The 3 Best Floors for Your Business Waiting Room By Tammi McGuire

Whether your business is moving into a brand new building or it’s been located in the same building for years, now is the perfect time to do some waiting room redecorating. Consider the waiting room your business’ “face” to new customers, patients and colleagues. It’s the first thing they see when they walk inside, even before they speak with your receptionist. If the room isn’t clean, attractive and comfortable, your clientele will be left with the feeling of uneasiness, especially if they spent a lot of time in that room.

Part of the feeling of comfort and attractiveness is due to the paint on your walls or the furniture throughout the room. But a lot of that feeling of welcome is achieved through durable, inviting flooring. The flooring in your waiting room will experience far more use than a lot of the room’s décor, perhaps more even than the chairs. It needs to project the image you want your business to project, and it needs to make sense for your business. Talk into consideration the ambulatory needs of your clientele, the ease of cleaning the flooring, and the number of people you expect to see on a daily basis when you choose which type of flooring is right for you.

Carpet

One of the most popular choices in a waiting room is carpet. Carpeting helps protect your customers from falls, which is especially important in a doctor’s or dentist’s office that sees a lot of senior clientele. Select a carpet designed for high traffic, a thin and durable option, and you won’t even have to worry about the carpet wearing down prematurely. Although not all carpets make sense for a waiting room – shag won’t do, for example, even if you’re going for a retro look – there are so many varieties of colors, textures and patterns, there’s sure to be several options that match your décor.

Laminate

If there’s a drawback to carpet, it’s that spills and dirt are difficult to clean on fiber. That’s not an issue with laminate. There will be no need to invest in carpet cleaners when a simple mop and bucket will do. Plus, since laminate is available in many looks, from those impersonating tiles to those mimicking hardwood floors, you can get the look you want for a fraction of the price. Plus, laminate is sure to be less slippery than hardwood flooring and tiles, which is especially important to consider if you’re in the health care business.

Tiles

There’s something truly elegant about tiles on a waiting room floor, something too few businesses take advantage of. If your waiting room patrons are primarily salespeople or customers for a business unrelated to the health care field, you especially need to consider the look that goes hand in hand with tiles: affluence, stylishness and sophistication. Having a shiny tile floor in your waiting room is like saying your business is timeless, successful and full of class. Don’t get caught up in thinking tiles are for bathrooms only; there are a wide variety of tile options, including much larger tiles than you’re used to seeing in bathrooms at home, and tiles in darker colors that will mask any dirt your patrons carry in on their shoes.

A waiting room floor sees more traffic than the flooring back in your offices. The flooring you choose needs to be durable but attractive, comforting but safe. If you can afford only one improvement to your waiting room this year, let it be flooring. Plus, if you shop at the right place, you might save so much you’ll have room left over in your budget for other improvements.