A Guide to the Best Flooring for Pubs and Bars
The hospitality industry is incredibly competitive and the failure rate of businesses is much higher than in other sectors. Owners and managers of bars, pubs and restaurants are therefore invested in the aesthetics and atmosphere of their business as an essential element in the success of the location. Maintaining the desired appearance of your pub or bar is also a major concern, and one that Hamilton Flooring considers in depth for every consultation, recommendation and installation they undertake.
Not only do pubs and bars need attractive spaces but the flooring also needs to be able to handle everything that your patrons can throw at it - sometimes literally! Spills, heavy foot traffic, regular cleaning, stilettos and moving furniture are all daily occurrences in the industry, so pub and bar flooring needs to be seriously hard wearing and durable. Selecting the most appropriate flooring solution for your pub or bar is crucial to your profits, not just because of the positive impact that an attractive space can create, but also in terms of reducing maintenance costs and ensuring that flooring does not need regular replacement from wear and tear.
The specialists at Hamilton Flooring have been supporting pub and bar owners to enact their design vision for almost 3 decades, with their expert knowledge, creativity and arsenal of industry leading flooring solutions, Hamilton Flooring can help you create the ultimate flooring in your hospitality space.
Front of House Pub and Bar Flooring Options
There are many options to select from when considering the type of flooring to be used in front of house areas of pubs and bars. The main considerations for front of house flooring include; the ability to withstand high foot traffic, moisture resistance, hard-wearing, and remaining in-keeping with the aesthetics of the location. It is important to choose a flooring solution which can withstand regular cleaning whilst also not requiring specialist or intensive cleaning methods - as well as being resistant to scratches and dents from footwear and the frequent movement of furniture such as stools, chairs and tables. Seems like a tall order right? It doesn’t need to be! Flooring technology has much improved in recent years, with incredible advancements in the manufacturing process leading to products which can handle everything from the rugby lads popping in for a pint or five after training, a gaggle of hens teetering in stilettos dancing to the Grease megamix, to ramblers in their wellies and family gatherings with little Suzie dumping out her Fruit Shoot on the floor (other juice varieties are available!). Each area of your pub or bar is unique, and therefore the flooring solution needs to reflect that.
Entrance Area Flooring and Matting
This area is often a bit of an afterthought when designing the flooring solutions for your bar or pub. The entrance is prime real estate as it is the first impression you can make on your customers. With custom matting options you are able to instantly demonstrate the identity of your establishment whilst also preventing guests from tracking in outside dirt and debris into the main area of your pub or bar. By working with some of the leading brands in the industry including; Burmatex, Desso, and Interface, the flooring experts at Hamilton Flooring have access to a huge variety of commercial matting options suited to the demands of varying footfall, branding, specialist applications and design.
For larger entrances and corridors, Desso Protect Carpet tiles are a great option to protect entrances whilst maintaining an attractive aesthetic. Desso Protect carpet tiles are hard-wearing entrance barrier carpet tiles which aid in the safeguarding of floors from external dirt and moisture. The tiles are a 500mm squared tile of 10mm thickness wool and nylon cut pile tile with scraper fibre and featuring an attractive yet subtle colour variance. These functional carpet tiles are available in 4 elegant yet functional colours; Anthracite, Grey, Beige and Dark Blue.
A further option could be Burmatex grimebuster 50, this is a heavy duty contact fibre bonded carpet tile entrance solution featuring an epic 12mm thickness and deep diagonal ribbed surface designed to extract dirt and grime from customers entering whilst remaining easy to clean and durable. The construction of this entrance matting tile is designed to withstand heavy footfall whilst looking stylish in 5 earthy colour tones; Newmarket Grey, Haydock Blue, Curragh Green, Wincanton Fawn and Goodwood Brown.
Custom designs can be created with entrance matting, from branding and lettering to tailored colour combinations and laying patterns.
Bar Area Flooring
The bar is the heart of any pub, club or bar and as such it experiences one of the highest levels of footfall. We have all been in a pub where the flooring around the bar is significantly more worn than the rest of the pub, to the extent where you can almost make out where the locals prop up the bar. Creating a zone around the bar can allow you to not only ensure that the flooring here is incredibly hard-wearing, but also it denotes the area where people should wait to be served and separates the bar from the general areas - meaning you are less likely to have people stood socialising in the way of others trying to get service.
As this is likely to be a smaller section of flooring than other areas, it is worth investing in a higher cost flooring such as Luxury Vinyl Flooring in plank or tile form with hardier characteristics than their lower priced alternatives. Karndean and Amtico are the leading names in LVT flooring and both offer a vast array of design options to compliment any interior scheme. Although pricier than sheet vinyl flooring, LVT replicates real wood, natural stone or ceramic tile at the fraction of the cost of the real thing...and with textured embossing, no-one will know the difference!
LVT is manufactured using a multilayer system which adds to its hard-wearing characteristics. The top layers above the design are a wear layer and coating which increases the longevity of the flooring - depending on the thickness and coating type it could be ten years before it needs refinishing, and even longer before replacement tiling is needed! LVT requires minimal maintenance with mopping and sweeping as-and-when needed being the mainstay of keeping your flooring looking great. With no actual grooves and imperceivable joins, there's no need to worry about debris getting stuck in gaps. In fact, the layered construction and tight installation process means that the completed flooring is resistant to spills and moisture. Although not entirely impervious to large amounts of liquid, the tile or plank system means they can easily be spot replaced or removed and dried-out should severe flooding take place.
LVT is incredibly versatile in terms of design and customisation - branding, logos and lettering can be inlaid in the design of your flooring to create something truly unique.
Amtico Signature Collection: Glint Void, Glint Orb, Woven - 'Tonight Josephine' Shoreditch London
Or why not opt for a statement custom design? Hamilton flooring created this custom text based flooring for the Vaults which reflects the quirky and cheerful atmosphere of the pub itself.
Hamilton Flooring
Seating Area Flooring
If the bar is the heart of the pub then the seating area is the soul! It may be that your bar or pub has fixed seating, booths, tables and chairs, or a smattering of stools - either way, the main area of your establishment needs a carefully considered flooring solution.
Vinyl flooring is ideal for any large areas which need to work hard, be easy to maintain, and to look attractive. Forbo’s Marmoleum is a brilliant and sustainable flooring solution which is available in a number of colours and finishes, it presents a fantastic level of scratch and scuff resistance and excellent cost effectiveness. There are some great benefits to using marmoleum flooring, one of which is that Forbo’s Marmoleum is certified as allergy friendly pertaining to its ultra smooth service preventing a build up of Dust Mites, as well as being proven to inhibit the spread of MRSA, Norovirus and E-Coli - perfect if you serve food or nibbles. Marmoleum is Forbo’s brand name of Linoleum, which is manufactured from natural materials and is a CO2 neutral resilient floor covering.
Strokes indoor mini-golf bar area Hong Kong - Marmoleum Real and Marmoleum Fresco
Linoleum by Forbo can also aid with noise reduction. Acoustic flooring can support a building's noise reduction which can be important for pubs and bars in residential or built-up areas. Marmoleum Acoustic boasts a 14dB sound reduction and Marmoleum Decibel provides a massive 18dB reduction, furthermore, a corkment underlay can be used with any marmoleum product to reduce impact sound by 14dB.
OPERAIMS multiplex cinema bar area Reims: Forbo Flotex
With easy to clean, stylish, and hard wearing characteristics, Linoleum and sheet vinyl are a perfect solution for pub and bar flooring.
Snugs and Cosy Area Flooring
Depending on the kind of pub or bar you own, you may have a snug or cosy area - perfect for relaxing with a drink and great company - but less ideal for flooring...or so you would think! It can seem counterintuitive to recommend carpet for a commercial space like a pub or bar but a carpeted lounge or snug can be a wonderful addition to the space and carpet can add to the welcoming and comfortable atmosphere. This does not mean you necessarily want a deep pile, cream, wall-to-wall, plush, high-end carpet, instead you can achieve the right look without the headache of worrying about spills. We all want our patrons to stay longer, have a wonderful time and ultimately purchase more, so if you have a lounge or snug it is imperative to ensure that the area remains as welcoming as the day you unveiled it.
One way to achieve this is through carpet tiles. Although they remain susceptible to spill, carpet tile is generally far more hard-wearing and thus resistant to intensive cleaning, furthermore, if someone's Bordeaux takes a fall and you are faced with irreparable damage, it’s a simple fix to remove an individual tile and replace it!
Working with commercial carpet experts Burmatex, Desso and Interface, Hamilton Flooring has a huge range of products available to choose from and can advise on the best placement and selections for the cosier areas of your pub or bar. The additional benefit of carpet tile is the sound dampening properties and added warmth and comfort they provide, which is perfect for quiet spaces and function rooms set away from the hustle and bustle of the main social areas.
Pub and Bar Flooring Solutions at Hamilton Flooring
Our expert flooring professionals are here to help you create the best possible flooring solutions for your bar or pub. Let us take the stress out of flooring so you can get back to what you do best - providing a wonderful environment for people to enjoy and socialise within!
A pub or bar can be completely transformed by its flooring, and to an extent, this can make-or-break the experience for the patrons. Safe, hardwearing and stylish flooring is the order of the day, so whether you are starting from scratch, refurbishing, or updating certain areas, Hamilton Flooring is here to help. This article covers some of the myriad of options available to you as a bar or pub owner but there really are endless opportunities to create the floor of your dreams. From consultation through to preparation and installation, Hamilton Floorings' decades of experience will assure you that you are receiving the best service at the best price. To find out more or to speak with one of our flooring experts about your requirements get in touch.
Unless otherwise stated, Images are used for illustrative purposes and do not represent work untaken by Hamilton flooring - examples of work completed can be found in our Gallery