Making an Entrance

You’ll never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Therefore, if you’re the owner of a commercial property, it is important for you to think about the first thing your visitors see when they enter your premises.

Not only should you consider the obvious, aesthetics, but the practical properties of your flooring are also important to ensure the safety of all those who enter, as well as the ease of maintenance and its potential lifespan.

Rivendell have pulled together a brief guide detailing  what you should be considering when you look at entrance flooring for your business:

Making an Impression

Generally, your customers will notice three key aspects as they walk into your premises; aesthetics, cleanliness, and accessibility. Their perception of these three points will ultimately influence their thoughts about you as a company and perhaps even the quality of the service offered.

Think about it like this; if you are looking for somewhere to eat, whilst the menu may look great you are unlikely to take a table if the aesthetics of both the exterior and interior aren’t up to scratch. However, with the right entrance flooring you can impress any visitor and provide them with a positive glimpse into who you are as a business.

Safety Measures for Entrance Areas

Whilst it is important for your entrance ways, lobbies, and receptions to create a lasting impression, it is vital that you consider the Health and Safety aspects of these areas too. From safety properties such as anti-slip, resilient surfaces,  to hard-wearing features for high level traffic, the right flooring will not only keep these areas safe but also ensure minimal maintenance is required.

In fact, as a business owner it is your responsibility to follow the correct safety guidelines set in place by The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999) to ensure a safe environment for your staff and customers.

Whether caused by rainwater  or dry substances such as dust, reduced friction on the floor  can ultimately lead to a slip or injury. Proper Entrance Matting can help avoid visitors dredging through  dirt and water. Incorporating combinations of material into a wear layer, providing excellent anti-slip capabilities, high performance, and specialist hardwearing features, safety flooring in many entrance areas is also key.

Don’t forget it’s not just customers you need to think about, ensure the Wellbeing of Your Employees with Safety Flooring and read more information regarding your Health and Safety responsibilities in our blog post about the subject.

Wow With Vinyl

The full benefits of vinyl can often go unrecognised, but there are a wide range of colours and designs as well as more practical features ideal for commercial properties.

Aesthetic features allow you to create a unique design to welcome your guests; incorporate your logo into lobbies and reception areas or simply use a border around the edge of the room in your chosen colours. Alternatively, they can mimic more costly designs such as wood, stone, and tiles complete with a variety of textured finishes. Take a look at the samples below from Altro , Karndean, and Moduleo Flooring:

Durable, robust, and slip-resistant Vinyl possess great acoustic qualities ideal in large noisy areas  such as your commercial property. Slip resistance features ensure a favourable option for the work place where its hard wearing nature ensures minimal maintenance. Take a look at a selection of Forbo Safety Flooring samples below highlighting that just because it has safety features it cannot still add an element of aesthetics to your entrance:

Classic Wood Floors

Not widely used in the commercial sector, wooden floors offer brilliant distinction and a timeless quality that is great for restaurants, pubs, and bars. Tolerant of high volumes of traffic, wooden floors, whether solid, engineered, or laminate, are both hardwearing and easy to clean.

With clean lines and beautiful natural patterns wooden floors can transform any area into something a bit special. Each type of wood offers their own additional benefits such as:

• Solid Wood – Provides maximum character that can be sanded down to return to its original finish if marked, scratched, or lightly damaged.
• Engineered Wood – Provides greater stability than solid wood and is much easier to lay and a less expensive option.
• Laminate Wood – A cheaper alternative that is extremely durable and scratch resistant. Both hard wearing and easy to clean.

Take a look at the selection of Wooden floors from Kaindl and Woodpecker below:

 Beautiful Carpet

Often used throughout hotels to add that feel of warmth and luxury, carpet is also an excellent choice for commercial developers and Housing Associations aiming to make a welcoming and homely feel to  their properties.

A versatile option, you can choose from traditional or more contemporary designs to suit your environment. Surprisingly  carpet offers more than just aesthetic qualities, as it is hardwearing enough to cope with a flow of guests and can even be  stain resistant to prevent damage from  the inevitable dirt that is walked through entrance areas.

 There are a number of fibres to choose from to suit your environment and your budget:

• Wool – Long-lasting whilst retaining its appearance as well as providing sound and heat insulation. A naturally flame retardant fibre.
• Man Made – Nylon; Polyester; Polypropylene. All stain resistant and durable synthetics are a particularly good choice for high traffic areas. Like wool, they provide insulation but a better value option.
• Blended – Often a mixtures of 80% wool and 30% synthetic fibres, you are awarded with the optimum qualities of both types of fibre.

Take a look at a selection of examples below from Brockway and Alternative Flooring where you’ll find a wide range of various fibres, colours, patterns, and textures:

 Not Sure Where to Start?

If you want to make an entrance in your commercial premises, whether a hotel, restaurant, office building or commercial development, but are not sure where to start, get in touch with our team.

We’ll arrange a free, no obligation consultation to advise you on the best options and most suitable solutions for you. Just give us a call on 0117 963 7979 for more information and advice.

Alternatively, you can email the team or take a look at our blog for more information and useful tips and guides.

Categorised in: Commercial Flooring

This post was written by Binks