What trends are affecting the flooring industry?

Janet Lowe, Head of Marketing (UK & Ireland) at Forbo Flooring Systems, provides the lowdown on the current trends affecting the flooring industry and how the latest product innovations can offer an effective solution for architects and specifiers.

As the world is consistently changing and regulations are becoming more stringent, we are seeing new challenges arise within the industry, which must be tackled with the appropriate solutions. This can range from the materials used to construct buildings to the internal finishes specified, such as floor coverings. Flooring plays a crucial role in the design of any building. In fact, it not only complements the interior design of a space, but it can also help to create better and healthier indoor environments for occupants.

Acoustic control

Acoustics has become a prominent topic across the industry. Whether at work or at home, excess noise can become a real nuisance if left unchecked. Incessant noise is not only distracting, affecting productivity and concentration, but it can also manifest in physical ailments. In fact, across a number of studies, researchers have demonstrated that people who live and work in noisy environments tend to be more likely to develop harmful health conditions, such as heart disease and high blood pressure.

For those designing buildings, the best way to reduce sound is at the source. As impact sound is generated by traffic contacting the floor surface, specifying acoustic floors are key when it comes to reducing impact noise – especially in multi-occupancy buildings. Historically, acoustic vinyl has tended to offer one of the highest levels of noise-reduction performance.

Rapid and reusable

Due to the nature of commercial buildings, demanding timescales are a pressing issue when it comes to refurbishments. Work will often need to be conducted outside of business hours or staff, customers and occupants may need to be relocated, causing disturbance to daily operations. In addition, in the current climate, where client budgets may be tightened and tradespeople spending less time on site to reduce the risk of infection is preferred as far as possible, the benefits of ensuring a rapid refurbishment has driven the uptake of adhesive free products.

Adhesive free floor coverings can be laid straight down onto the subfloor, or even over an existing floor, including raised access floors found in offices, with minimal preparation in many cases. This reduces installation time by over 50% and work can be carried out over the weekend, overnight or even whilst the premises are still in use.

What’s more, no setting or drying time needs to be factored into the project due to the fact that the installation is completely free of adhesives and the floor is ready to be walked on immediately after it is fitted. From a sustainability perspective, floor coverings can be easily lifted and reused or removed and recycled at the end of its long service life.

Focus on wellbeing

A report by Allergy UK estimated that there are at least 12 million people ‘allergic to their own home‘ – with 58% citing house dust mites as a key trigger. However, the issue should also not be ignored in other buildings too, such as schools and workplaces, where occupants spend a prolonged period of their time. The importance of the choice of floor coverings in creating better indoor environments should not be overlooked.

With increased focus on wellbeing, specifiers should look for products that have been awarded with the prestigious ‘Seal of Approval™’ from Allergy UK. Indeed, with the correct cleaning regime, products like Marmoleum and Flotex will not harbour allergens or house dust mites.

Marmoleum is also independently proven to inhibit the growth and spread of infections such as MRSA, Norovirus and C Difficile, as the natural floor covering is manufactured from 97% natural raw materials, including linseed oil.

Modular matters

Finally, in spaces where flexibility to redesign layouts and raised access floors are a concern, modular floor coverings prove to be a smart choice thanks to their ease and speed of installation.

Damaged tiles and planks can also be individually lifted and replaced without interfering with the whole floor. While carpet tiles and luxury vinyl tiles are often the ‘go-to’, flocked floor coverings prove to be a viable alternative – especially as they can offer the best of both worlds – and have seen a huge rise in popularity over recent years.

The unique construction of flocked flooring combines the comfort, warmth and sound absorbing properties of a carpet with outstanding durability and cleanability. With designs such as the versatile Flotex Planks range being introduced to the market, specifiers can mix and match colours and designs and create patterns easily, such as weave or herringbone, to produce stimulating and inspiring environments.

TOWARDS A NET-ZERO FUTURE

Looking to the future, as the country strives towards achieving net-zero over the next 30 years, if climate change targets are to be met, decarbonisation of the built environment will need to intensify. For architects and specifiers, this means making a conscious effort towards reducing the environmental impact and carbon footprint of buildings, both during construction and whilst in operation. Building a carbon neutral world can begin with the floor.

To help decision makers make responsible choices, flooring manufacturers are continuing to look for new ways to be more sustainable and to minimise the environmental impact of their products and processes wherever possible. Indeed, the path to carbon neutral buildings is made from natural raw materials, not plastic.

As new trends are constantly emerging, it is recommended that architects and specifiers work closely with a reputable flooring manufacturer to keep up to date with the latest developments affecting the industry and to ensure that the most suitable solutions are selected for their projects.