Floors for primary and secondary schools
Schools need hardwearing and easy to maintain floor finishes that can help to create a stimulating and inspiring space for students while retaining good value at the point of installation. Our floors can help schools to create environments that focus on the wellbeing of pupils with a surface that’s durable and simple to look after.
Inspiring environments without compromise
First and foremost, primary and secondary schools need a floor that delivers value throughout its life. This manifests itself in two ways; a floor that’s cost-effective to purchase and install and which can withstand high levels of foot traffic while upholding the quality of its appearance over a long period.
Our Heterogeneous Vinyl and Carpet Tiles can achieve this value while providing the opportunity to support the design ambitions of the school. Whether a primary education environment using bright colours or a secondary school wanting to achieve an aspirational feel, we’ve a solution that helps to support the wellbeing of pupils.
Durability and maintenance
Heterogeneous Vinyl (vinyl floors on a roll) uses a multi-layer construction with a heavy-duty surface that can withstand high traffic.
Commonly used in primary and secondary schools, it is a functional and practical floor finish that delivers excellent value. Durability is controlled by thickness of the surface, with the most hardwearing floors, such as Concept 70, having a 0.70mm wear layer and durable enough for busy corridors or congregation areas.
All Heterogeneous Vinyl floors feature our Hyperguard+ PUR that reduces scuffs and marks. It requires no specialist maintenance or re-treatment to remain effective and is built-in to the finish of the floor.
In classrooms and offices where the comfort and tactility of carpet is preferred, our Carpet Tiles only use nylon yarn for durability and maintenance advantages. While polypropylene is a lower cost alternative, it lacks the resilience to recover from repeated traffic and can look dirty despite regular maintenance. Nylon is a solution with better long-term appearance retention.
Supporting students through design
While the intent to create an inspiring place to support learning and wellbeing is shared, design approaches for primary and secondary education environments differ considerably, so our floors respond to this.
In primary schools, the use of bold colour palettes throughout the interior can be supported in the floor. Used for waymarking, congregation points easily recognised by young pupils and to mark out areas within the classroom, colourful floors act as a strong visual indicator. Colours commonly used in primary schools can be found within Concept 70, as well as the specialist acoustic solution, Optimise 70. Our refreshed Creative Spark carpet tile has a colour palette that’s also perfectly suited to this role.
Secondary school environments reflect the changing maturity of students as they adopt more sophisticated ways of interacting and learning. Commonly, colour palettes are mature and less vibrant, with hospitality style approaches to materials. Our Heterogeneous Vinyl collections provide a broad range of wood and material looks, including modern choices such as terrazzo and concrete. For areas reliant on carpet tile, Balanced Hues has a mature feeling duo-tone tweed effect presented in a broad palette of neutral colours, as well as brighter accents that can be utilised for waymarking or zoning.
Combatting the problem of noise
As primary and secondary schools embrace more open layouts the importance of good acoustics from the finishes selected has become apparent. With less surfaces to absorb noise, those that remain must work harder to combat the noise and conversation of pupils transiting between areas. This is particularly noticeable at key times of the day, such as recreation periods.
Our acoustic Heterogeneous Vinyl collection, Optimise 70, is well placed to help in these environments. The floor reduces impact noise by 19dB, absorbing the noise of transit and making for a floor that’s quieter under use. Carpet tiles are popular choices for quiet study and contemplation areas for the material’s innate ability to deal with sound, though this can be elevated with special acoustic backings such as EcoFlex Echo if required.
Multi-category solutions
At IVC Commercial we don’t just make Heterogeneous Vinyl and Carpet Tiles. Our Luxury Vinyl Tiles can be used to inject glamour into receptions with true-to-life wood, stone and architectural finishes. These multi-category solutions let our specifications team guide you through the selection process, choosing the right floor for the requirements of the space.
Carpet Tiles
Our performance carpet tiles provide schools a high-quality floor in a range of colours and designs to create inspiring learning environments for students.
Luxury Vinyl Tiles
Capturing authentic natural effects, our Luxury Vinyl Tiles add a premium feel to areas while still providing a durable and low maintenance floor finish.
Heterogeneous Vinyl
Versatile and practical, Heterogeneous Vinyl is an ideal all-round solution for schools. Our specialist acoustic and safety flooring options provide extra function.
Easily available
Our primary and secondary school flooring solutions are made in Europe and are widely stocked in the United Kingdom for fast delivery. Samples of all of our floors can be sent within 48 hours.
Made with the future in mind
Our state-of-the-art factories are some of the most efficient in the world. We produce our multi-category flooring solutions in Europe. Using renewable energy, advanced closed loop water cooling and with the industry’s largest PVC recycling facility, we’re working towards complete product circularity by 2040.