What type of flooring is best for a commercial kitchen?

The floor of a commercial kitchen will need to be able to withstand high levels of heat, as well as heavy duty equipment, constant footfall and regular spillages and stains. Therefore, the material used for this sort of environment must be ultra-hard wearing and durable if you do not want to have to replace it regularly.

Commercial kitchen floors must also be slip resistant, for safety reasons, and easily cleanable while limiting the potential for infection. So what are the best types of floors for the kitchen of a restaurant or café?

Vinyl

The vinyl flooring typically used in commercial kitchen spaces is created from a blend of synthetic and natural polymers. The structure of these makes the material very long lasting and ensures it does not become slippery. Examples of the kinds of vinyl found in such kitchens include sheet floors, luxury vinyl tile (LVT) or vinyl composition tile (VCT).

Luxury vinyl tile is the best of these because it is stronger and more durable than vinyl composition tile or sheet flooring while also being available with pre-treatment that provides a guard against infection. Given the importance of health and safety in food preparation areas, that is a key point to consider when choosing flooring.

Ceramic tiles

These are made out of clay that is shaped into square tiles and then kiln-fired. It is a kind of floor that offers high durability and very easy maintenance, provided you get the right glazing. This should be melted glass and it will be essential for commercial kitchens. It prevents damage and means that stains can be easily wiped away.

Unglazed ceramic tile floors are too fragile and vulnerable to water damage to be suitable for use in the kitchen of a café or restaurant. Opting for tiles also means that a single damaged one can be replaced instead of an entire floor.

Resin

The third popular flooring choice for kitchens is resin. This is one of the easiest floor materials to clean and it is hard wearing enough to cope with boots, shoes and heavy kitchen equipment. Other advantages of resin are its slip resistance and hygiene qualities, all of which are ideal for kitchen areas.

As with vinyl and ceramic tile floors it is available in different colours and styles.

These will be the best floor options for a busy commercial kitchen, and each can be installed by experienced professionals.

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Cat scratching mat could save your carpet

Cats and carpets don’t live well together if the cat has a habit of damaging the carpet through scratching. A cat scratching mat could be the answer.

Scratching is a natural instinct for a cat. It exercises its forelimb muscles ready for hunting. It’s also a form of marking territory. Many cats will scratch outdoors, but cats who spend most of their time indoors may scratch indoors. If your cat decides to scratch the carpets in your Chester or North Wales home, the best solution is to provide an alternative scratching area.

A common solution to prevent cats from scratching the carpet is a scratching post, but not all cats like to use them, and cat owners may feel that a post spoils the aesthetics of the room. A scratching mat is an alternative to a scratching post.

Perhaps the best cat scratching mats are ones made from natural woven sisal which is a non-toxic natural material. The best feature non-slip latex underlay that prevents the mat from sliding. The natural light brown look of sisal blends with the décor. These mats can be used on the floor or attached to a wall. One owner said:

“This distracts my problem child from clawing my couch. I haven’t stuck it to anything since he seems to love rolling around with the mat.”

If a cat will not use a scratching post or mat relocate it next to where the cat sleeps as cats often prefer to scratch just after they wake up.

Should you seal concrete flooring before tiling or carpeting?

Many people choose to put either carpeting or tiling over parts of their home or commercial space that have concrete floors. That is because concrete can be a cold and hard surface for walking on and is also not the most visually appealing type of floor.

The issue of whether any sealing is needed before putting down the carpets or tiling is one that people often neglect though. That is what we will be looking at in this piece.

Should you seal the floor first?

Concrete floors can be found in many parts of a commercial space, but in a home the most likely room to have one in is a basement. That is a part of the home that is particularly at risk from moisture, which will cause a significant amount of damage to either carpets or tiles. Mildew, mould and rot are all common forms of damage caused by too much moisture.

Basements are prone to excess moisture because the air is a higher temperature than the floor or the walls. That creates condensation of the same sort found on a cold glass in hot weather.

Most concrete floors are fitted with damp-proof membranes that are designed to prevent moisture from getting through them. Although certainly not useless, these membranes are not always as effective at doing this as would be ideal.

Sealing the floor will fill up surface pores in the concrete with polymer molecules. That keeps both moisture and dirt from getting through to the tiles or carpet.

How do you seal the floors?

Start by filling in any holes or dips in the floor using a levelling compound. After that you should sweep the floor to get rid of debris and dirt that has built up. You can also wash it with a mop if you wish but give it time to dry before adding the sealant if you do.

Now it is time to put the sealant down. Choose one that is designed for concrete floors and spread it over the surface using a paint roller. A single gallon of it will be enough to coat most concrete floors, although more may be needed if it is a larger commercial space.

Wait two hours minimum after applying the first coat, to let it dry, then add a second coat. Once that is dry you will be ready to put down your carpet or tiles and should be protected against moisture.

New machine detects and removes carpet stains

Carpets in Chester and North Wales homes are easy to keep clean, except when there are stubborn stains that cannot be removed by a vacuum. A new carpet cleaning gadget makes removing stains easy by automatically detecting and cleaning them.

There are solutions that claim to remove stains from carpets, but stubborn stains often require hard rubbing to completely vanish. Tineco, a floor care appliance maker, has announced the launch of CARPET ONE Spot, a machine for use on carpets, upholstery and in cars. It contains Tineco’s iLoop Smart Sensor technology which detects, and then scrubs stains without needing an operator. Tough stains are removed without requiring manual scrubbing. The machine senses how tough the stain is and automatically adjusts its water flow and roller speed. The machine can even tackle stains spread over a large area.

The CARPET ONE Spot is portable and cordless, lasting up to 40 minutes on one charge. Carpet or upholstery settings and cleaning levels can be selected. The appliance is self-cleaning, removing dirt collected by the hose and brushes.

The Tineco CARPET ONE Spot is currently not available in the UK, though other Tineco carpet cleaners are on sale here. A cheaper option is to use a carpet stain remover such as Vanish which cleans stains and odours on carpets and upholstery, but this may involve hard scrubbing. It’s recommended that carpets are professionally deep cleaned at least once a year. A decent quality, well-maintained carpet lasts a long time.

Carpet Recycling UK reports growing support

Carpet Recycling UK (CRUK) reports that around half of Britain’s carpet manufacturers and distributors support its schemes to recycle used carpets. They say that this shows increasing support for their aim to reduce wasted textile flooring and resources.

At the 2022 Harrogate Flooring Show, CRUK manager, Adnan Zeo-Khn said:

“We want to have more conversations with raw materials suppliers about the supply of recycled and more sustainable materials as well as, the challenges of decommissioning carpets at the end of life, what is being done and how can we help.”

He said that he had positive talks with manufactures and suppliers of carpets at the show and hoped that more will join CRUK.

Many carpet manufacturers are committed to the circular economy where products are made from recycled materials. CRUK advises carpet companies on how to reduce costs and resources by using more recycled materials.

Another sector that CRUK helps is carpet contractors, who often have substantial amounts of waste carpet after completing a large flooring contract. If they become members of the CRUK scheme, they will be assisted in ways to recycle leftover carpet pieces.

CRUK is working with organisations that train carpet fitters. They want educational programs to include a section on how waste carpets are collected, sorted, and processed.

When choosing Carpets for North Wales homes, an option is carpets that include recycled materials. Wool carpets are made from natural sustainable fibres, which can easily be recycled at the end of the carpet’s life.