Flooring for Safety

Is it possible to get students to stop running in halls? That’s not our expertise, but here is what we do know. It is possible to make floors safer in the event a student is rushing to class, running to catch up with friends or sprinting to the cafeteria on pizza day. Rubber flooring can help keep students safer and school environments healthier too.

How? Rubber flooring is slip-resistant and is available in sheet and tile, as well as stair treads for steps. The rubber surface is resilient and flexible so students and staff stay surefooted. Even when floors are wet from spills or snow and rain-soaked shoes and boots, they remain moisture resistant and very easy to clean. In some cases the profile is also available in an embossed round design for additional texture.

Safety isn’t just about slip resistance. When it comes to flooring there are hygiene and environmental health factors to consider. Many brands of rubber flooring are resistant to fungi and bacteria and are stain resistant; smoke and fire resistant, too. And this type of flooring can be a comprehensive healthy choice for materials in a facility because some rubber flooring is FloorScore certified, PVC free and has low VOC emissions. Finally, rubber flooring absorbs noise, providing excellent acoustical performance, critical in learning environments.

Slip-and-fall prevention, cleanliness, noise reduction and smart designs are all considerations facility planners and administrators must evaluate. Choosing flooring does not need to be complicated. Rubber flooring is available in a wide range of colors, patterns and profiles to deliver both performance and design for corridors, cafeterias, classrooms, science labs, stairwells and restrooms.

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

  • Malibu High School Campus Completes $102M Phase 1 of Construction

    Malibu High School in Malibu, Calif., recently announced that it has completed phase 1 of construction for its new campus, a news release reports. The first phase consisted of developing and modernizing the site of a former elementary school into a new, 70,000-square-foot, two-story facility.

  • KI Launches K–12 Classroom Furniture Giveaway

    Contract furniture company KI recently announced the launch of its fourth-annual Classroom Furniture Giveaway, which awards $50,000 each to four K–12 educators across the U.S., according to a news release. The goal is to address decreasing student engagement and increasing teacher burnout numbers by updating learning spaces to accommodate modern needs.

  • UNT Dallas Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for $100M STEM Building

    The University of North Texas at Dallas in Dallas, Texas, recently celebrated the opening of its new, $100-million STEM Building, according to local news. The ceremony on Dec. 2 preceded the first day of classes in the facility on Jan. 12, 2026.

  • Minnesota Middle School Finishes $23.5M Addition and Modernization

    Highland Park Middle School in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $23.5-million addition and remodel project, according to a news release. Saint Paul Public Schools partnered with ATS&R Planners, Architects & Engineers for its design and Kraus-Anderson for its construction.

Digital Edition