Why Should Commercial Offices Switch from Carpet to Hardwood Flooring

Written by Posted On Monday, 06 November 2017 14:17

If you’ve ever watched an episode of Mad Men and managed to look past the cigarette smoke, alcoholism and misogyny, you might have noticed the sea of dark furry carpet that coats almost every horizontal surface in the office. With good reason. In the 60’s, carpet was in. In 2017? Not so much. However, there are still so many commercial offices that still embrace this 70 year old design trend, and the only reason I can think as to why is they have yet to discover the wonders of hardwood floor.

Fear not, as I will show you the way to a better looking, cleaner, and easier-to-maintain flooring solution.

1. The Smells

You know that smell that hits you when you walk into an office with carpeted floors? That whiff of industrial grade windex mixed with stale beer and soggy potpourri from last month’s Christmas party? That would be the carpet, and whatever it is off-gassing combining with whatever has been smeared into it over the past 3 decades. Carpets can be a tedious chore to maintain. And even if you install brand new carpet, you’re left with your commercial office smelling like the inside of a formaldehyde factory. There’s really no way to get around it: carpet reduces indoor air quality.

Hardwood flooring, on the other hand, is easy to clean and pretty much lasts forever. The only smell you’ll ever get from a hardwood floor is the smell of - wait for it - actual wood! While most hardwood floors are odorless, some products give off the faint smell of freshly milled boards. And better yet, if Bob from human resources drinks too much and expels his chips and dip on the conference room floor, the clean up is swift and the smell short-lived.

2. Durability

Even commercial grade carpet options have to fight an uphill battle against father time. Wear and tear has its way with carpet as tears, stains, and rips are an all too common occurrence. What’s worse, a damaged carpet is almost impossible to repair unless you replace the whole dang room. There are only so places your desk can go to cover all the imperfections in your shag office palace. Even replaceable tiles come with complications, messy glue, and an off-gas party fit for Hell’s Kitchen.

The beauty of hardwood floors, is that even when they do get scratched, dinged or otherwise damaged (and they will), they only serve to grace the floor with ‘character’ and ‘old timey charm.’ Hardwood floors are durable and timeless. I don’t know how many HGTV shows I’ve watched where the new homeowners rip up the carpet only to reveal the original wood decking, which of course they sand down, refinish, and tell all their friends about when their done.

3. Aesthetic

When it comes to look, feel, and overall attractiveness, there really is no comparison between hardwood floors and carpet. Carpet will give your office an instantly dated feel and anyone experiencing it for the first time won’t get a very favorable impression. Even if your carpets are pristine, clean, and relatively smell-free, they will make your office and by virtue your company look like it’s stuck in the past, afraid of progress and change, and set in their ways. This isn’t the impression you want to leave on your clients or your employees.

But hardwood floors are modern, they’re contemporary, they send the signal that your company has the chops to take its services into a future where carpet doesn’t exist. They go great with other modern office additions like sliding barn doors, demountable glass partitions, and switchable privacy glass. Most hardwood floors are bright and highly reflective, adding a lightness to the space that boosts moral and inhibits creativity and productivity. No longer will clients enter your office with a clinched jaw and a roll of the eyes. And depending on your furniture, office layout, and other finish materials, there are a wealth of hardwood flooring options (real or engineered hardwood, wood species and wood floor finishes ) to compliment the look and feel of any commercial office.

4. You Can Always Get A Rug

And you should! I actually consider area rugs to be an imbedded perk to converting your office to hardwood floors. They can be strategically curated and placed to define space and express your companies design creativity. It’s like that oversized painting of a bald eagle behind your desk, only on the floor.

Have you ever seen anyone try to pull of the rug-over-carpet look? That’s right. You haven’t. Because it can’t be done! Your office would end up looking like that your history professor’s corduroy blazer with suede elbow patches sewn in post-purchase. It’s not a good look. Hardwood floors, however, are blank canvases for which you are free to explore all your rug hopes and dreams.

Switch to Hardwood Floors

I suppose this is a long way of saying if you haven't already swapped out your office carpet for distressed hardwood floors, it might be time to think about making the switch. Your clients will thank you. Your employees will thank you. Your rug guy will most certainly thank you. The upfront cost will pay themselves off in spades by way of happier workers and more work for them to be happy doing.

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Matt Lee

Matt Lee is an SEO and content marketing specialist serving building material manufacturers. He’s the founder of digital marketing agency, Lead Generation Experts, and Local SEO Course, Rise Up Local, that teaches business owners how to rank higher and get more leads through search engines.

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