The choice of flooring in the office is very important, and it’s easy to be guided by personal taste over practical considerations. Certain factors are important in making floorings suitable for the workplace and should be given due reflection.

Tiled floors have grown in popularity for their visual appeal and hardwearing strength. They are ideal for areas with heavy furniture, providing strong support that will not weaken over time. They are also easy to clean, though grout can discolour. Unfortunately their main disadvantage is their noise. Walking across a tiled floor in an office or reception creates that unique pattern of footfalls which can become incredibly distracting and irritate staff when they are trying to work.

Similar in many ways to tiled floors, hardwood options are a fantastic style statement having beautiful aesthetic qualities and an ease of cleaning, but are only slightly less noisy. Footfalls will still echo across the floor, and hardwood floors are very susceptible to scratching and dents as well as damage from furniture. Though hardwood floorings can look classic and elegant in management suites which have a lower traffic through them, in heavy use areas they may not be as suitable. Hardwood and tiled floorings are best suited to office entrance areas, where appearance is everything, but not perhaps used through the rest of the building.

Laminate wooden floor coverings are a better option if the aesthetic of a wooden floor is desirable in the office. Made of a layer of wood attached to supporting materials, they behave more like a vinyl floor covering than a wood and are easy to install, much more cost effective than real hardwood flooring. Their extra properties on top of traditional wooden floors mean they are much more scratch resistant and easy to clean, though again can be a little noisy. However, their sleek modern appearance makes them an attractive choice in the office.

Laminate wooden floor coverings are a better option if the aesthetic of a wooden floor is desirable in the office. Made of a layer of wood attached to supporting materials, they behave more like a vinyl floor covering than a wood and are easy to install, much more cost effective than real hardwood flooring. Their extra properties on top of traditional wooden floors mean they are much more scratch resistant and easy to clean, though again can be a little noisy. However, their sleek modern appearance makes them an attractive choice in the office.