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Flooring from A-Z

    Added April 22, 2010

As published in Worship Facilities, Mar/Apr 2010

It’s no secret that the design of the worship facility has become ardently creative, leaving behind cookie cutter sanctuaries surrounded by standard fellowship and classroom space. Today, emphasis is placed on creating space that communicates who the church is, and although it’s frequently unnoticed, flooring plays an integral part in accomplishing that. But gone are the days when designers and church leaders could simply decide on carpet, wood or tile and move on. The modern flooring market offers a plethora of products, manufacturing processes and installation methods to accommodate trends that revolve around churches’ environmental principles and address the variety of spaces churches now have, including large youth areas and specialized third places like cafes and fitness centers. And of course, underneath it all, churches are still looking for the perfect floor that is long lasting and easily maintained.

Worship Facilities Magazine took a look at these trends and asked professionals of all types what the church of 2010 should look for and expect in flooring.

Can carpet be green?

Many concerns arise when dealing with carpet in the church: maintenance needs, how it holds up against heavy traffic, and nowadays, its impact on the environment.

“There are still ornate spaces with plush carpet, but those are no longer the norm,” says Dean Johnson, executive director of the National Association of Church Facilities Managers (NACFM) and business administrator at First Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas.

According to Paulla Shetterly, ASID LEED AP, associate principal with CDH Partners in Marietta, Ga., churches are becoming inherently multi-use and many spaces now incorporate some type of food service. That said, she recommends a 100% solution-dyed nylon carpeting product for a stronger color that will resist stains and fading.

A wise and popular use of carpet is carpet tile, which if installed with the proper adhesive, is easily replaced in small sections. It is available in endless colors, shapes and patterns that can be mixed and matched with one another, or with other materials for visual and textural interest. At Pine Lake Baptist Church in Brandon, Miss., Alison Dagnan, interior designer with Garrison Barrett Group in Birmingham, Ala., and her design team chose to intersperse large, circular carpet tiles within circle patterned square tiles. The result is an intriguing design that was affordable and efficient.

Choosing carpet doesn’t mean not choosing the environment, either. Many green carpet products and installation choices exist. According to Dagnan, TacTiles, a carpet tile installation method used by Interface, interlocks tiles tightly and eliminates the need for environmentally damaging and costly adhesive. Shaw’s EcoWorx, an EPA-recognized PVC-free carpet tile backing made from 40% recycled content is another green option.

Alan Fennell, president of Gerflor USA, a vinyl flooring manufacturer based in Arlington Heights, Ill., emphasizes that when looking at green flooring options the focus should be on recycled content, not biodegradability. In reality, a product may not biodegrade for 75 years and it may have been manufactured by a process that is harmful to the environment.

Concrete, tile and other hard surfaces

Carpet has its merit, sound absorption and safety contributing to it, but there are certain spaces that scream for hard surface flooring, especially multi-purpose gathering areas. For instance, even in a dedicated youth classroom, the varied activities still make it difficult to decide what will be the best flooring option. Yet, according to Shetterly, if the space is multi-purpose, the flooring should be as well. At First United Methodist Church in Orlando, Fla., a LEED-certified facility, Shetterly chose linoleum sheet product for the teen’s “hang space” and basketball area. “The linoleum is a green product and was easily cut to create insets and inlay designs. It’s inherently antimicrobial and no wax,” shares Shetterly.

Another approach for the multi-purpose space is mixing materials. In the worship space at Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Ala., which also serves as a gathering space, Garrison Barrett’s team used a durable carpet for the aisles and chose stained concrete for the high-abuse area under movable chairs.

“Concrete is a great option because it’s already there,” says Johnson. “The staining process and maintenance are very cost effective.”

One-of-a-kind floor designs can be inexpensively achieved by purchasing color additives to mix in with concrete, or by tossing in colored glass and other materials. These materials set with the concrete and become visible once the floor is polished.

Tile is another material that allows for sophisticated design and is still durable and long lasting. According to Johnson, glazed ceramic tile is a good choice for any space: “It will outlast and out-perform a lot of similar products.”

Patterns and colorful impact can be achieved with tile, and although the price point is higher, there are ways to utilize the product without blowing the budget. “Mix a few unique, high-end tiles within a field of less expensive ones,” suggests Dagnan.

“Shop around. There are many outlets with overstock,” says Johnson. He also recommends looking for church members with installation experience to cut costs.

If a really over-the-top floor is wanted, many imaginative products exist, like Liquid Lava by Jockimo, a luxury vinyl tile with an oil-and-water neon color mix inside. “As you walk on it, the pressure creates different designs by mixing the colors,” says Shetterly, who has also seen the use of flooring under-lit by LED lights and glass tile.

“We’ve used resin products from 3form to create flooring insets in youth areas and have considered it for stair treads, as well,” adds Dagnan. “It creates a very cool and unexpected look.” Resin products from 3form set a standard for environmental friendliness, made from more than 40% recycled content.

“The trends center on using recycled content and natural products that are harvest friendly,” says Johnson. One such product is bamboo. Although it’s actually a grass and not wood, many churches are using bamboo to replace existing wood floors as it’s similar in price, nearly indestructible, and ultra sustainable.

Sports flooring too

The most important trend churches have latched onto in design and ministry is creating a venue to connect with the public. This is especially true with children. “If you can get kids taken care of and engaged in church, their parents will come to church,” says Shetterly. She goes on to cite the installation of rock walls, basketball courts and gyms, as well as full fitness centers. Each of these spaces requires flooring that is durable and, preferably, easy to maintain.

“If you’re going to have a gym and utilize it for basketball and volleyball, nothing beats a quality hardwood floor,” says Johnson. Although the real thing may be an upfront expense and a maintenance hurdle, its long-lasting qualities cannot be ignored—FBC Lubbock has had their hardwood gym floor for over 50 years. Fortunately, today there are economical and versatile options like rubber and linoleum that don’t require waxing. Choose one with high-recycled content to stay green.

“Synthetic flooring is [another] popular and affordable option for sports ministry, including aerobics and basketball,” says Dave Wagner, CFM CFMJ, senior director of facilities for Grace Community Church in Noblesville, Ind. “It provides shock absorption, appropriate friction for competition, and wears well.”

Taraflex, a synthetic floor from Gerflor, is multi-layered 100% vinyl with a reinforced fiberglass grid and foam backing. The floor comes in different variations, one of which is a multi-purpose material designed specifically with churches in mind.

“Taraflex can be installed with our patented Dry-Tex system, as well, which allows for installation over subfloors with up to 12 pounds of moisture,” says Fennell.

A full fitness center should have a variety of floor surfaces, according to Brad Bloom, publisher of Faith & Fitness Magazine and a principal with Church Fitness.com, a consultant group that teaches about utilizing fitness within ministry. Bloom says one of the most important things to consider in a fitness facility’s flooring is traffic flow. “Free weights should be on a rubberized surface, whereas the lobby might have carpeting. The showers should definitely be tile with 4- to 5-foot rubber walk-off mats,” Bloom says.

If a church is looking to cut costs in their fitness area by installing one floor, Bloom recommends an industrial-grade rubberized floor and a strict no-food policy.

“The public may be there 11 or 12 hours a day, seven days a week,” concludes Bloom. “In every ministry, do it right and don’t cheat. Put your best face forward.”

SIDEBAR:

Flooring Safety and Maintenance Considerations for Facilities Managers

The most crucial part of any facilities manager’s job is ensuring the buildings are safe. Dean Johnson, executive director of the National Association of Church Facilities Managers (NACFM) and business administrator at First Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas, and Dave Wagner, CFM CFMJ, senior director of facilities for Grace Community Church in Noblesville, Ind., shared some tips for keeping floors dry, in good condition, and safe for walking.

* Place walk-off mats and area rugs at entrances and stairwells to trap moisture and dust.

* Install anti-slip treads in all hard-floor stairwells.

* Apply antifungal, antibacterial and antimicrobial additives and coverings to floors.

* Mop and scrub hard surfaces regularly to get the pores and valleys clean.

* Ensure newly poured concrete is given plenty of time to dry.

* Install floors that are inherently slip-resistant in high-risk areas, such as carpet or a slip-resistant tile, like Stonepeak’s Cappuccino.