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Permalink Reply by Lindsey on October 19, 2010 at 5:54am

We've got three stories - wooden floors throughout. And actually, the first floor employee bathroom is wooden too - the only room with anything different is the second floor bathroom, and it's tile.

I suppose there are options for flooring that is slightly easier to keep clean, but our shop is a renovated greystone apartment building, and the flooring we have is original. And, while we've had some problems with it before, those were mostly due to the age of the building and natural wear of the floors. The floors are swept fully and mopped every night, using a special wood-protecting soap, and are spot mopped and swept throughout the day as needed. I think if we were less vigilant about keeping them clean we would have more issues, but it the almost 3 years we've been open, I can't think of any problems we've had with the wood. Plus, it looks nice. :)

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Permalink Reply by Jason Shipley on October 19, 2010 at 6:38am

I would not do wood in areas you know will get wet, quarry tile or if the space has concrete floors an epoxy sealant are your two best choices. The Epoxy is the easiest to clean and if the coving is done correctly you can use a hose and really scrub the floors spotless on a regular basis.

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Permalink Reply by Marek on October 19, 2010 at 1:06pm

Absolutely NO to wood flooring anywhere that there is water. Wood will bend, warp, crack, mold and smell. It's slippery when wet ... love that term... anyway, where was I ... Oh yea... wood floor.

Try this, stop by tile store, look for a tile that ... looks like wood, there are many... that way you can have the look without the hassle.

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Permalink Reply by Lindsey on October 19, 2010 at 8:11pm

I suppose it kind of depends on what is already there. Concrete?

If I had a bare base with the option of putting in a floor, wood would (hah) definitely NOT be my first choice - as the other posters have emphatically said. But, we acquired a vintage building as it was - with wood flooring throughout. If cost wasn't an issue, I'm sure we would have replaced the wood behind the counter, but it really wasn't an option. So, we make the best of it - we're got rubber mat thingers down that prevent slips, and because we keep it so clean, we've never had an issue with mold, warping, or cracking in the 2.5+ years we've been around. (Well, there was a hole in the third floor once, but it had nothing to do with spilling water, etc). We've also got rugs and carpeted mats lying about in the general seating areas to help with traction, and we've never had anyone slip and fall.

My first response was directly related to your questions as yes, I DO have experience with wood floors, and no, we've never had problems. But if I were in your position, with the option of putting in whatever kind of flooring my little heart desires, the epoxy idea sounds best.

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Cash on October 19, 2010 at 8:28pm

before you do anything check with the health department or your contractor if you have one. I ditto what Jason S. says about quarry tile or an epoxy sealant with the epoxy being the cheaper of the two (at least in my area)...you may want to even do that in the bathrooms. good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Dav on October 20, 2010 at 3:20am

Hi All,

Thanks for the replies. The base is concrete. But for the rest of the area we are going to put 12mm of plywood and then 20mm of Oak flooring. My architect said that if you don't put the wooden flooring throughout, we have to make up a non wooden floor part with something that is 32mm high. I'll check what the height of the tiles are today.

Thanks again,

Dav

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Permalink Reply by Bryan Wray on October 20, 2010 at 4:39am

Indeed check with your local health and contractors, you might need to have a set slope to a drain that won't be achievable with certain flooring options (ex. large tiles, large wooden planks, etc).

What are other shops in the area using?

-bry

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