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Because of its ease of cleaning, maintenance and dirt-resistant nature, PVC or vinyl flooring is the product of choice for modern healthcare interiors such as hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, pharmacies, and medical centres.
Hospitals for instance, are exposed to high traffic 24 hours a day, which requires the floor to be capable of withstanding heavy foot traffic and wheel loads. Vinyl flooring can easily handle this task as it is very durable, resilient, and provides comfort underfoot for patients and staff to walk on a daily basis.
However, due to the complexity of healthcare establishments, different operational areas need to have different healthcare performance and requirements. In today’s article, we will talk about what other advantages and qualities vinyl flooring has that make it stand out from other healthcare flooring solutions.
1.Anti-static
Palettone SD - Harvest Air 8620
To reduce the risks of static occurring and potential harm to the patients and staff, anti-static floorings are required in certain healthcare environments such as x-ray suites, scanner rooms and operating theatres where electro-static discharges (ESD) can easily occur.
Vinyl flooring is widely used in the healthcare sector among the anti-static flooring solutions because of its great anti-static performance and physical features.
Palettone SD (static dissipative) collection from the Polyflor ESD family is designed to meet specific electro-static resistance requirements and is categorized to ensure that the same terminology is used by all parties (EN14041). This collection is an ideal choice to help reduce possible electrostatic discharge, creating a safer healthcare environment for patients.
Recommended product: Palettone SD
Use areas: telecommunications installations, electronics manufacturing, computer rooms and healthcare facilities, such as scanner rooms, X-ray suites and operating theatres.
2. Hygienic & Improved infection prevention
Good hygiene is a top priority when it comes to hospital flooring, as it is continuously in contact with doctors, nurses, visitors, and patients. A hygienic floorcovering can not only prevent patients from catching infections and diseases but also stop bacteria and germs from spreading to the outside of the hospital.
One of the reasons vinyl flooring is more hygienic than other floorcoverings is because it features an impervious layer. This makes bacteria and germs have nowhere to hide.
Forest fx PUR - American Oak 3380
Forest fx PUR - American Oak 3380
On top of that, vinyl floorcoverings like Forest fx feature a polyurethane reinforcement (PUR) for improved cleaning and maintenance, providing a continuous, impervious, and hygienic flooring solution which can be safely used in many healthcare facilities.
Recommended product: Forest fx PUR
Use Areas: receptions, hospital wards, corridors, circulation areas, therapy rooms, shops, cafes, lifts
3. Sustainable slip resistance
Part of the reasons why vinyl is the most common material used in flooring is because it is designed to be slip-resistant. This makes vinyl flooring the ideal floor for busy and heavy traffic spaces like hospitals, where there are risks of water spillage and other contaminants. To set vinyl flooring apart from other floorcoverings, some of the specially designed safety vinyl floorings provide sustainable slip resistance throughout the guaranteed life of the product.
Polysafe Standard PUR - Autumn Beige 4140
Taking Polysafe Standard PUR as a good example. Similar with the rest of the Polysafe products, Polysafe Standard PUR achieved a high level of wet slip resistance in Pendulum test, Ramp test and met the EN 13845 standard on abrasion test, providing sustainable slip resistance and continued underfoot protection.
Project - Bronglias Maternity Ward, Wales
Polysafe Standard PUR - Ash Grey 4540 (Right)
Featuring a Polysafe PUR maintenance enhancement for improved cleanability, this safety vinyl range provides constant safety underfoot for the patients while improving the cleaning regime within the hospital.
Recommended product: Polysafe Standard PUR
Use Areas: washrooms, toilet areas, storage and utility areas, kitchens, food and drinks preparation areas, laundry and sluice rooms, laboratories
4. More design options
Hospital design is about the creation of safe and clean surroundings and an uplifting environment can inspire confidence and a sense of wellbeing amongst patients, staff, and visitors alike. The choice of floorcovering can have a major impact on the ‘feel’ of a hospital interior.
Vinyl flooring is well-known for its wide variety of design options. It comes in a range of colours, patterns, and imitation of natural materials such as wood and stone, offering more design opportunities for hospital interiors.
Polysafe Stone fx is a distinctive safety flooring collection developed to capture the beauty and authenticity of material surfaces with the built-in reassurance of sustainable wet slip resistance.
Polysafe Stone fx PUR - Dark Concrete 5089
The collection features 22 commercial floor designs with high clarity stone and concrete effects and has been designed to work alongside our classic Polysafe Wood fx collection. Together they present endless design possibilities for hospitals, helping to build healing and welcoming environments for patient’s faster recovery.
Recommended product: Polysafe Stone fx PUR & Polysafe Wood fx PUR
Use areas: receptions, hospital wards, corridors, circulation areas, therapy rooms, shops, cafes, lifts, offices
5. Dementia-friendly designs
Choosing the right flooring is key in promoting a more positive and inclusive environment to those living with dementia. Designs that promote harmony and wellbeing through the creation of a sense of calm are important to resident comfort and welfare.
As mentioned before, vinyl flooring has its advantage of offering a variety of looks and colours to suit the needs of different healthcare settings. You can find some ideal vinyl flooring options to create your dementia-friendly interiors.
For example, Polysafe Verona PURE COLOURS is one of the safety flooring collections from Polyflor that is developed with the requirements of those living with dementia firmly in mind. This vinyl range features a tonal colour bank and matt surface finish, optimised to provide a decoration suitable for specification in dementia-friendly environments.
Recommended product: Polysafe Verona PUR
Use areas: operating theatres, offices, waiting rooms, circulation areas& stairs, receptions, toilets, patient wards, cafeterias, pharmacies.
To put it into a nutshell, vinyl flooring is ideally used in healthcare settings for its durability, strong chemical and dirt resistance, anti-static, ease of cleaning and maintenance, slip resistance and more…
If you're interested to learn more about how Polyflor flooring can assist in creating healthcare environments, please contact us here
You can also discover more about healthcare flooring, along with some Polyflor Case Studies on our Healthcare Brochure