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Post COVID-19 design: Time for a quick change
After a long few months, businesses in the commercial sector across the UK are slowly beginning to reopen their doors. Forbo Flooring Systems’ James Morton discusses the importance of flooring to organise and invigorate a space.
Feature in partnership with
Forbo Flooring Systems
07/07/2020
3 min read
After a long few months, businesses in the commercial sector across the UK are slowly beginning to reopen their doors. Retail stores, restaurants and hotels are back trading in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and Wales will soon follow suit. While it remains uncertain when office buildings will be brought back into use as we continue to work from home – one thing is for certain, all of these premises in the commercial industry should be safe and ready for occupants when the time comes for them to return, and this is likely to involve an interior re-design.
A change of flooring can not only affect the appearance and ambience of the environment, giving spaces a new lease of life following a long period of closure, but products can also be used to create zones to encourage or emphasise social distancing. In offices for example, the floor can be used as a feature for different working areas and in restaurants, it could highlight table spaces separated at a safe distance. What’s more, as flooring impacts the maintenance of facilities, it therefore plays a major role in ensuring that buildings remain clean, safe and operational.
However, as with any refurbishment, disruption and downtime is arguably the most pressing issue for your clients, and in the current circumstances, the problem is perhaps even more paramount. While the coronavirus is still active within society, concerns over infection control remain and buildings may be hesitant to have tradespeople on site for too long. If buildings are not currently closed, those that are open will be operating reduced hours, therefore this presents the ideal timeframe for a refurbishment to take place. Specifying floor coverings that can be installed with minimal downtime and in a timely manner for these projects will prove to be essential.
Recent innovations in manufacturing has led to the development of adhesive free floor coverings. Rapid to install and reusable, these products have been specially designed for projects that require a quick turnaround. Available in a wide range of designs, from natural wood and stone effects along with bright and bold colour pops, there is a solution suitable for a variety of application areas, whether that is in retail, hospitality, leisure, offices or public buildings. Fitters can be in and out, working safely and efficiently to get the refurbishment done.
Adhesive free floor coverings offer a quick and easy installation, as products can often be installed over the existing sub floor or even over the existing floor covering with minimal preparation. This means that work can be completed overnight or even whilst the premises are still in use, depending on the size of the installation area. Due to the fact that the installation is completely free of adhesives, no setting or drying time needs to be factored in to the project, meaning that the floor is ready to be walked on or have wheeled traffic rolled over it immediately after it is fitted and furniture can be moved into place.
The use of adhesive free products will contribute positively to creating a better indoor environment and improve the wellbeing of occupants, as installation is free from the usual constraints associated with adhesives, such as lingering odours. There will also be less dust and mess as a result of minimal or no subfloor preparation.
With over 1 million m² of products fitted globally, Forbo’s Fast Fit collection encompasses an array of adhesive free products, including entrance products and interior flooring ranges in sheet, tile and plank formats for maximum flexibility. There are even ranges that are suitable for installation over damp subfloors, and others that can provide acoustic benefits. The comprehensive Fast Fit range includes Coral Click entrance matting system, Allura Click, Allura Ease, Allura Puzzle and Colorex Plus ranges, as well as the award-winning adhesive free sheet vinyl: Modul’up.
When the time eventually comes to replace a Fast Fit floor, products are easy to uplift and re-use, or remove and recycle, at the end of their service life as there is no adhesive residue on back of the material. Subfloors are then left clean and sound ready for a repeat installation, making it the ideal solution for commercial projects that require a quick turnaround.
For more information on Forbo’s Fast Fit range please visit www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/fastfit
