School Flooring Refurbishment: Lessons from a Berkshire Reception

When you’re responsible for maintaining or refurbishing a school, flooring can be one of those projects that needs careful planning.

It has to look welcoming, withstand constant use, be practical to maintain and fit within the requirements of the building and budget. For reception areas in particular, there is an additional consideration: this is the first part of the school many parents, visitors and prospective pupils will see.

So how do you create a school entrance that is both practical and welcoming? A recent project at Abbey School in Reading, Berkshire, provides a good example.

A Flooring Solution Designed Around the School Environment

Fineline Flooring was appointed to supply and install new flooring in the school’s reception area.

The brief was to create a welcoming, durable and professional entrance capable of handling the demands of a busy educational environment.

Rather than relying on a single flooring product throughout the space, the project combined different flooring types to provide both visual interest and practical performance.

The finished scheme included:

• Amtico Designers’ Choice Luxury Vinyl Tile in Pleat (DC558)
• Forbo Tessera Cloudscape carpet tiles in Summer Storm
• F Ball 1200 Pro Latex smoothing compound for sub-floor preparation Fineline Flooring

Why Combine LVT and Carpet Tiles?

Different areas of a school reception can have different requirements.

LVT provides a durable, easy-to-maintain surface with considerable design flexibility. Amtico’s commercial LVT range is designed for demanding environments and offers a wide choice of colours, textures and laying patterns.

Carpet tiles, meanwhile, can provide comfort and acoustic benefits, making them particularly useful around seating, waiting or quieter reception areas.

Forbo’s commercial flooring range includes both LVT and carpet tiles, as well as specialist flooring for education environments.

Using complementary products can therefore allow different areas within a reception to perform differently while still creating a cohesive overall design.

Don’t Overlook the Sub-Floor

One of the most important parts of any flooring refurbishment happens before the new flooring is installed.

For the Abbey School project, Fineline first installed F Ball 1200 Pro Latex smoothing compound to prepare the sub-floor.

This is an important consideration for schools replacing existing flooring. The condition of the existing floor can have a significant impact on the finished result, so proper assessment and preparation should form part of the project rather than being treated as an afterthought.

What Should Schools Consider When Replacing Flooring?

If you’re a school business manager, premises manager, estates professional, facilities manager or part of a MAT estates team, there are several questions worth considering before choosing a flooring solution:

How much foot traffic will the floor receive?

Reception areas, corridors and entrances can experience constant movement throughout the school day.

How easy will it be to maintain?

School flooring needs to cope with everyday dirt and spills without creating an unnecessarily demanding cleaning regime.

What acoustic performance is required?

Reception and communal areas can become noisy. Carpet tiles can help introduce acoustic comfort where appropriate.

Does the existing sub-floor need preparation?

Levelling and smoothing may be required before new flooring can be installed correctly.

How should the flooring look?

A school reception needs to feel welcoming while still looking professional and appropriate for the environment.

Can the flooring be replaced or repaired easily in the future?

Modular products such as carpet tiles can offer practical maintenance benefits because individual tiles can be replaced where necessary.

Planning a School Flooring Refurbishment?

At Fineline Flooring, we understand that school flooring isn’t simply about choosing a product. The right solution needs to take account of how the space is used, the level of footfall, maintenance requirements, appearance, sub-floor condition and project budget.

We supply and professionally install commercial flooring for schools and education environments across Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire, working with leading manufacturers and providing support from product selection and site assessment through to preparation and installation. Fineline has over 25 years’ flooring experience and is a CFA member with CSCS-registered fitters.

See the Abbey School Project

Want to see how these considerations came together in a real school environment? View the full Abbey School reception flooring case study

Planning a school flooring project? Contact Fineline Flooring to discuss your requirements and arrange a free site survey.