethane layer, forms a top-of-the-line performance layer. Liquid Linoleum is mixed, poured, trowled, and coated on the spot. This provides many benefits and seamless flooring. Since it’s seamless when there’s damage to a floor, repair can be seamless, too.
The benefits of liquid linoleum are:
A more sustainable choice. The EPD, HPD, and HPD are accessible on our website. It is Declare Red List Free and could contribute to LEED credits.
PVC-free in addition to VOC-free, without plasticizers, formaldehyde, other chemicals, and chlorine, and no heavy metals. This could be an enormous benefit, particularly for those who wish to install the product in spaces that are not occupied.
The product is equipped with a “memory,” so residual indentation when high rolling or static loads won’t be a problem.
No adhesives are required.
Seamless repair, which doesn’t require heating welding.
