Senior homes or assisted living facilities should be designed in a way that enhances the quality of life for residents, while also allowing staff to more efficiently provide healthcare and other services. An important aspect of a facility’s interior is the choice of flooring.
Senior living flooring should be held to a very high standard, as the quality of the floor will directly impact both residents, staff, and visitors.
Requirements of Assisted Living Facility Floors
Assisted living facilities are often high-traffic spaces and the floor will have to be able to take a lot of use. These types of facilities are often a little more challenging to design, as they mesh together needs of both residential settings as well as healthcare centers.
A strictly residential floor is simply not tough enough to work in the average assisted living facility, while a purely utilitarian floor can give an inappropriate “clinical” ambiance. The ideal floor for a senior home should possess these four characteristics:
1. Durability
Put simply, the floor should be tough enough to withstand constant foot traffic, as well as movement of rolling medical equipment. Rolling medical equipment and/or hospital beds can do a lot of damage over time. Don’t forget that residents will likely be using canes, walkers, and wheelchairs, as well.
2. Longevity
From the perspective of a facility owner, the longer lasting the floor, the better, since they will get a better return on investment. Weak flooring will need to be replaced sooner and more often, which is not only a waste of money, but can also be very disruptive to the facility and the residents.
3. Maintenance
Floors should not only be strong and resilient, but also be able to perform as such without a lot of care. The material should not require special care to maintain. Assisted living facility floors will already need to be cleaned regularly, so any type of material that needs extra care on top of basic cleaning should be avoided in order to save time and money.
4. Beauty
It’s always better to have a boring, functional floor over a beautiful, defective floor, but advances in manufacturing ensure that you don’t need to choose one over the other. An attractive floor that looks warm and welcoming will make for a more comfortable, relaxing facility.
Studies done in healthcare centers have shown the benefits for patients of a more home-like atmosphere. The same concept is even more important in an assisted living facility, which functions as a residential setting.
Some common types of flooring seen in assisted living facilities include linoleum, vinyl, commercial carpeting, and cork. Although all four materials can be acceptable as senior living flooring and remain popular options, there is another flooring type that you should consider.
Engineered Wood for a Superior Senior Home Floor
Hardwood flooring isn’t a popular flooring choice for assisted living facilities, but that may change thanks to the development of engineered hardwood flooring. Nydree engineered hardwood flooring is an acrylic-infused real wood material that is specifically designed for commercial/high-traffic use. Not only does it outperform standard hardwood, but it also meets all of the four flooring requirements mentioned above.
Engineered hardwood is 500% more durable than natural wood and 300% more durable than standard hardwood flooring. Tough enough for commercial settings, engineered hardwood can withstand plenty of abuse from foot-traffic, rolling equipment, walkers and wheelchairs, and more. This material is highly abrasion- and water-resistant. Compared to other flooring materials, such as sheet vinyl, engineered hardwood has a better value, as well.
Perhaps the most obvious advantage of this flooring over alternatives is how attractive it is. Engineered hardwood flooring comes in a wide range of colors, shades, and styles, just as you’d expect of standard wood. This is arguably the most beautiful senior living flooring you could choose. Nydree flooring is also longer-lasting and is less expensive to own over the life of the installation. It requires minimal maintenance to keep it looking great.
Consider Engineered Hardwood
There is no single answer to what the best flooring is for your assisted living facility. However, if you want a durable floor with longevity and beauty, engineered wood flooring is an exceptional material that should be at the top of your list for consideration.
