Tag Archives: Healthcare

Flooring For Healthcare

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Great Room

One of the most important investments a healthcare facility makes is on their flooring. It is the one tangible feature of their buildings that every patient, doctor, and visitor comes into contact with. At Consolidated Carpet, we understand the specific requirements of healthcare design & are knowledgeable in the procedures & products that best suit these unique needs. What makes healthcare facilities unique is the fact that every piece of the environment from the lighting to the flooring, has a direct effect on the healing process for patients. Maintaining a quiet, peaceful facility that has heavy foot traffic and a great deal of noise is a challenge for those in charge of these healthcare locations. Luckily, there are a wide variety of products on the market that help keep the space clean and quiet, as well as aesthetically pleasing.

Different Needs for Different Facilities

The different markets of healthcare facilities vary in their specific requirements to meet the needs of doctors, nurses, patients, and their family members. For example, hospital and medical centers often install more resilient products than carpet, as they are easier to disinfect in locations that have higher requirements for cleanliness. Senior care facilities often have carpet that makes walking and roller mobility easier on those living and working in the space. Laboratories and clean rooms call for static dissipative products, as well as those that help to prevent contamination. In all locations, way finding is vital to those moving throughout the facility, and can be enhanced with the proper flooring specifications.

Healthcare Product Attributes

Most healthcare facilities, while their specific needs may be somewhat different, typically look for products with the following attributes:

  • Stain resistance
  • Slip resistance
  • Anti-bacterial & anti-microbial
  • Sound mitigation

Performance & Maintenance

Because the flooring in a healthcare facility is such an important investment and aid to keeping patients healthy, proper maintenance is key. Maintenance begins before the flooring is even installed, by ensuring that the subfloor is level to avoid buckling, denting, or tripping hazards in the finished flooring. Once installed, manufacturer recommendations and standards should be followed to clean and sterilize the products, as well as keep a slip resistant surface.

Site Feature: St. Mary’s Hospital

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Great Room

Project: St. Mary’s Hospital

Location: Bayside, NY
Completed: 2012
Scope: 85,000 square feet
Major Products Used: Forbo Marmoleum Dual Tile, Eco Rubber Tile, Interface Carpet Tile
Architect: Stantec Architecture, Columbus, Ohio

Entryway to St. Mary’s
Rehab Gym
Rehab Room
Lobby At St. Mary’s
Starlight Foundation Room

Photography Credit:  Ichiro Kameoka, Ike Kameoka Photography, Columbus, Ohio

Lunching & Learning at NYP/CUMC

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At Consolidated Carpet, we pride ourselves on not only being superior installers and contractors, but as a resource for people to learn more about flooring products and applications. We like to share our knowledge base with people who can use these facts to make informed decisions on what products should be installed throughout their spaces. An industry that has very specific requirements when specifying and installing flooring is healthcare. Because of the various needs of healthcare facilities, from anti-microbial and slip-resistant products to air quality awareness, there are lines of products that most appropriately fit into the space. We work to ensure that healthcare facilities decision-makers are aware of the many problems that exist in their spaces, and how we can offer solutions tailored to their needs.

With these goals in mind, our healthcare team and two college interns visited the team at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center (NYP/CUMC) to discuss some of the latest innovations in healthcare flooring. Partnering with a local distributor, we helped to present about PVC-free flooring – a product attribute that is becoming more popular in institutional projects for environmental and health benefits. After the presentation, we spoke with the team at NYP/CUMC about our healthcare division and previous project successes.

We received feedback that the group not only learned a lot about PVC-free flooring options, but installation methods that could best suit the facilities’ needs. Thanks to the team at NYP/CUMC for lunching & learning with Consolidated!

Some of our lunch & learn materials

Some of our lunch & learn materials

Consolidated at NeoCon

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At the tail end of each spring, the commercial interiors industry comes together for a celebration of new products, innovations & best practices at the must-attend showcase of the year: NeoCon. Held at Chicago’s famous Merchandise Mart, the 3-day exhibit brings the “who’s who” of interiors to view and interact with vendors ranging from textiles to furniture, with our favorite being the flooring! Networking and trend-spotting take a front row seat to see what the next year will bring for the industry.

From June 10 – June 12, NeoCon shined, and we were excited to be in attendance. Our Executive VP spent time viewing the newest products in the floor covering industry, learning more about sustainable qualities, durability, and specific applications for install. One of the major flooring stand-outs for us was J+J Flooring Groups‘ new product line, Kinetex. Kinetex is a hard surface alternative, with high-performance in healthcare, educational and other institutional spaces. The wear-layer is created from “abrasion and ravel resistant knitted fabric”, while the Polyester backing offers a bit of cushion. With some interesting colorways, our team knows the Kinetex product will be a perfect solution for us to offer through our Healthcare Division.

Another group of products we found to be interesting and unique came from Shaw Contract Group. Their debut of “Hexagon” was stunning – carpet tiles in an uncommon shape with 6 sides instead of the usual 4. In addition, we enjoyed Shaw Hard Surface’s new “Chordinates” product, and look forward to working with both of these products!

Not to be outdone – many of of our other favorite debuts came from Milliken, Mannington, Tandus & Tarkett Johnsonite. Don’t miss the photos below of these stellar products. Can’t wait for NeoCon 2014!

Consolidated Carpet On The “Pulse” Of Healthcare

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As a company whose foundation was flooring installation and maintenance, we’ve evolved over the years to achieve success in installations and sales within various markets from hospitality to corporate and stadiums to law firms. Most recently, we expanded our in-house healthcare division to target the growing market with unique requirements and needs.

In March, our Starnet Healthcare and American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers (AAHID) certified healthcare team sponsored a table at the Engineering Record (ENR) “The Pulse 3 Conference“. Pulse is an annual conference that brings together influencers in the local healthcare construction market, with participants including general contractors, architecture and design firms, and construction management firms.

Beyond the informative panel discussions and keynote addresses, our team found the exhibition to be a great place to network and connect with others in the New York City healthcare market. Our team was able to show product samples and installation methods to visitors at our table, as well as explain why we have all of your healthcare flooring needs covered. With product installation certifications from Forbo, Nora, and Altro Whiterock, our mechanics are equipped with the knowledge of the specific installation needs of healthcare spaces. Our expansive portfolio of product offerings with anti-microbial, slip resistant, stain resistant and sound mitigation properties can help any healthcare facility achieve their goals of a clean, safe and calming environment.

Check out some of the pictures from the event below!