6 Best Salon Flooring Options
Choosing the right type of flooring for a modern-day salon, spa, or barbershop requires a keen sense of style as well as knowledge of flooring types and their functionality. A beauty-focused establishment should feature flooring designed to handle a little bit of everything—from the foot traffic of its clients and stylists, to accidental hair color spills and water splashing over from shampoo stations. The interior design of every place of business should keep the customer in mind, but when it comes to salons, it is crucial to consider the comfort of your stylists as they will likely spend hours on their feet.
Needless to say, flooring is a big investment that needs to be taken seriously. To choose the best option for your business, Minerva has assembled a guide featuring six of the most popular types of flooring that are well-suited for salons, spas, and barbershops.
Ceramic Tile:
Tile is one of the most common salon and spa flooring options. With durability that is unmatched—ceramic tile is a superior choice for salon flooring as it is ideal for intense conditions. Perfect for any heavy foot traffic location, ceramic tiles are highly durable, resistant to moisture, staining, and wear. You don’t have to worry about areas with high humidity or water being sprayed or splashed with its moisture-resistant capabilities. Perhaps the most attractive quality of all, the clean-up and maintenance requirements for porcelain are a breeze. If you go with this option, it is best to go for ceramic tiles that have a PEI rating of 5.0. The PEI rating indicates tile hardness, and these ratings span from 1-5, with 5 being the most durable.
Vinyl (VCT, LVT):
Cost-effective, easy to install, durable, ease of maintenance, comfortable underfoot, slip-resistant, and sound-absorbing. Are you sold yet? Vinyl is a fantastic flooring option for salons and spas. With various styles available that emulate the look of other materials such as wood, stone, tile, and concrete, you do not have to sacrifice style for functionality. If you think vinyl is for you, there are several types of vinyl flooring you may wish to consider. Commercial vinyl is available in a few types: vinyl composition tile (VCT), luxury vinyl tile (LVT), and vinyl sheet. VCT is the most cost-effective but will need to be refinished periodically. LVT is easier to maintain over time, and vinyl sheets are easiest to install, but all are good choices for high-traffic areas.
Hardwood:
Hardwood floors will give your interior a timeless and elegant appeal. Whether solid or engineered, all types of hardwoods have unmatched natural beauty and go with any interior design style (insert link to ‘salon interior design’ power page once live on site), from traditional to modern. It is available in several varieties of woods, such as oak, cherry, and walnut, and can be sanded and stained to suit your taste. While hardwood is durable, easy to clean, and provides a desirably warm atmosphere, in salon environments, particularly in the shampoo area, you’ll need to be wary of water sitting on the surface. Hardwoods can become damaged and warp if exposed to moisture for long periods of time. If you are going with hardwood floors in your beauty business, make sure it’s well sealed!
Bamboo:
More durable than most types of hardwood, but similar in appearance and feel, this high-density flooring is highly resistant to heavy foot traffic. Like cork flooring, bamboo is a good material for consumers interested in being environmentally conscious as it is sustainable and renewable. There are several different types of bamboo flooring options, each with its manufacturing process. Regardless of which you choose, bamboo provides a beautiful contemporary look that is difficult to wear or dent when properly finished.
Concrete:
Concrete flooring is long-lasting and very durable. Once only thought of as a surface suitable only for industrial use or the basement of a residential home—concrete has become quite popular as modern decorative flooring. There are endless customization options as it can be stained nearly any color, resurfaced in many textures and finishes, or polished for a smooth, shiny look. Aesthetics aside, if it is properly installed, concrete is easy to clean, requires little maintenance, resists moisture and stains when properly sealed, and is free of VOCs (volatile organic compounds). These qualities make concrete a perfect choice to handle the heavy use and high-traffic abuse salon flooring—all while doing it in style.
Cork:
Resilient and flexible, cork is a renewable source that boasts natural sound-dampening properties perfect for reducing the echo and impact noise of a busy salon. It is also a thermal insulator, meaning it will always retain warmth well. While cork rivals the durability of hardwood and bamboo, it is easier to damage or scratch. However, just like hardwood and bamboo, it can periodically be re-finished to refresh its look. For salons, it’s best with several coats of commercial-grade urethane to ensure easy cleanability.
We hope this showcase of top flooring options for your salon, spa, or barbershop has left you with inspiration and valuable insight on which flooring works best for you and your business. Pair any of these options with a couple of Minerva’s Anti-Fatigue Salon Mats for extra comfort at each station. Afterall, happy backs = happy stylists!