In business, it can seem like there is never a good time to install new flooring throughout an office, commercial property, factory or industrial environment. However, such maintenance is essential, and there are ways that you can stem loss of revenue and minimize disruption to production by avoiding these five commonly-made mistakes by businesses nationwide.
1. Not selecting the correct floor from a contractor during your due diligence period.
Facility managers need to examine the working processes of the factory they oversee to ensure new flooring installed is fit for purpose. Flooring contractors offer solutions of varying strengths and duties, and one type of coating will be better suited to dealing with heavy vehicles and machinery than others without suffering damage. For example, you shouldn’t opt for high-build floor coating with a thickness of 300 µm if the company’s factory floor experiences considerable traffic of forklifts throughout the day.
2. Failing to treat substrates before installing new flooring.
Your flooring contractor should offer to prepare and maintain surfaces that will underlay the new epoxy, elastomeric or epoxy coatings you install. Not only will this reduce the risk of unwanted complications and save time, but it will improve the quality of air in the workplace, with most flooring contractors using extraction systems to eliminate excess dust from the surface area.
3. Choosing a flooring contractor that doesn’t have an understanding of your industry.
If you are in the electricity sector, anti-slip coatings won’t be what you’re looking for – instead, you’ll need to implement anti-static solutions that could include carbon-based layers, ensuring that your fellow colleagues can work in a safe environment with confidence. Installing flooring that is practical for your day-to-day operations isn’t the only consideration either, selecting a solution which is tailored to your industry allows you to meet the guidelines and specifications of regulatory bodies with ease; commonplace in the food preparation industry among others.
4. Selecting a flooring contractor without appropriate case studies.
Science can tell flooring contractors that polished concrete will offer an effective anti-slip surface that is easy to clean and won’t scuff easily. However, without proven examples of where flooring has been implemented in a similar business environment, it’s hard to know for sure. If you’re an executive considering implementing a certain standard of flooring on an industrial scale, you need to know what you’re going to be getting for your budget.
5. Double checking that your chosen flooring contractor has a sound knowledge of health and safety regulations.
Any wiring that may run underneath or around brand-new flooring for your company needs to adhere to the stringent regulations of organizations such as the OSHA. Not only should your office flooring be functional of course, but it needs to be part of a wider refurbishment that will incentivize your staff to be as productive as possible.
