Are the days of brand new installations floundering in favour of an alternative approach which is kinder to the environment and easier on ever-restricted budgets, asks Rohit Sharma?
AS a nation, are we gradually falling out of love with buying brand new? We’re a throw-away society, but the tide is turning on this type of culture. Traditionally we discard enormous quantities of goods and products when they look beyond their best or we no longer have a need for them, but today, living in an age where so much is disposable is costly, in many ways.
We’ve grown somewhat normalised to the fact that products aren’t made to last as many have a built-in obsolescence. Take your own home as an example. How many kitchen appliances have been replaced, how many TVs, phones or sofas? The list goes on. The same principles apply across all industries, an element of waste occurs which could be avoided, and the healthcare sector is no exception.
However as consumers, we are demanding more, demanding better, because there is a great cost not only financially, but also to the environment. Increasingly steps are being taken to combat these cost effects and support a circular economy.
The ability to renew goods in the healthcare sector may not initially be front of mind for various reasons, yet considering with what lies underfoot is a very worthwhile place to start. For contractors who already have renewal on their radar, they’re well-placed to fulfil this growing trend. Floor renewal is a quick, simple process for contractors and healthcare organisations.
Flooring in healthcare
Resilient flooring is the top choice in a healthcare environment largely owing to its durability, health and safety attributes, and its cost-effectiveness against other options. It has to be fit-for-purpose and what lies underfoot in a healthcare environment is subject to intense usage.
In a hospital for instance there are many different flooring zones each with varying levels of usage. Entrance and reception areas experience high levels of footfall, heavy equipment such as beds, wheelchairs and trollies are transported across wards, spillages are common in catering zones, while bathroom areas undergo intense cleaning regimes; regardless of area, floors endure substantial wear and tear over time.
It’s at this stage, when scratches, gaps, holes or fading appear, that decisions are made around what needs to happen to fix the imperfections. Requirements in the healthcare space are complex and factors such as safety, infection control and hygiene, all come into play; the risk of leaving a floor is disrepair are high and therefore decisions are often made when time is of the essence and a fix is needed quickly.
In the past, to overcome these factors it was standard practice to remove resilient flooring that looked way beyond salvage, and replace it with a brand-new vinyl, PVC, linoleum or rubber surface. Result? The problem was solved, at a price. Yet resilient flooring can be transformed through renovation. Result? The problem can be solved, quicker, more easily and more cost-effectively.
Renewal versus brand-new
A high-quality brand-new floor installation of course comes with a steep price tag, greatly impacting healthcare budgets. It also comes at a huge cost to the environment because more often than not, old flooring ends up in landfill.
Another element that takes a hit is time. New installations are lengthy processes requiring project areas to be out of use for certain periods of time which can cause increased disruption for organisations in the healthcare space.
This is where floor renewal steps up to the game, and in fact even out-performs brand new installations on many counts. Renewing any product is cheaper than replacing with new, and the same applies for flooring. Up to 50% can be shaved off the price compared to buying brand new, while the process also extends the life of the flooring.
There are stark environmental benefits too. By renewing an existing surface, it reduces the carbon footprint by more than 92%* compared to floor replacement. Along with a 90%* savings in resources including transport, use of electricity, consumables and materials.
The disruption generated when a floor needs attention is a pain point for any healthcare organisation, and with downtime sometimes taking days, implications are far reaching.
Floor renewal is by far the best choice here as it usually results in 50% less downtime than a new installation, allowing facilities to resume normal working practices in as short a time as possible.
Another element is safety and hygiene which are without doubt a vital focus in healthcare. Renewing creates a monolithic surface, effectively a flat surface that eliminates areas such as seams and creases where bacteria like to grow.
This ensures that floors resist bacteria and microorganism growth, including those hiding in joints, scratches and other hard-to-reach areas which are almost impossible to remove no matter how rigorous the cleaning regime.
Renewal: spot the difference
With floor renewal it’s virtually impossible to see what’s still the old floor. The quality is remarkable and even the trained eye of an expert flooring professional cannot spot the difference between a brand new floor and a renewed floor. Renewing resilient flooring ticks all the boxes for a busy, complex, healthcare environment. It’s notably more cost-effective, more environmentally friendly, and significantly quicker, plus the end result is like-for-like; it looks and feels like a new floor.
Our collective desire to do more for less resonates across industries, and the healthcare sector is under growing pressures to find better ways of working.
Floor renewal instead of replacement is an alternative option, which looking at trends in the market, is likely to quickly become the standard go-to choice; reflecting changes in purchasing habits across healthcare.
*IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute Report conducted with input from Bona
www.bona.com/en-gb/professional/installation-renovation
07775 844581
www.bona.com
Rohit Sharma is resilient sales manager at Bona
