Seamless Floors Keep Maintenance Simple, Offer Performance, Flexibility

Planners choosing flooring materials should consider the big picture when they are addressing ease of maintenance. There are endless options in colors and style; you can find that in most every category of flooring, but finding a floor that meshes with overall design, meets all the performance standards and promises to be easy to clean can be challenge, however it is critical due to the traffic, messes and day to day wear and tear on a school floor. Planners should look for seamless, resinous hard surface floors, such as epoxy and urethane poured floors. These “hard” surfaces are resilient, but seamless is the key. Seams and grout lines collect dirt. Dirt invites bacteria. This is not only a maintenance problem, but also a health issue.

Seamless surfaces can work just about everywhere, from kitchens to locker rooms to corridors and classrooms. The design elements provide tremendous design flexibility; you can incorporate shapes, designs and custom colors to define a space any way you chose without sacrificing performance characteristics (stain, abrasion and impact resistance) and ease of cleaning. Think for example about the popularity of the multi-purpose room. This room’s purpose might change over eight times in one day. The floor stays the same, but the uses vary and everyone’s needs are accommodated. More importantly, the maintenance staff can move in and out of the room quickly to ready the floor and the room for the next function. A seamless, resilient system meets all these needs, plus keeps noise down and is easy under foot.

In addition, seamless, non-wax surfaces are sustainable; a non-wax surface will result in lower life-cycle costs. Also, the use of a urethane-based seamless systems provides increased chemical and stain resistance, particularly in laboratory applications.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

About the Author

Kendall Speer Ellis is the Marketing manager for The Stonhard Group. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • California K–12 District Finishes Renovations on Multi-Sport Stadium

    The Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) in Alameda, Calif., recently announced the completion of a renovation project on the Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School stadium, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) and Bothman Construction on the facility, and funding came from Bond Measure B.

  • Zurn Elkay Releases 2025 Sustainability Report

    Zurn Elkay Water Solutions recently announced the release of its annual sustainability report, according to a news release. The 2025 report discusses the organization’s efforts to maintain good environmental stewardship and the solutions provided in helping customers meet sustainability goals.

  • Kimball International Releases Curated Design Support Program

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced the launch of a new end-to-end design support program, DesignSuite. According to a news release, its goal is to guide architecture & design professionals and dealer partners through the process from vision to specification.

  • University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Launches New Emergency Communications System

    The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) recently deployed a new emergency notification and incident management system for its campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with 911Cellular to launch Safe@UTC, a smartphone app allowing university officials to communicate and respond during emergency situations.