Tips for Choosing Restaurant Flooring

Tips for Choosing Flooring for your Restaurant

Whether opening a new store or replacing existing flooring, restaurant owners have many flooring options to consider – hardwood, tile, vinyl and more. Of primary concern is how the floor looks, but owners may wish to consider several other factors before making a decision about flooring.

Safety and Practicality

In kitchens, server stations, bathrooms and behind the bar, a water-resistant flooring is the best option, but some types of tile and high-gloss finishes become dangerously slippery when wet. Textured commercial flooring with an anti-slip coating can help protect workers and customers from slipping and falling.

Noise Control

A large dining room with high ceilings may sound like an echo chamber if the flooring is tile or concrete. Carpeting the dining room, or installing a mix of hardwood flooring and carpeted walkways, can improve the acoustics. If concrete flooring is the best choice for the dining room, sound-dampening panels installed near the ceiling will reduce echo.

Resistance to Wear

When considering hardwood floors, owners should investigate which type of wood can withstand heavy foot traffic. American Cherry wood floors, for example, would likely show signs of wear quickly in a busy restaurant, whereas harder woods like Maple and Hickory are more resistant to wear.

Maintenance and Cleaning

Carpet can become soiled and matted quickly in high-traffic areas and require frequent deep-cleaning. A tightly woven, low-pile carpet with a large pattern or dark colors can help mask stains and dirt between cleanings.

Hardwood floors need to be swept and mopped regularly. Because of the foot traffic in restaurants, floors may need to be refinished every year to preserve their beauty.

Concrete floors are easy to clean and require almost no maintenance. Tile is also fairly easy to care for, but some chemicals in cleaning products may mar the surface, and tiles can break under heavy impact.

Cost

Most restaurant owners hope to avoid spending a small fortune on flooring, and there are plenty of budget-friendly solutions that fall between cheap vinyl tile and expensive exotic wood. An experienced commercial flooring contractor can help owners in choosing affordable flooring for different areas of their restaurant that are safe, practical, long-lasting and complement the overall design aesthetic.