High Footfall Wood Flooring Options

One thing that people often fail to think about when they’re choosing a new wooden floor is the amount of traffic and the nature of the traffic that their room faces now and that it’s likely to face in the future.  While in many cases this oversight isn’t likely to cause a serious problem, in a few situations, this could be a major issue.  In short, in any situation where you have either high footfall or heavy footfall, you’d be foolish not to take this into account when you make your wood flooring decisions.

What constitutes high footfall?

Footfall is a term that’s commonly used in the retail sector to describe the number of people who come into and go out of a shop on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.  It’s also used to describe the number of people who use certain paths or streets.  In short, it’s the number of “feet” that are going up and down or into and out of a certain environment over a specified time.

If you run a business like a restaurant or shop, there’s no doubt that footfall will be an important consideration on your agenda.  While it’s an over-generalisation, most businesses aim to attract a high footfall of the right people to their business.  At the end of the day, if you invest in a shop or restaurant and no one comes into it, then you’re never going to make profit.

In a home or domestic setting, high footfall might come about by having a large family, high occupancy in a rental property or because you run your business from home.  If you have more than the average number of people living in your home or visiting your home on a regular basis, it’s fair to assume that your home will be subject to a higher than average footfall.

What is heavy footfall?

Heavy footfall, unlike high footfall is concerned with the wear and tear from the people crossing your floor.  No matter whether you’re planning a new floor in a commercial or domestic setting, heavy footfall is a consideration that’s well worth adding to your decision-making equation.  Heavy footfall refers to a situation whereby people might be using the floor, but they may have a higher than average impact on the floor.  Things like wheelchair users, people who are particularly heavy or rely on walking aids will all impact on the wear and tear of your floor.

How can you deal with high or heavy footfall?

Like most things in life, high or heavy footfall is best dealt with ahead of the event, rather than after the event.  What we mean by this is that if you know that you’re either going to have, or are likely to have high footfall, then you can prepare for it in advance and make sure you choose the right floor to deal with it.

It would be foolish for anyone to assume that high or heavy footfall won’t have an impact on their floor and choose to ignore it.  Therefore, if you know that either your home, shop, workplace, bar or restaurant is going to suffer high or heavy footfall, then your best course of action is to take it into account when you choose your floor.  Here are our top tips for being prepared:

1. In dry environments where there are only minimal temperature fluctuations, a solid wood floor will allow you the luxury of more re-sandings and re-finishings in its lifetime.
2. Choose thick boards that will withstand either high or heavy footfall better than thinner boards.
3. In environments where there are significant temperature or moisture fluctuations, you should choose engineered wood flooring.
4. If you don’t have under floor heating, you should choose a thick engineered wood flooring board with a thick lamella or top layer.
5. Invest in the best floor your budget will withstand.
6. Make sure your subfloor is well prepared before laying your floor.
7. Ensure that your floor is well fitted.
8. Carry out regular cleaning to avoid the damage caused to the surface of your floor by dust and grime.
9. Check your floor regularly for loose boards and for surface damage.  If there is any damage, take immediate remedial action.
10. Encourage the use of abrasive and absorbent mats prior to entering your room.

If you’d like help to choose the right floor for an environment that’s likely to have high or heavy footfall, why not get in touch?  At Wood and Beyond, we’re always happy to help.