Office Flooring Options: Professional Looks That Last
Your office flooring affects more than aesthetics. It influences employee comfort, shapes acoustic environment, projects professionalism to clients, and creates the foundation for daily productivity.
Asheville’s growing business community includes everything from creative agencies in the River Arts District to professional firms downtown to medical practices throughout the region. Each type of office demands flooring that supports its specific work and brand.
At Leicester Flooring, we’ve supplied office flooring throughout Western North Carolina for 50 years. We understand what different work environments need and how to deliver flooring that performs for years.
What Office Flooring Must Accomplish
Office flooring serves multiple purposes simultaneously. Understanding these requirements guides smart product selection.
Professional Appearance
Clients judge your business partly by its physical environment. Worn, dated, or inappropriate flooring undermines professional credibility. Your floors should support the image you want to project.
Employee Comfort
Your team spends 40+ hours weekly in your space. Uncomfortable flooring contributes to fatigue, affects mood, and can even influence employee retention. Comfort matters for productivity and satisfaction.
Acoustic Performance
Open office layouts have become standard, but they create noise challenges. Hard surfaces amplify sound, making concentration difficult. Flooring choice significantly affects acoustic environment.
Durability Under Office Traffic
Office traffic differs from retail or hospitality. Rolling chairs, moving furniture, foot traffic patterns, and equipment placement create specific wear patterns. Flooring must handle these conditions for years.
Maintenance Practicality
Whatever flooring you choose, your team must maintain it. Products requiring specialized care that your maintenance protocols can’t provide will deteriorate regardless of initial quality.
Office Flooring Options
Several flooring categories serve office applications well. The right choice depends on your work environment, brand positioning, and practical requirements.
Commercial Carpet Tile
Carpet tile dominates office installations for excellent reasons.
Acoustic benefits: Carpet absorbs sound that hard surfaces reflect. In open offices where phone calls, conversations, and keyboard noise compete for attention, carpet reduces overall noise levels significantly.
Comfort underfoot: Carpet provides cushioning that reduces fatigue for employees who walk or stand throughout the day. The comfort benefit is real and affects satisfaction.
Design flexibility: Carpet tile enables creative patterns, color combinations, and defined zones within open spaces. The modular format allows design possibilities broadloom carpet can’t match.
Easy maintenance and repair: Individual tiles can be replaced when damaged or stained. This modularity extends overall floor life and simplifies maintenance.
Access to building systems: Carpet tile lifts to access under-floor electrical, data, and HVAC systems. This practical benefit matters in modern offices with extensive technology infrastructure.
Cost-effective: Carpet tile provides excellent value for office applications. Installation is straightforward, and the long lifespan delivers good return on investment.
For most office applications, commercial carpet tile offers the best combination of performance, comfort, and practicality.
Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT)
LVT provides an alternative when hard surfaces suit your needs better.
Modern aesthetic: Some office environments prefer hard surface looks. Tech companies, creative agencies, and modern professional firms often choose LVT for contemporary appearance.
Easy cleaning: LVT wipes clean easily. For offices where spills occur regularly or heavy cleaning is preferred, LVT simplifies maintenance.
Allergen control: Hard surfaces don’t trap dust and allergens the way carpet can. For offices prioritizing indoor air quality, LVT may be preferable.
Moisture resistance: Break rooms, kitchenettes, and areas near entrances benefit from LVT’s waterproof construction.
Durability: Commercial LVT handles rolling chairs and furniture movement well. Properly specified products last for years under office conditions.
The trade-offs include less acoustic benefit, harder surfaces that may cause fatigue, and cooler feel in winter.
Combination Approaches
Many offices use carpet tile in work areas while choosing LVT for specific spaces.
Reception areas: LVT creates polished first impressions and handles visitor traffic well.
Break rooms: LVT handles food and beverage spills better than carpet.
Restrooms: LVT or tile provides appropriate moisture resistance.
Conference rooms: Carpet tile supports acoustics for meetings and presentations.
Work areas: Carpet tile provides comfort and sound absorption for daily productivity.
This combination approach optimizes each flooring type’s strengths for appropriate areas.
Choosing Flooring for Different Office Types
Different work environments have different priorities. Match flooring choice to your specific situation.
Professional Services Firms
Law offices, accounting firms, financial services, and similar professional environments prioritize:
- Traditional, professional appearance
- Client-impressive common areas
- Comfortable private offices
- Quiet environment for concentrated work
Recommended approach: Quality carpet tile in work areas and common spaces. LVT or tile in restrooms and break areas. Consider upgraded products in high-visibility reception areas.
Creative and Technology Companies
Design firms, tech companies, marketing agencies, and creative businesses often want:
- Modern, contemporary aesthetic
- Flexible, adaptable spaces
- Distinctive appearance reflecting creative culture
- Durable surfaces handling casual work styles
Recommended approach: LVT throughout creates modern feel. Carpet tile in areas where acoustics matter. Consider bold patterns or colors that express brand personality.
Medical and Healthcare Offices
Doctor’s offices, dental practices, therapy centers, and healthcare environments require:
- Easy cleaning and sanitization
- Comfortable surfaces for patients
- Professional, calming atmosphere
- Compliance with healthcare standards
Recommended approach: LVT in exam rooms and clinical areas for easy cleaning. Carpet or LVT in waiting rooms depending on maintenance preferences. Verify products meet healthcare requirements.
Co-working and Shared Spaces
Shared work environments face specific challenges:
- Heavy traffic from multiple users
- Varied cleaning and maintenance
- Flexible space requirements
- Budget constraints
Recommended approach: Durable commercial carpet tile or LVT rated for heavy traffic. Choose products requiring minimal specialized maintenance. Plan for higher wear and eventual replacement.
Home Offices
The line between residential and commercial blurs in home offices. Consider:
- Integration with home décor
- Comfort for extended work sessions
- Professional appearance for video calls
- Residential installation methods
Recommended approach: Quality residential or light commercial products that match your home while providing office-appropriate durability and appearance.
Office Flooring Specifications
Understanding commercial specifications helps you choose appropriate products.
Traffic Ratings
Commercial carpet and LVT use traffic ratings indicating appropriate use levels.
Moderate commercial: Suitable for private offices, low-traffic areas Heavy commercial: Appropriate for open offices, corridors, common areas Extra heavy commercial: For high-traffic lobbies, entries, public spaces
Choose ratings matching or exceeding your actual traffic levels.
Wear Layer (LVT)
LVT durability correlates with wear layer thickness.
12-20 mil: Light commercial, appropriate for private offices 20-28 mil: General commercial, suitable for most office applications 28+ mil: Heavy commercial, for high-traffic environments
Rolling chair use accelerates wear. If chair mats aren’t used, specify higher wear layers.
Carpet Face Weight and Density
Commercial carpet durability relates to face weight (ounces per square yard) and density.
- Higher face weight generally indicates more durable carpet
- Density affects appearance retention and wear resistance
- Commercial ratings matter more than specific numbers for most buyers
Trust commercial ratings rather than trying to evaluate technical specifications yourself.
Installation Considerations for Office Projects
Office flooring installation involves factors beyond product selection.
Minimizing Business Disruption
Your business can’t stop for flooring installation. We work with office clients to minimize impact:
- Weekend and after-hours installation
- Phased installation keeping portions operational
- Furniture coordination and moving
- Quick completion to restore normal operations
Furniture and Equipment
Office installation involves working around or moving furniture and equipment.
- Who handles furniture moving?
- How is equipment protected during installation?
- What’s the timeline for full restoration?
Clarify these logistics before work begins.
Technology Integration
Modern offices have extensive under-floor systems. Installation must coordinate with:
- Electrical and data wiring
- HVAC systems
- Access requirements for future maintenance
Carpet tile’s lift-out capability provides ongoing access that some alternatives don’t offer.
Phased Replacements
Some offices replace flooring in phases rather than all at once. This approach:
- Spreads cost over time
- Minimizes single-event disruption
- Allows evaluation before completing entire project
We help clients plan phased approaches when appropriate.
Maintaining Office Flooring
Proper maintenance extends flooring life and maintains professional appearance.
Carpet Tile Maintenance
- Regular vacuuming (daily in high-traffic areas)
- Prompt spot cleaning of spills
- Periodic deep cleaning (annually or as needed)
- Chair mat use under rolling chairs
- Replacement of damaged tiles as needed
LVT Maintenance
- Regular sweeping or dust mopping
- Periodic damp mopping with appropriate cleaners
- Prompt cleanup of spills
- Chair mat use under rolling chairs (even with hard surfaces)
- Avoid harsh chemicals not approved for your product
Entrance Matting
Quality entrance matting captures dirt and moisture before they reach your flooring. This simple measure significantly extends interior floor life and reduces maintenance needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best flooring for open offices?
Commercial carpet tile typically works best. The acoustic benefits are significant in open environments, and the comfort supports long work days.
How long does office flooring last?
Quality commercial flooring lasts 10-20 years in typical office conditions. Actual lifespan depends on traffic, maintenance, and product quality.
Should we use chair mats?
Yes. Rolling chairs accelerate wear on any flooring type. Chair mats protect your investment and extend flooring life.
Can we install new flooring over existing flooring?
Sometimes. Condition of existing flooring, height considerations, and product requirements determine whether overlay is appropriate. We evaluate this during consultation.
How do we handle installation in an occupied office?
We schedule work to minimize disruption. After-hours and weekend installation, phased approaches, and careful coordination keep your business operational.
What about allergies and air quality?
LVT doesn’t trap allergens the way carpet can. For offices prioritizing indoor air quality, hard surfaces may be preferable. Modern carpet also offers low-VOC and hypoallergenic options.
Create the Right Environment for Your Business
Your office flooring shapes daily experience for everyone who works in or visits your space. The right choice supports productivity, projects professionalism, and serves your business for years.
At Leicester Flooring, we help Asheville businesses choose office flooring that fits their work, their brand, and their budget. Our 50 years of commercial experience means we understand what different offices need.
Contact us to discuss your office flooring project. Whether you’re building new, renovating existing space, or simply updating tired flooring, our team provides the expertise your project requires.
Schedule your commercial consultation today.