Are you investing in constructing a healthcare centre? It pays to think through the structural elements of each zone within your medical facility.
Just like a little city, a hospital is always abuzz with people 24 hours a day, but within this hive of activity lie several speciality units that cater to specific medical requirements. From Pediatrics to Pathology, Oncology to Operation Theatres, many of these special zones have granular structural parameters to ensure safety, hygiene, and comfort, while soothing the patients and relatives.
What Type of Flooring Is Best for Hospitals?
There is no single flooring solution that is ideal for every hospital area. Flooring should be specified according to the activities, traffic, equipment and hygiene requirements of each zone.
| Healthcare Zone | Important Flooring Requirements | Flooring Approach |
| Pediatrics | Comfort, easy cleaning, colour and visual appeal | Healthcare vinyl flooring |
| Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation | Durability, comfort, movement and traction | Resilient/sports vinyl solutions |
| Radiology & X-Ray | Durability and static-control requirements where applicable | Static-conductive vinyl |
| Emergency & OPD | High traffic, easy cleaning and stain resistance | Durable homogeneous/heterogeneous vinyl |
| ICU | Hygiene, durability and easy maintenance | Healthcare-grade homogeneous vinyl |
| Operating Theatre | Hygiene, cleanability and static control where required | Static-conductive homogeneous vinyl |
| Pathology & Laboratory | Chemical resistance, cleanability and durability | Specialist healthcare vinyl |
| Pharmacy | Stain resistance, cleaning and chemical resistance | Durable healthcare vinyl |
The key is to match the flooring specification to the room rather than treating every hospital area in the same way.
What Flooring Is Suitable for Pediatric Areas?
Little children are often the most important patients, and a conducive and cheerful ambience is integral to their recovery. Pediatric units need practical, yet eye-catching surfaces and Square Foot's vinyl flooring and walls are ideal. Colours are extremely therapeutic. They play a key role, enhancing recovery in both children and adults. The floor is the single largest expanse in a hospital, and colour therapy plays a pivotal role in one’s overall wellbeing, and Square Foot brings you a wide range of hues and tones to elevate your mood!
Research shows that bright and cheerful colours not only appeal to children, but also help uplift their mood, alleviating the anxiety of accompanying family members. Aesthetic and attractive spaces reduce stress and reassure both children and adults alike.
Vinyl is extremely safe and stable, so that even a child can walk on it. It comes in bright and happy hues to create a mood-lifting atmosphere. Although it is soft underfoot and easy to move across, it doesn’t get damaged easily, making it the perfect choice for a child-friendly zone.
We also guarantee that our Tarkett vinyl surfaces are antimicrobial, creating a germ-free atmosphere. We have the lowest VOC emissions, maximising indoor air quality, a particularly important factor when dealing with immunocompromised young children.
What Flooring Is Best for Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Areas?
Vinyl is the ideal flooring solution for physiotherapy and rehab areas in a hospital setting. It is sturdy and crease free, allowing people to move across it without danger of losing their balance, and use support like crutches or walkers without a problem. However, it is extremely comfortable to walk across, which makes it useful in physiotherapy and rehab zones.
Its anti-slip and anti-skid properties make it a very safe surface, offering extra support for those who are mobility impaired. One can also create special colour palettes and designs, as well as signage, for elderly people, as well as patients suffering from dementia, Parkinsons or Alzheimers.
Our Impact Sports Vinyl Flooring is easy on the knees. It is an excellent choice for physiotherapy and rehabilitation zones in a hospital, as the closed cellulose foam backing eases pressure on all the joints.
What Flooring Is Used in Radiology and X-Ray Rooms?
The radiology department in a hospital has very specific requirements. The floor must be extremely stable and be shock-proof. It also needs to be extremely strong to withstand the heavy weight of the machines and their vibrations while they work. Square Foot's range of conductive vinyl is ideal for radiology zones. It features a specially engineered antistatic surface. Since it comes in a roll with only a few joints, the chances of dirt, germs, bacteria or fungus accumulating on the surface are minimised.
Vinyl is durable and stable, with excellent anti-shock and anti-static properties. It is also a fire-retardant material. In the unlikely event that it gets damaged, it can be repaired easily in less than a day.
A radiation bunker must have a specially toughened floor. The base is usually made from a thick core slab of high-density concrete, over which we place a seamless vinyl surface, which is covered along the skirting and even up the walls, making it completely waterproof.
What Flooring Is Suitable for Emergency Wards and OPDs?
An emergency ward or outpatient department needs to soothe the patient, infusing comfort, and confidence. Most of the people who come into these areas are in a high state of anxiety, and a calm, reassuring ambience goes a long way towards reducing stress and restoring their emotional equilibrium, while maximizing efficiency.
These areas are high traffic zones with heavy footfall. Patients are often rolled in and out of emergency and OPD units on stretchers and wheelchairs, and vinyl's comfort underfoot and low rolling resistance make it the ideal surface. Vinyl surfaces are totally seamless, preventing bacteria or dirt from getting trapped in grouting channels or cracks.
Vinyl flooring is extremely easy to clean with a swab and wipe. One can use a hospital-grade disinfectant on it frequently without damaging the surface. Even if substances like iodine or betadine fall on it, the stains can be wiped off without any marks. In particular, Tarkett's iQ vinyl range or Somplan series with Tektanium coating can withstand strong disinfecting agents like alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, quat, and bleach.
Cracks or tears are easy to repair. Tarkett's iQ vinyl range can be resealed by dry buffing and remains resistant to stains throughout its lifetime, which increases its longevity, bringing down maintenance costs by as much as 30%!
What Flooring Is Best for ICUs and Operating Theatres?
In ICUs and operating theatres, safety is critical. One needs to ensure that the environment is sanitary and hygienic, yet soothing and uplifting. Incorporating structural elements that optimize efficiency, comfort and wellbeing of both patients and medical professionals is essential, and this is where vinyl flooring ticks all the boxes.
One of the best things about vinyl is its flexibility, allowing it to be laid on the floor surface and then coved up the walls and into drains, as needed, to create a smooth and seamless surface. There are no joints or seams where bacteria or fungus can multiply, and it makes the surface completely waterproof and antimicrobial.
It is extremely stable, sturdy, and shock-proof, making it an ideal option for ICUs and operating theatres with a lot of electronic and electrical equipment. It is also flame-retardant, which is important in areas where oxygen cylinders are stored. Quick and easy to repair and clean, vinyl is the ideal flooring solution for sensitive zones like an ICU or Operating Theatre.
What Flooring Is Suitable for Pathology Labs and Pharmacies?
Hygiene is critical in pathology labs and pharmacies. Vinyl's seamless, creaseless surface prevents dust, dirt and fungal or bacterial growths from collecting in the cracks, creating a germ-free antimicrobial environment.Vinyl can be installed on the floors and the walls, keeping the entire unit fully waterproof. Various types of drugs, bodily fluids and strong cleaning agents may fall on the floor or spatter the walls, but vinyl remains unaffected by any spills or drips. All one has to do is wipe it up with a damp cloth or a mop, and the surface is sparkling clean.
Square Foot has worked closely for several years with some of India’s best-known hospitals. From large multi-speciality units to stand-alone nursing homes, we have laid floors and walls in many healthcare centres and have a deep understanding and experience in this domain. We are the sole reseller of Tarkett's hospital-grade vinyl products across India, bringing you best-in-class products, installation and maintenance to optimize your facility.
Colour is a tremendous stimulus and evokes emotions. It not only impacts our behaviour and mood, but also allows people to recognize key features and signs from afar, so that they can interpret spaces without confusion. Our wide range of colours gives you plenty of options to choose from when selecting your homogenous vinyl surface. We also bring you heterogenous vinyl and designs that can elevate the ambience of your healthcare facility.
In partnership with Tarkett, Square Foot brings you vinyl surfaces that prevent electrical discharge to and from human touch. Static electricity is a hazard, leading to shocks. Our anti-electrostatic flooring solutions are essential in zones where there is a lot of electrical and electronic equipment.
Tarkett is a pioneer in 100% phthalate-free vinyl, creating an eco-friendly and sustainable environment. We follow Cradle to Cradle principles stringently, and our products meet the highest health and environmental benchmarks in the industry.
Our Material Health Statement is a unique certification that exceeds REACH compliance. Tarkett vinyls have the lowest VOC emissions of any vinyl product and our indoor air quality standards are optimal. Each vinyl surface is designed to retain its colour saturation and sheen, preventing waxing and polishing, reducing the patients' exposure to harmful chemicals and hazardous emissions.
Square Foot has been a partner and distributor for Tarkett for 30 years, with years of product execution, installation expertise, and maintenance experience behind us. Square Foot's vinyl range from Tarkett is the premier choice for your hospital's flooring and wall surface requirements. Step into one of our showrooms located in every major city in India or give us a call to discover how we can help you transform your healthcare facility.
Healthcare Flooring Projects by Square Foot
Square Foot's documented healthcare work includes:
Fortis Hospital, Bangalore
Homogeneous vinyl flooring was used in hospital areas, with iQ Toro SC selected for cath labs and operating theatres.Columbia Asia, Ahmedabad
Square Foot documented homogeneous vinyl flooring for corridors, patient rooms and other healthcare areas, with Toro SC used for cath lab and operating theatre applications.Sri Kauvery Hospital, Chennai
Eclipse Premium homogeneous vinyl flooring was installed across operating theatres, corridors, NICU, PICU, isolation units, common areas and other departments.
These projects demonstrate why healthcare flooring should be designed around the specific requirements of each hospital zone.
