A new floor installation is a critical decision for any healthcare facility. It is imperative to choose the right product to ensure infection control standards are met and patients and staff are kept safe and comfortable. In addition, the installation itself can cause disruption and a number of environmental issues if not conducted by a company experienced within the healthcare setting. We’ve put together a list of our “Top 6” solutions for healthcare facilities, complete with benefits they offer for specific areas within your hospital or medical centre.
Hygiene is the number one focus of hospitals and it includes everything from procedures to the very construction of their spaces. Stonhard poured-in-place, seamless, weldless floors support infection control programs by providing a surface where bacteria and debris have no place to hide. Stonhard floors for healthcare spaces are stain resistant, easy to clean, noise reducing, ergonomic, and they come in healing colour palettes and custom design to suit specific healthcare environments, like children’s hospitals. Whether you are looking for a floor for operating room suites, patient bathrooms, hospital corridors, or other spaces like mechanical rooms, cafeterias, or even helipads, Stonhard has a solution that is formulated and installed to perform and last. Let’s take a look at the top 6 flooring products our customers choose for their healthcare facilities:
1. STONRES RTZ (polyurethane mortar system)– Stonres RTZ is a resilient urethane flooring system that is easy to clean, impact and stain resistant. Its resilience provides for exceptional acoustic efficiency and comfort underfoot in operating rooms, patient rooms, and corridors. Research shows that high noise levels can worsen patient and staff outcomes in healthcare facilities; with Stonres RTZ, patients and staff benefit from features aimed at physical health and comfort. In particular, it offers a highly effective solution for surgeons and staff who spend hours on their feet during operating procedures. Stonres RTZ is highly resistant to impact from falling instruments so it will last much longer than traditional flooring without need for replacement or repair. In fact, Stonhard customers often replace sheet vinyl flooring in their surgical suites with Stonres RTZ for these reasons. If your hospital floor looks like a patchwork quilt from numerous repairs or is bubbling up due to substrate moisture, Stonhard can permanently solve these problems with a Stonres RTZ installation. This flooring system is not only functional, it comes in unlimited design options from attractive standard offerings to custom patterns and colours.
Features to remember: hygienic, stain resistant, impact resistant, ergonomic, sound absorbent, wide-ranging design options.
Best areas of use: operating rooms, hospital corridors, patient rooms, labs, and wherever sterile conditions are top priority.
2. STONRES STR (polyurethane system) – Stonres STR is also a Stonhard solution for operating rooms. Like Stonres RTZ, Stonres STR offers hygienic, stain-resistant, easy-to-clean, durable, long-lasting performance coupled with ergonomic comfort and sound dampening. If a solid colour option is preferred, Stonres STR is the alternative to Stonres RTZ. Stonres STR will have a quicker installation time than Stonres RTZ.
Features to remember: hygienic, stain resistant, impact resistant, ergonomic, sound absorbent, wide-ranging design options in solid colours.
Best areas of use: operating rooms, hospital corridors, patient rooms, labs, and wherever sterile conditions are top priority.
3. STONCLAD GS (troweled epoxy mortar system) – This flooring system is extremely durable and impact resistant. It also stands up to abrasion, wear, and chemicals and is slip-resistant and easy to clean. Stonclad GS is often used for cove bases to prevent the buildup of dirt or debris where the floor meets the wall. Cove bases can prevent water, bacteria, dirt, and insects from harboring under walls and make a space more hygienic and easy to clean. Cove bases also provide an attractive, finished look. Stonclad seamless flooring can be used in any area of a hospital, but will not be sound dampening or provide the comfort underfoot that a resilient system like Stonres RTZ or Stonres STR will.
Feature to remember: highly durable, impact and abrasion resistant, chemical resistant, easy to clean
Best areas of use: cove bases in sterile areas, storage rooms, laundry rooms, back-of-house employee corridors, basements
4. STONSHIELD QBT (textured, decorative epoxy mortar system) – This textured flooring system is perfect for patient bathrooms and showers where it provides a decorative look and a highly slip-resistant surface at the same time. Since, like all Stonhard floors, Stonshield QBT is without grout lines or seams, it’s ultra-hygienic with no place for dirt or bacteria to hide during cleaning procedures. Stonshield QBT can be installed quickly for minimal disruption to operations.
Feature to remember: slip resistant, easy to clean, fast installation, decorative
Best areas of use: patient bathrooms and showers
5. STONCLAD UT (polyurethane mortar system) - Healthcare facilities are more than just patient rooms and operating rooms. Food preparation takes place in a bustling commercial kitchen on a daily basis. Flooring for an environment like this requires a specialized formulation. Stonclad UT is a seamless urethane flooring system that will outlast other flooring systems because it is built for constant traffic (foot and wheeled), resists abrasion, impact, organic acids, spills, chemicals, and most importantly, thermal shock and thermal cycling. This occurs due to high temperatures under kettles and as a result of temperature changes due to washdowns. Stonclad UT is offered in varying levels of texture to create the right balance between slip resistance and cleanability.
Features to remember: thermal shock & thermal cycling resistant, slip resistant, abrasion resistant, easy to clean
Best areas of use: hospital kitchens and food preparation areas
6. STONGLAZE VSE (urethane wall system) – This multi-layer, liquid-applied, flexible urethane wall system is perfect for keeping sterile environments sterile. In conjunction with Stonhard floors, Stonglaze VSE will keep your walls waterproof and protected against stains. Its smooth, glossy finish is easy to clean and will look as clean as it is sterile.
Features to remember: waterproof, seamless, UV resistant, abrasion resistant, chemical resistant, fire resistant
Best areas of use: corridors, patient rooms, emergency rooms, operating rooms, sterile areas
About Stonhard
Stonhard is the unprecedented world leader in manufacturing and installing high-performance polymer floor, wall and lining systems. Stonhard maintains 300 territory managers and 200 application teams worldwide who will work with you on design specification, project management, final walk-through and service after the sale. Stonhard’s single-source warranty covers both products and installation. Contact us to learn more about our precision installation methods and specialized products for healthcare facilities.