Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Anna Mae Naef on July 29, 2008 at 2:24pm

The one thing I would advise is dont use a light colored grout, it will turn dark brown :)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rob on July 29, 2008 at 2:56pm

Hi Anna,
Thanks for the tip!

Rob

Anna Mae Naef said:

The one thing I would advise is dont use a light colored grout, it will turn dark brown :)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Amelie & Barb on July 29, 2008 at 4:19pm

Adrian Badger said:

One option to consider is concrete. There are so many unique treatments for concrete these days. It can look like almost anything and lasts forever. I'm considering it for my shop opening later this year as well. Look here for some examples of what I'm talking about. http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/interiorfloors/

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Amelie & Barb on July 29, 2008 at 4:20pm

I'd go concrete too..especially if your space is already on concrete slab. We're doing Acid staining in our place

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Richard Penney on July 29, 2008 at 8:34pm

Hi, FWW, First check with the local restaurant licensing office. Standards are getting more strict.
Now, ceramic tile looks nice and can be cleaned with a hose. But the grout is a dirt and grunge catcher. It can play havoc with your cups and glassware and really put serious dents into your tampers.
A vinyl commercial tile can be great if properly installed. Meaning, not too much adhesive that continues to come through the cracks for years.
An original wood floor sanded and properly refinished is great. A modern wood panel floor may be a real hassle to all because of poor installation. I've seen a couple threads of shops that had a poor job and the installer quit after the first service call. Not Good!
Any sanitary flooring that eases the constant impact stress of the Barista or bar back is to be a plus.
Cheers
Ricahrd

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rob on July 30, 2008 at 4:10am

Thanks Richard, we are off to the flooring store today and will be speaking to our designer regarding any permit issues etc.
I appreciate the feedback.

Rob

Richard Penney said:

Hi, FWW, First check with the local restaurant licensing office. Standards are getting more strict.
Now, ceramic tile looks nice and can be cleaned with a hose. But the grout is a dirt and grunge catcher. It can play havoc with your cups and glassware and really put serious dents into your tampers.
A vinyl commercial tile can be great if properly installed. Meaning, not too much adhesive that continues to come through the cracks for years.
An original wood floor sanded and properly refinished is great. A modern wood panel floor may be a real hassle to all because of poor installation. I've seen a couple threads of shops that had a poor job and the installer quit after the first service call. Not Good!
Any sanitary flooring that eases the constant impact stress of the Barista or bar back is to be a plus.
Cheers
Ricahrd

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Brady on July 30, 2008 at 6:36am

Have been following this with interest - good luck today. Acid stained gets my vote though, as Richard said, some commercial grade vinyl looks and wears pretty good. (The wine section of my local Harris Teeter grocery uses a great and realistic hardwood pattern that I swore was real until I really looked). That with some mats in the working areas to save your staff.

One thing to remember is that this is just your floor. How many times (before you started working on your store, that is) did you walk into a shop and say "WOW, look at that floor!" I personally feel like your best choice will be invisible - easy to clean and maintain, easy on the budget, looks pleasant when anyone notices but doesn't draw attention to itself, will work with a variety of wall colors.

When we did our upfit (remodeling an existing space with blue-grey retail carpet wall-to-wall), I fought hard for a really nice looking floor. The budget won. I HATED our floor initially (we ground it smooth and painted it with garage floor paint. What a PITA. Don't do this.) But the first time a new customer walks through our door, all they say is "WOW, what a great looking shop". In 6 months, we have had exactly one person comment negatively on our floor... guess what he sells? Everyone else loves our warm decor.

Again, good luck.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ray Hencken on July 30, 2008 at 9:56am

We used 12" x 12" commercial grade vinyl tiles in my shop. They were self-adhesive with a faux wood finish. They look great (many customers think it's real hardwood). I installed them myself without too much hassle. And, they are holding up well.

One caution against laminate wood floors - if your floors aren't totally flat, they will buckle. Also, over time, liquid can get in between the seams and cause problems.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rob on July 31, 2008 at 5:52am

Thanks Ray,
I've seen the commercial vinyl and it looked great - it fooled me when I first saw it in a nice espresso bar in Halifax. Glad to hear they are holding up well. Thanks for comment.
Have a good one


Ray Hencken said:

We used 12" x 12" commercial grade vinyl tiles in my shop. They were self-adhesive with a faux wood finish. They look great (many customers think it's real hardwood). I installed them myself without too much hassle. And, they are holding up well.

One caution against laminate wood floors - if your floors aren't totally flat, they will buckle. Also, over time, liquid can get in between the seams and cause problems.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by passamike on August 24, 2008 at 4:00pm

we have done different types of floors in both the kitchen and customer area of all three of our shops: ceramic 12" and 4" tiles(we seal the grout), slate tiles, refinished existing wood, floating commercial vinyl (simulated woodgrain), stained concrete. We were more concerned with the aesthetic of the customer area then in the kitchen area thus the reason for the different substrates. Cost is something we were sensitive to so we choose to learn how to do these ourselves with some help of course. In our area the average cost for an installed floor for any of the above was between 3-6 dollars a square foot.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by stephanie crocker on August 24, 2008 at 8:38pm

tile ended up being the cheapest option...cheaper than vinyl and longer lasting. we chose a rustic looking tile that doesn't show the dirt. we installed it ourselves, which was a lot of greuling work, but we were short on funds when we opened and wanted something that was stronger than pergo or vinyl, and wouldn't wear off like some concrete finishes, or requiire maintenance.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rob on August 25, 2008 at 5:35am

Hi, Thanks for the feedback! A question for anyone that has used commercial grade vinyl - what do you do if/when it gets a cut or something in it? Has it been easy to repair/replace? Thanks again!

passamike said:

we have done different types of floors in both the kitchen and customer area of all three of our shops: ceramic 12" and 4" tiles(we seal the grout), slate tiles, refinished existing wood, floating commercial vinyl (simulated woodgrain), stained concrete. We were more concerned with the aesthetic of the customer area then in the kitchen area thus the reason for the different substrates. Cost is something we were sensitive to so we choose to learn how to do these ourselves with some help of course. In our area the average cost for an installed floor for any of the above was between 3-6 dollars a square foot.

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next ›
• Page