If you own or manage a commercial property, we don’t have to tell you how tough just being open for business can be on a commercial property’s floor.

Between foot traffic, machinery, the Pacific Northwest’s wet weather, and years of heavy use, commercial flooring has to be tough and durable. It also must be easy to clean and maintain.

But just as important as durability and ease of maintenance, commercial flooring must look good. And when it is in a retail environment, it also must be aesthetically flexible enough to match your brand and style.

Generally, commercial spaces use concrete or wood flooring. Both have their unique benefits, but as you will see, generally concrete flooring is the right choice for most commercial spaces.

Concrete flooring

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Modern concrete flooring has come a long way. While in the past concrete flooring might have meant grey and drab floors, modern concrete flooring is actually the most aesthetically vibrant commercial flooring option.

While the concrete used for commercial flooring hasn’t changed, the way professional commercial flooring installers prepare and finish the surface has advanced. Because of this, the commercial floors that are installed today look way better and are even more durable than before.

Some of the key benefits of concrete flooring include: 

Durability 

Modern concrete flooring is incredibly resilient. Given the natural strength of concrete and the new finishing methods, concrete can withstand extreme pressure from almost anything. Heavy equipment, high heels, furniture legs, constant foot traffic, and really anything else. 

You’ll be hard pressed to find a flooring material that is less resistant to cracking than concrete. This means you will be able to approach your flooring project as an investment, since concrete flooring will have to be replaced far less frequently than other options.

Easy to maintain

Even lightly used commercial buildings will need their floors cleaned constantly. Luckily, concrete floors are extremely easy to clean and maintain. For floors in retail or other high-traffic environments, we do recommend that you seal or wax your floors semi-frequently. Otherwise, simply sweeping and mopping your floors will do the trick to get them clean. 

Additionally, concrete floors are more forgiving than other options. Spills of any sort rarely permanently damage or stain your floor. 

Aesthetic versatility

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When it comes to making your commercial concrete floor your own, your options are limitless. Given modern concrete floor refinishing options, your concrete floor can look however you want it to. 

At Rock Solid, we offer a plethora of refinishing options that all will contribute their own unique atmosphere to your commercial space, including:

  • Acid Stain – more vibrant colors, mottled appearance with a highly variegated finish.
  • Fast Stain – flecked appearance in a highly variegated finish.
  • Water-Based Stain – less vibrant, muted, slight color variations.
  • Acrylic Sealer – uniform color. Relatively hard, yet slightly flexible.
  • Standard Epoxy – uniform color. Very hard, durable and chemical resistant.
  • Metallic Epoxy – brilliant metallic effect with a unique flow and color on each floor.
  • Terrazzo (light broadcast) or Granite (full broadcast) Epoxy – color chips broadcasted into the liquid epoxy. Variety of colors and combinations available.
  • Quartz Sand Epoxy – uses colored quartz sand in a double-layer broadcast system.

Hardwood flooring

Who doesn’t love a beautiful and visually complex hardwood floor? Particularly in a residential setting, hardwood floors look beautiful and provide lots of aesthetic appeal. There are also many different types of hardwood floors, leaving you with lots of options to choose from.

But in a commercial environment, many of the aspects that you love about hardwood floors in your home can actually leave a bit to be desired. We encourage you to weigh the pros and cons thoroughly before moving forward with hardwood floors.

Benefits of wood flooring

  • Warmth: Not only do hardwood floors add aesthetic warmth to a space, but they are also a great insulator of heat and comfortable to walk and stand on.
  • Can be easy to clean: While not nearly as easy to clean as concrete, with the right products basic maintenance is easily completed. 
  • Long-lasting (but only if you take care of them): While you need to take lots of precautions and truly care for them, hardwood floors can last generations. If you don’t take care of them however, they can be ruined quickly.

Downsides to wood flooring

  • High costs: Hardwood floors are one of the most expensive commercial flooring options available. The exact price of hardwood floors will depend on the type of hardwood you choose, but expect it to be a lot more than concrete flooring.
  • Noisy: Hardwood can be noisy when walked on, particularly in a commercial environment where people are walking all the time. They will also eventually begin to creak. 
  • Not as durable: While it might be easy to clean, hardwood floors are susceptible to scratching, dents, and water damage. They also wear over time.

Are concrete floors or hardwood floors right for your commercial space?

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For most commercial spaces, we recommend concrete floors. It’s hard to beat the durability, ease of maintenance, affordability, and aesthetic flexibility of concrete floors. This is particularly true for heavy-traffic spaces, industrial settings, and any space with heavy machinery or equipment.

For some smaller commercial spaces that do not have much foot traffic, heavy machinery, or risk of floor damage, hardwood floors could be a good option.

Get started on your commercial flooring project

Rock Solid Waterproofing, we’ve been working with businesses and commercial property owners to provide long-lasting, exquisite-looking concrete floors for years.

Contact us today to get started on your concrete floor installation or learn more.