Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

How Rubber Flooring Impacts Costs

  • By Tasha Hughes
  • 06/01/18

From classrooms to hallways, steady foot traffic and heavy rolling loads can quickly compromise a floor’s original beauty and integrity. With pressure to lower operational expenses, many institutions are turning to lifecycle cost analysis (LCCA) to determine which flooring material offers the greatest durability and resilience over the lifetime of the product, and how that directly translates to value and cost savings. Rubber flooring has proven to be a leader in this category. Here’s why.

Installation. The cost of installation (including labor and materials) varies greatly between flooring products. Rubber flooring with a self-adhesive backing can be installed directly over an existing floor. It has fewer seams with less cutting and joint sealing, resulting in faster turn-times, reducing your timeline by up to half.

Durability. The dense surface of rubber flooring can withstand the pressure of heavy loads, dragging desks and chairs, and is resistant to liquid spills and harsh chemicals. This level of ultra-durability is able to support a facility for decades.

Maintenance. Flooring maintenance can account for 75 to 90 percent of total cost over the product’s projected lifespan. Premium rubber flooring has a nonporous surface that repels stains and can be cleaned with little more than water. Unlike other resilient flooring, rubber’s uncoated surface means the floor never needs to be stripped and resealed.

Sustainability. Rubber flooring is naturally sourced and has a low-VOC rating, contributing to a healthier environment and improved indoor air quality (IAQ) for students and staff alike.

Premium rubber flooring has significant impact on total cost of ownership. Using LCCA during flooring specification helps institutions lower expenses long-term while increasing the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management June 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

About the Author

Tasha Hughes is a marketing specialist, PR, for nora systems, Inc. (www.nora.com/us). She can be reached at [email protected] or 800-332/NORA.

Featured

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.

  • Girl Sitting at Library Desk, Using Laptop

    How Campus Design Shapes the Finals Week Experience

    Academic performance is not just about preparation. It is closely tied to how students manage stress, maintain their energy, and shift between work and recovery modes. Much of that is influenced, directly or indirectly, by design.

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.