The Benefits of Commercial Ceramic Tile Flooring
Ceramic tile is a versatile option for commercial flooring. Inexpensive and easy to maintain, it is both economical and looks professional. Furthermore, ceramic tiles come in a range of colors and designs that allow you to customize the look of your commercial space.
If you’re considering new flooring for your business, tile is an elegant material that you could use in virtually any room, especially in high-traffic rooms such as entryways, bathrooms, and kitchen spaces. A beautiful space makes your business look put together and comfortable, putting customers and employees alike at ease.
In this guide, Surface Design Solutions will help you discover the benefits of commercial ceramic tile flooring.
Ceramic Tile vs Natural Stone, Glass Tile, and Concrete Tile
The flooring option you choose for your retail space impacts the aesthetic feel of the environment and assists with the room’s decor. But how do you choose from the multitude of options available at a flooring outlet?
Typically, a business renovating a building to suit will already have an idea of the qualities needed to make the brand successful. Take these qualities into consideration when shopping for a flooring type and you’ll certainly be satisfied with the results.
In the case of renovating or building a commercial space for lease to an unknown business, it is best to choose flooring that is versatile and non-obtrusive and easy to maintain. By selecting durable, quality tiles, you can be certain the flooring helps sell the space, unlike carpeting.
There is, however, more than one type of tile you can choose from, and each has their own benefits to the commercial space. Take a look at the pros and cons of these 4 tiled flooring options to help you decide what’s right for your building!
Ceramic Tile
Ceramic tile is one the best, most affordable, durable flooring options available on the market. Constructed out of clay, water, and minerals, then fired at high temperatures, ceramic tile has a dense construction that allows it to withstand wet areas, especially public restrooms. Given its nonporous surface, it doesn’t absorb moisture or bacteria, making it one of the top choices for areas that must be kept sanitary, such as kitchen and dining areas.
Ceramic tile can be glazed with virtually any color to match the room’s decor, and organized in the design of your choice. This flooring option greatly contributes to a room’s visual appeal while staying within budget.
Porcelain tile (a type of ceramic tile) is fired at an even higher temperature than ceramic tile, making it denser and even more durable. Once again, porcelain tile can display any color and pattern, and holds up just as well as ceramic tile to high-traffic areas. Commercial porcelain and ceramic tile are two of the top choices that you will see throughout many office and retail spaces.
Natural Stone
Natural stone, especially marble tile, one of the most popular options for natural stone flooring, has a magnificent texture that creates an aura of wealth and sophistication. As a heavier tile, natural stone is fairly versatile and can be used in foyers, waiting areas, and conference rooms. You might have seen this type of tile before in upscale hotels, restaurants, and office spaces.
Because natural stone flooring is porous, it’s harder to clean and maintain. Spills usually leave noticeable stains behind, so it’s not recommended for wet areas like public bathrooms. The surface can easily get scratched or damaged by water, so it must be resealed about every 10 years. You won’t find many deep cleaning solutions for marble floors, so you’ll likely have to hire a stone restoration professional, an added expense. Aesthetically, no two tiles are exactly the same, so you won’t get a perfectly uniform color/design.
Glass Tile
Glass tiles are popular for sink backsplashes in public restrooms. They can be arranged in single file, as a mosaic, or be used with additional materials (essential when used in flooring). They add a nice decorative touch of color to previously neutral spaces, and are easy to clean.
However, glass tile for use as a flooring material can be fairly expensive to install and maintain. Maintenance must also be done on a regular basis to ensure that the glass does not crack under the stress of heavy objects like furniture pieces. Because glass is transparent, the adhesive shows through and yellows as it ages, which taints the overall visual appeal. Over time, glass tile can also crack or form microscopic bubbles in the material that give it a smudged or foggy appearance.
Concrete Tile
Best known in parking garages and more industrial applications, concrete tile can withstand the test of time. Polished concrete tile can be presentable to customer-facing applications, making it suitable for bathrooms and high traffic areas, but this comes with the need for more maintenance and a larger up-front expense.
Offering brilliant designs, concrete tile options include virtually limitless colors and textures. It doesn’t require much maintenance once it’s sealed, and can last up to 100 years. That seems like an excellent choice, but you might notice that not many commercial spaces use this polished concrete tile.
Unfortunately, concrete has to be resealed about every 3 years, or it will stain easily. It also lacks noise-dampening attributes, often creating an echo, not at all ideal for conference rooms. It does not hold up well to high impact, and can chip if something heavy is dropped on it. Given its hard surface, it may be uncomfortable to stand on for long periods of time, making it an impractical option for standing meeting rooms.
Create Beautiful High-Traffic Areas
Tiled flooring such as ceramic tile, natural stone, glass, and concrete creates a beautiful atmosphere of quality for any facility. Beyond brand messaging, the appearance of the retail space is the number one unconscious factor that helps customers decide whether to trust and invest in a company’s services.
The better your commercial space looks, the more customer loyalty you can accrue faster. Flooring, whether the customer thinks about it or not, is an important deciding factor in determining how reliable a business is.
Just like the quality of lighting in a retail space, the quality of the flooring tiles can impact their first impression. Don’t let your business suffer because of poor-quality flooring decisions; commercial ceramic tile flooring is a high-quality, professional option that won’t break the bank.
With multiple commercial-grade tiles available, you can customize your flooring to suit your business’ needs and curate a unique look that will have customers impressed the moment they step into the building.
Furnish Your Space with Style Without Going Over-Budget
Ceramic tile is one of the most economical choices for hard flooring. With the cost of raw materials skyrocketing in recent years, it’s no secret that renovations are taking longer to complete, and business owners are constantly going over budget trying to make the retail space look the best.
Fortunately, ceramic tile costs have remained relatively stable during this spike in demand, allowing business owners to finish the flooring of their space on-time and on-budget.
Ceramic tiles come in a wide range of styles and offer unique benefits over other types of flooring, which we’ll cover below. Resistant to commercial-grade wear and tear, these tiles are ideal for high-traffic areas and can withstand heavy equipment and furniture over a long period.
Benefits of Commercial Ceramic Tile Flooring
Not every commercial space utilizes ceramic tile the same way. For some businesses, ceramic tile flooring provides a unique sense of style and design to accentuate their retail space. For others, its ease of cleaning and durability might be the deciding factor. To help you better understand how ceramic tile can benefit your business, here are some simple reasons why ceramic tiles are good options in any commercial space.
Easy Maintenance
When it comes to business flooring options as well as residential options, maintenance is crucial. No one wants to spend more time than necessary on floor maintenance. Fortunately, ceramic tiles are not just durable to wear and tear but they are also resistant to messes, making it easy to clean up.
Regular maintenance is simple: just vacuum or sweep the floor regularly. All dirt, liquids, and stains are easy to wipe or mop from the ceramic surface. For stuck on dirt and grime, soaking the area with warm water with a small amount of detergent mixed in does the trick.
This easy maintenance regimen makes it a popular choice for restaurants and kitchen areas where food spills are common and need to be cleaned up quickly.
Design Variety
You can design your ceramic tile in whatever way that you like. If you want to reproduce the look of hardwood in your business foyer or recreate natural stone in your company’s bathroom, your design options are limitless. You can receive all of the benefits of ceramic with all of the design options of your favorite materials. In addition, proper cutting tools can create ceramic tiles in a variety of size and shape options.
Affordable Price
Affordability matters in your commercial space. When it comes to running a business, budget is everything. You want to make sure that you still have plenty to put into the rest of your business once your flooring remodel is complete. With ceramic, you invest in high-quality flooring with several benefits. Ceramic tiling can cost you as little as 5 dollars per square, depending on the tile and installation. But for such a hardy option, ceramic tile is one of the most affordable.
Allergen-Free
In a commercial space, you have a variety of employees, clients, and guests that travel through every single day. Even modest office spaces see a lot more foot traffic than the average home, making it a melting pot of allergens. A large percentage of people suffer from allergies that worsen in public spaces because of the accumulation of allergens in the air.
Prolonged exposure to indoor allergens can contribute to a lack of productivity and lowered morale in the workplace. Accumulated allergens are enough to make an individual feel sick, even without the typical sneezing symptoms that come with seasonal allergies.
Ceramic tiles have a solid surface that does not hang onto pollen, dust, dirt or any other allergen. This is unlike carpet, which tends to hold onto allergens tightly in the short fibers. If these particles land on ceramic tile, they are visible enough that you can wipe them away from the surface with regular cleaning and maintenance.
Choose Surface Design Solutions for Commercial Ceramic Tile
At home or in the office, ceramic tiles are one of the best options for solid, durable flooring that won’t break the bank. These tiles are so versatile and provide a beautiful, professional finish that they are used in a range of commercial spaces. From hotels to restaurants, shops, or offices, our commercial ceramic tile flooring is one of the most popular choices for businesses in and around Henrietta, NY.
If you need a flooring option that will last through heavy traffic and complement your design elements, then ceramic is your most versatile option.
Because of its durability and resistance to stains and scratches, it also pairs nicely with other flooring options to create visual and textural boundaries to divide commercial spaces. This is perfect for multi-use office buildings or retail spaces that need to separate floorspace for more intuitive floor plans.