How To Choose Flooring for High-Traffic Commercial Spaces

Choosing flooring for high-traffic commercial spaces means considering several factors, including cost, aesthetics, durability, and comfort. Though choosing flooring may seem straightforward, you need to think carefully about what type of floor you need for a busy commercial area to get the most out of your investment. Learn what to look for in commercial flooring and how the expert team at Hernandez Wholesale Flooring can help you choose the right option for your space.

What Qualifies as a High-Traffic Commercial Space?

Before you choose the best flooring for your commercial space, it’s important to know what qualifies as high-traffic. These areas are defined by heavy foot traffic on a daily basis. Here are a few examples:

• Retail stores
• Shopping centers and malls
• Restaurants
• Cafes
• Bars and nightlife
• Busy offices
• Corporate and mixed-use towers

These properties might see hundreds (if not thousands) of visitors a week, which adds up to heavy use on your floors. That’s why quality, durable commercial flooring is such a smart investment.

What To Look for in High-Traffic Commercial Flooring

Here are the main things to look for as you compare different high-traffic commercial flooring materials:

• Wear layers: Materials like luxury vinyl tile (LVT) measure durability in mils, with thick wear layer floors ranging from 12 to 28 mils. These floors hold up better with heavy traffic.
• PEI ratings: Porcelain tile durability is measured by the Porcelain Enamel Institute (PEI). Look for tiles with a PEI rating of four or five for more durable flooring for businesses.
• Water resistance: Spills, wet shoes, and daily cleaning can introduce a lot of moisture to your floors. We recommend choosing a water-resistant material or investing in fully waterproof flooring.
• Slip resistance: Durability isn’t the only factor to consider. With so much traffic, safety is a key concern, so choose commercial flooring options with a high traction rating for stairs, entryways, and restrooms.
• Ease of maintenance and repairs: When choosing high-traffic commercial flooring, opt for a material that makes maintenance and repairs simple, such as modular carpet tiles or luxury vinyl planks (LVP).

Best Flooring Options for High-Traffic Commercial Spaces

Choosing the right flooring for high-traffic areas requires balancing durability, appearance, maintenance needs, and cost. Here are a few popular choices of flooring for busy businesses:

• Luxury vinyl tile
• Luxury vinyl plank
• Polished concrete
• Porcelain tile
• Carpet tiles

These options offer strong durability and easy maintenance, though some (such as concrete or porcelain tile) can cost more than others.

How to Match Flooring To Your Type of Business

The best commercial flooring for retail stores might be different from the best commercial floors for offices. Matching heavy-duty commercial flooring materials to your business type helps you choose the right floors for your space. This table can help you weigh your options:

How to Match Flooring To Your Type of Business

The best commercial flooring for retail stores might be different from the best commercial floors for offices. Matching heavy-duty commercial flooring materials to your business type helps you choose the right floors for your space. This table can help you weigh your options:

Consider the Total Cost of Ownership, Not Just Upfront Price

Cost is a key concern when choosing new flooring, but consider the ongoing total cost of ownership in addition to the upfront price. You’ll likely need to replace your commercial floors within five to 20 years of installing them. You’ll likely incur several expenses throughout this time, such as:

• Installation.
• Routine cleaning.
• Periodic deep cleaning.
• Stripping, steaming, or sealing.
• Downtime and loss of productivity during floor repairs.
• Removal and disposal fees at the end of the floor’s lifespan.

How Maintenance Requirements Affect Your Flooring Choice

The more your floors need maintenance, repairs, and cleaning, the more expensive they’ll be over time. Low-maintenance commercial flooring options from Hernandez Wholesale Flooring help reduce ongoing costs and downtime for your business. To minimize maintenance, opt for glue-down LVT floors, polished concrete, or modular carpet tiles. Vinyl composite tile, hardwood, and porous porcelain tile tend to be the most high-maintenance options and may cost you more over time.

Common Mistakes When Choosing Commercial Flooring

Make sure to avoid these common mistakes when picking out new commercial floors:

• Picking the wrong type: Prioritize durability, maintenance, and safety (from slips and potential hazards like volatile organic compounds) over aesthetics. Choose floors that will hold up over time.
• Neglecting maintenance: Even low-maintenance floors like commercial carpet flooring or commercial vinyl floors need regular care to stay in good condition. Keep up with cleaning, resealing, or recoating as needed.
• Forgetting subfloor prep: Ignoring subfloor preparation can cause poor bonding with your new floors, leading to more issues (and repairs) down the line.
• Ignoring safety: Confirm the new floor’s slip-resistance when wet to avoid liability and injury.

Choosing Commercial Flooring for Southern California Businesses

In Southern California, choosing durable flooring means considering the area and how our local climate can affect floors. When choosing commercial flooring, remember that it may need to withstand high heat and UV levels in the summer, lots of rainwater in winter, and gritty dust during dry stretches. These factors can reduce flooring durability, especially as traffic increases. Because of these environmental factors, many high-traffic SoCal businesses opt for LVT, carpet tile, porcelain tile, or polished concrete.

Find the Right Commercial Flooring at Hernandez Wholesale Flooring

Choosing commercial floors involves more than picking what looks good. At Hernandez Wholesale Flooring, we help countless commercial clients choose affordable, beautiful floors that hold up over time. If you’re looking for help finding the best flooring material for your commercial space, we’re just a call away. Contact us today or visit our showroom to check out our wide range of commercial floors for Southern California businesses.