Oak Flooring in A Commercial Environment

Have you ever seen oak flooring in a commercial environment? You have probably not seen it if you’ve only been to offices and retail stores. They like to use either carpeting or tile on their floors. This is understandable because oak flooring is solid and durable. If someone were to fall on the floor, they’d likely get hurt worse by the oak material versus the carpeting or tile. Companies want to avoid lawsuits by keeping their flooring the way it is.

Also, you need to consider the heavy traffic in a commercial wood Flooring environment. If people were constantly walking back and forth on oak flooring and moving furniture and chairs on them, it would create scuffs and marks on the wood. And if there is a lot of moisture in your commercial environment, then it would cause the wood to dry out and form cracks. There’s no real upside to oak flooring in a commercial environment other than the aesthetic appeal. But even that won’t last long if it gets scratched and scuffed repeatedly every day. 

So, what is the solution here? Is there any commercial environment that can accommodate oak flooring? Sure, but it won’t be in all the rooms of your commercial building. You could put oak flooring in rooms where there isn’t a lot of work activity taking place. Some good examples of this include waiting rooms, cafeterias, and lounge areas.

On the other hand, not all commercial environments are busy places with dozens of people walking around each day. You might have a small commercial environment like a real estate office or coffee shop which can benefit more from the rustic appearance of the wood. Everyone loves the look of oak flooring, so it would certainly impress your clients or customers when they enter your facility. There is practically no maintenance required either, so you can focus all your attention on your business and the work it entails.

Overall, there are two deciding factors for whether you should have oak flooring installed in a commercial environment. The two factors are your budget and the level of traffic in your building. Oak flooring is more expensive than softwood, tile, and carpeting, so make sure you have the money set aside for it.

Finally, don’t get the oak flooring if you have a high-traffic facility. The oak might be strong, but it can only take so much abuse before it starts to crack up and change color. Keep these two things in mind, and you should be okay.