If you’re setting up a new business, or ready to renovate your current one, then making sure that it looks right on the inside is key.

The interior of your commercial space can play an important role in the success of your business. Whether it’s a restaurant, gym, hotel or retail store, it’s all about creating the right aesthetic that best represents your business and will stand the test of time.

Where to begin? Why not with the flooring...

Hardwood flooring in commercial spaces always works well as long as you opt for something durable, like oak, to cope with the high footfall. It’s easy to clean and maintain, which is important since people tend to walk around in shoes in commercial spaces unlike in a domestic property where footwear may be left at the door.

Hardwood flooring can also last a lifetime so you don’t need to worry about having to constantly refurbish your commercial property.

When it comes to picking the right wood flooring for your commercial property, you need to consider the same sorts of things that we discussed in our blog about choosing the best wood flooring for your home including the grain or grade of wood, the finish and the method of installation, and how it fits with what your particular industry/business.

Hardwood Flooring in Hotels

Hotels have a wide range of flooring types to choose from that would all work well in this kind of space, wood flooring being one of the most popular.

When trying to decide what colour or style of hardwood flooring to choose for your hotel, you need to carefully consider the environment that you are trying to create.

For an upscale four or five star hotel that boasts luxury, you may lean towards darker colours as they are often associated with being more high-end; whereas, a budget hotel that’s all about providing convenience and ease, might want to stick with something a little simpler and more affordable, like a classic oak wood.

You also need to think about how each area of the hotel will differ in design to create the right atmosphere for your customers in that particular space. For example, the reception area should feel inviting and give a strong first impression as this is what people see as soon as they walk through the door - much like a hallway or living room; whereas, the rooms themselves should feel cosy and warm as this is where customers will want to relax and unwind, like a bedroom in a home.

In many ways, a hotel is similar to a home as it is a living space that just needs to look good and endure a high footfall, so the aesthetics are probably the most important to hotel owners looking to renovate their property.

Hardwood Flooring in Offices

Office spaces should focus both on practicality and aesthetic in equal measure as you need to create a space that looks great for the happiness, and possibly even productivity, of your employees and that doesn’t create any potential risks or distractions.

One thing you do need to consider is the potential noise pollution that can be caused by people walking on wood floors in certain shoes and heels. Although you can reduce the noise by installing a good, thick underlay beneath the flooring, you will have to accept that this could be an issue and may result in you having to restrict the type of footwear being worn in the property.

When it comes to the visual aspects of your flooring, there are two key things you should be focused on.

First, if your office space doesn’t get much natural light then you may want to use brighter coloured flooring to brighten up the space. Light and bright spaces have proven to be more conducive of a positive and productive work environment so finding a way to promote this with your interior design is key.

Secondly, if you have a smaller office space and you want to give the illusion that it’s larger, then using wider floor planks will help with this and make your office seem more spacious than it is.

Hardwood Flooring in Gyms

Gyms are also about practicality and safety more than aesthetics. The purpose of this type of commercial property is to provide a space for people to exercise effectively and safely.
Any flooring surface that may prohibit this will have a major negative impact on the performance of your business.

When picking out a hardwood floor for a gym, the look of the flooring should be your last concern and your focus should more so be on how the flooring impacts exercise, especially when floor workouts are highly popular at gyms.

You should also consider, from a safety aspect, the risk of slips in a place like this where there is often sweat on the floor and a lot of physical activity going on. Hence, your flooring needs to produce enough friction and be anti-static.

Furthermore, gyms need regular cleaning so installing a hardwood floor that is easy to clean and maintain to remove the sweat, dirt and dust, is key.

Hardwood Flooring in Restaurants

A restaurant has a lot of similar features as a dining room in a house, just with a higher footfall. This means you need to consider a lot of the same things when picking a hardwood floor for this type of property, particularly the maintenance of the flooring. Food and drink will be spilt on this flooring multiple times a day so it needs to be easy to clean and difficult to stain.

The finish of the flooring will play a role in this as it can help to protect the floor against these spills and allow it to remain in good condition for longer.

When it comes to the aesthetics of the flooring, you need it to reflect the type of restaurant that you own which can range from an affordable, family-friendly place to somewhere more suited for couples on a romantic date night and happy to spend a little more money. These two examples alone would require very different flooring to create the right atmosphere.

A family restaurant would opt for cheaper flooring, maybe even something that looks a little worn already so that children dropping cutlery and dragged chairs can add to the effect of a weathered floor rather than ruin a beautiful new smooth floor.

A more upscale, adults-only restaurant would want to attract the right clientele with a more luxe-looking floor, achieved by using darker colours and a satin finish.

There are also many other types of commercial properties, such as schools, pubs, libraries etc., that would be encouraged to use hardwood flooring and will have further factors to consider specific to their industry/field.

If you own a commercial building that needs revamping or you are building a commercial space for your business, then we can assist you in finding the best hardwood flooring for your property. We can work with you as much or as little as you need to ensure that your commercial property is fully functional, represents your business well and has longevity.