How to choose flooring for educational facilities

Schools and colleges are more than just classrooms. The education sector contains a variety of settings, from entrances, sports halls, and dining halls to locker rooms, corridors, and dorm rooms. The chosen flooring must be a practical, durable solution that doesn’t impact budgets or the smooth running of the facility.

If you’ve been tasked with choosing a new floor for a school or college, here’s our guide to choosing the right flooring for educational facilities.

Safety first

Students have a varied timetable and study subjects, such as science, art, and home economics, that require movement around the classroom. 

In an environment where chemicals, paints, oils, or other liquids may be spilt, it’s important to choose a flooring solution that minimizes the risk of slips and falls.

Installing a hard-wearing floor with excellent slip-resistance properties will go a long way to preventing injuries caused by trips and falls and puts the safety of faculty, students, and visitors first.

The textured surface of Everlast® Epoxy floors makes it a safe choice for all environments throughout the school, especially in areas like the cafeteria, restrooms, and locker rooms, where the floor can often be wet and hazardous.

Interested in seeing high quality Epoxy flooring up close? Get our FREE sample pack today!

High-traffic areas

With an average enrollment of 527 students at schools across the United States, the flooring in educational establishments is subjected to massive amounts of wear and tear from foot traffic every day. Corridors, stairs, and reception areas are some of the areas that carry the highest burden, so they need to be safe, clean, and inviting.

When considering a flooring solution for high-traffic areas, wear resistance should be top of the list. Many resinous floors are thinly applied—or diluted with solvents and fillers—which means wear paths will quickly begin to form.

Inferior floors quickly lose their protective coating and begin to crack or chip when subjected to constant foot traffic. The gaps in the coating allow grime and bacteria to accumulate and cause damage to the substrate. Your flooring will soon look very unappealing and could become unsafe—and the last thing any facility manager wants is the health department breathing down their neck or a lawsuit for an injury sustained due to flooring that wasn’t fit for purpose.

Our floors form a vulcanized bond with the substrate that is resistant to wear, making them ideal for high-traffic areas. 

Sanitary flooring solutions

Schools need to offer the best protection they can to their pupils, so choosing the correct flooring solution, combined with regular cleaning, can help to support a more hygienic environment.

Everlast® Epoxy flooring provides a seamless, nonporous surface that can be quickly and efficiently cleaned and maintained. With no seams, there is nowhere for bacteria and grime to collect, which minimizes hygiene issues and nasty odors.

Our floors also contain an integral EPA-registered antimicrobial component that protects the floor from the growth and spread of a broad spectrum of germs, fungi, yeast, and mildew, supporting a healthier facility for all.

Minimal disruption to the school timetable

Installing a new floor, or replacing a failed one, can have a major impact on the school timetable. 

Everlast® Epoxy resin floors have unique fast-curing properties, which means our floors can be installed overnight and cured in time to open the doors to students the very next day.

Our experienced installers will provide an efficient service and work within your timetable to minimize any impact on term time.

Are there cheaper flooring options?

Sure there are. 

Many schools and colleges choose vinyl, tiled, or carpeted finishes in their facility, and while the initial cost of installation is lower, the maintenance and repair bills quickly mount up over time. 

In the long term, epoxy flooring provides better value for the money spent and increased durability compared with traditional surfaces.

Everlast® Epoxy flooring for educational facilities

With an Everlast® Epoxy floor, you’ll benefit from durable flooring that’s also attractive enough to have a positive impact on the way your students learn.

We have many years of experience working within the education sector, and our knowledgeable team is available to offer comprehensive consultations before recommending the best solution.

Ready to talk about new or replacement flooring for your school or college? Call us at (800) 708-9870, or book a free, no-obligation quote.

Interested in seeing high quality Epoxy flooring up close? Get our FREE sample pack today!

Epoxy Quartz Flooring versus Everlast® Epoxy