Healthcare Design - March 2025 - 28

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material, " Story says. " Everybody was always
looking at the privacy curtains and the bed
rails as key sources as they are high-touch
areas within the room. However the studies
show it often starts at the floor as creating
reservoirs of infection. "
With new evidence in hand, she says, more
project teams are considering sheet flooring
and poured products, going beyond the
Facility Guidelines Institute's Guidelines for
Design and Construction standards, which already
require sheet-style flooring in spaces
such as procedure, isolation, and operating
rooms. This is driving interest in sheet flooring
in patient rooms and poured epoxy flooring
products in patient toilet rooms due
to their seamless and durable nature, particularly
in areas with showers. " There's renewed
thought about making sure that we
limit the seams and flooring, especially in
patient room environments, " Story says.
This shift means proper floor preparation is
critical to ensure successful sheet product installations,
including correct leveling products
and adhesives tailored to healthcare settings
to eliminate the potential for adhesive failures
that can result in flooring popping out of place.
For example, Story notes that some gypsumbased
leveling underlayment products used in
light commercial applications are not appropriate
for a healthcare setting because they're inherently
weak and not strong enough to handle
the weight of equipment.
Designers also say they're noticing more environmentally
friendly flooring products in the
market, including phthalate- and polyvinyl chloride
(PVC)-free flooring, to meet growing interest
in healthy and sustainable materials options.
" Vinyl is such a top-selected element when it
comes to flooring, " Wilkins says. " As new PVCfree
options come into the market, we try to
bring those to clients. "
DELIVERING ON AESTHETICS
When it comes to how healthcare aesthetics
drive the conversation about flooring, Tanabe
says that wood-look materials are still a popular
choice to add a sense of warmth and support
hospitality-inspired interiors. " We have been in
a light oak season for a very long time, " she says.
Additionally, designers are seeing organizations
move away from gray shades that were popular a
few years ago to warmer tones.
Wilkins notes that lighter flooring tones can be
tricky in healthcare environments because they
can show scuff marks and damage from heavy
28
MARCH 2025
equipment more easily than mid-tone products. When talking with clients,
she says she tries to guide them toward products that will age well and
that are space appropriate, including lighter wood-like products in public
spaces and mid-tone styles and products with some patterning in clinical
areas. " The medication rooms, nurses' stations, and team workstations are
getting so much traffic that it's not easy to clean into those rooms, so you're
mindful of using a bit of a darker tone to help with that, " she says.
Tanabe says healthcare organizations often turn to " tried-and-true
materials " for facilities, including rubber, linoleum, and terrazzo lines.
" They're comfortable with them, but we love that manufacturers are coming
up with more design options, " she says. Cost is another big consideration,
with terrazzo and rubber flooring having a higher price point than
other flooring styles. Story says one strategy is to put high-end, durable
materials such as terrazzo in high-traffic areas at main entry vestibules and
lobbies and then specify more cost-effective products for clinical corridors.
Ayesha Wahid, interior designer at E4H Environments for Health Architecture
(New York), adds that some LVT products are now being offered
with a terrazzo or watercolor look, which can be used to bring interest to
waiting spaces, circulation zones, and long corridors without the high price
tag. " We've been having fun with that to bring a less clinical look to healthcare, "
she says. " It makes the space more playful, not only in pediatrics but
in all kinds of facilities. "
Designers also note an appreciation for flooring styles that support the
growth in renovation work across the sector. For example, Wilkins says
she's seeing a move away from heavy linear and grained styles in resilient
flooring to more non-directional visuals that have a lower contrast, making
it easier to marry new and existing flooring styles. " When things are nondirectional,
it kind of gives you a little bit of grace of how you wrap corners
and do some floor patterns, " she says.
Thicker resilient tile and plank materials, including 55mm options,
are also a welcome addition to existing product lines to help address level
changes between old and new flooring. " Because the flooring conditions
are often unlevel or sometimes [the client] wants to go directly over old
VCT [vinyl composite tile] flooring and encapsulate it, some of those thicker
styles can be a good choices for those spaces, " Story says.
FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS
As flooring options for healthcare continue to expand, Wilkins notes
the need for more data and research on how new materials perform in
healthcare environments. " We know that homogeneous vinyl sheet
is durable, you can test the tires to that on so many projects, " she says.
" But as new materials come along, case studies and product data are
really important to share with the client to make sure that they understand
any differences in maintenance. "
In the near future, Wilkins says uncertainty with material pricing
might affect flooring decisions on projects. " Current political events are
going to be such a huge learning curve as we have project going out to the
market, " she says. " Not everything is made in America, so there's concern
about pricing changes. "
Having a clear understanding of lead times and material availability for
flooring products is also important. " If the census is high or a facility is
going into flu season, understanding all those things because you might
have a short window to get in there and get the work done, " Story says. 
Anne DiNardo is editor-in-chief of Healthcare Design and can be reached at
ANNE.DINARDO@EMERALDX.COM .
HCDMAGAZINE.COM
http://www.HCDMAGAZINE.COM
Healthcare Design - March 2025

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