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The Importance of Hygienic Seamless Flooring in Healthcare

The Importance of Hygienic Seamless Flooring in Healthcare

Patients put their trust into the health care industry to restore them back to their health. Therefore, it is required that the health care industry keeps to a high standard of cleanliness to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses.

The design of a health care building needs to be as efficient as possible, in particular the flooring.

It is imperative that the flooring throughout a health care building has a seamless surface, which can prevent any build-up of bacteria, dust and debris in hard to clean places.

The wrong choice of flooring affects health care standards

Some facilities choose to install vinyl flooring. Although the material is easy to clean and cheap to install, over time it can rip, crease, curl and warp causing trip hazards and exposed areas, which are prone to bacteria build-up.

A disadvantage of vinyl flooring is it has poor impact resistance. The probability of damaging the vinyl when using heavy and sharp equipment on a daily basis is rather high.

Furthermore, the durability of vinyl is not as very good, meaning high volumes of daily foot traffic will soon cause the facility to have major maintenance problems.

In comparison, tiled flooring is very hard wearing and usually has good impact resistance. However over time the mortar between the tiles can be subject to cracking and chipping, which offers bacteria a place to hide out.

These slight imperfections can potentially grow into further problems making a high standard cleaning regime very difficult.

Seamless and versatile resin floors for every environment

The choice of flooring within a health care facility might sound like a daunting task due to the number of different rooms to consider, but it is actually quite simple: A resin floor.

Due to its versatile properties, there is a resin floor suitable for any environment within a facility. Particular areas which may require attention are the reception, waiting rooms, offices, store rooms, operating rooms and washrooms.

Unlike vinyl flooring, once a resin floor is installed it is extremely durable and impact resistant. Resin is also installed as one seamless floor. This means there are no joints, creases or crevasses, which can be damaged and come under attack by unwanted bacteria.

Ultra-hygienic antimicrobial resin flooring

In addition to its high hygienic attributes, a resin floor can also be antimicrobial. Generally speaking, an antimicrobial resin floor is able to achieve up to a 99.99% bacteria reduction in just 2 hours on contact.

This means the resin floor can resist the growth of microbes, including bacteria, mould and fungi, on its surface.

By having lower levels of microbes on a floor surface means improved hygiene, reductions in staining and odours, and a delay in degradation of materials. In summary, this can extend the functional lifetime of a resin floor.

A seamless connection between floors and walls

The connection between floors and walls is important to consider when designing a health care facility. As bacteria can harbour in the smallest of gaps, cracks and creases, a seamless surface should be created not just for the floors, but for the walls too – and inbetween.

Specialist wall kerbing can offer a hygienic connection between both the walls and the flooring. A wall kerb can be fabricated from hygienic materials such as stainless steel or a white Sanicoat antibacterial surface.

For strength and impact resistance, both kerbing materials are backed by a strong polymer concrete core.

In health care, the Sanicaot antibacterial surface is a popular choice due to its plain white finish. This pure white look demonstrates a sense cleanliness around a facility and highlights unclean areas extremely well.

Making the connection between the wall kerb and floor couldn’t be easier. The option of a standard straight wall kerb is a common choice for existing floors, while the option of a rebated wall kerb is often chosen for a facility about to have a new resin floor installed.

The rebate in the kerb allows for the resin to be installed onto the kerb surface, which creates a seamless wall cove. This therefore eliminates the 90 degree angle between the wall and floor, and drastically reduces the amount of hard to clean areas.

Specify Your Own Seamless Resin Flooring?

In order to begin choosing the correct floor, please use our Specify Your Floor application; your industry, the type of traffic in the area and if you have any specific requirements and we will present you the most relevant products to use.

Alternatively, contact our technical sales team directly to discuss your bespoke requirements;

0161 764 4617 or via email

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