Choosing the Right Carpeting For Your Office

No office is complete without flooring. But, it does not need to be the final touch to your office or corporate space; it can be the central tenant around which you design the rest of the area. The key is selecting the best carpeting for your office needs.

Carpet Tiles or Broadloom (Wall to Wall) Installation? 

Whether you choose broadloom carpet or carpet tiles, there are plenty of colour, texture and pattern choices available. And, there are strong benefits to either option. The key difference is the flexibility you require in your space:

• Broadloom Carpeting - Widely known as wall-to-wall carpeting, broadloom helps to create uniformity throughout a space.  Because there are no divisions on the carpeting, the pattern you choose is the pattern you get, but this can create a feeling of team cohesion.  It is a terrific option for certain areas of your office, especially if you have plenty of floors to cover.

• Carpeting Tiles - These fit easily into just about any space, but they offer a number of different features.  One of the key benefits is that carpet tiles can be used to create unique spaces, separating areas into different teams.  These are a perfect match for many smaller offices.  It is also significantly easier to replace an area that has worn thin or become stained.

Because both options offer benefits, it is usually beneficial to start with the selection between broadloom or carpet tiles, before continuing to narrow your choices.

Strength and Durability Are Everything

Consider the use your office gets every year, every week and every single day. Your carpet has to deal with all of that wear and tear.  And, it needs to look good until you decide it is time to replace it. That means you may need to consider different carpets for different areas. Storerooms, for example, typically do not see the same foot traffic that your reception does. Consider trading off lesser used rooms to spend a bit more budget in high traffic areas. Ideally, you will want the strongest carpet you can afford in public areas, such as entrance matting, and under desks.

If you are uncertain of your carpeting strength requirements, then it is always better to speak to your sales representative than to make an inappropriate purchase. Remember that Birch Sales Consultants are more than their title implies; they are technical problem solvers and your challenges are their pleasure to solve.

Maintenance Is Key to an Awesome Office Environment

Carpets can display just how successful your business is; they can show your employees that you are committed to meeting their needs.  Carpets can say a lot - what they say is up to you.  Flooring that appears worn or damaged will put anyone off; whereas carpeting that is well installed and well maintained can create a positive mood.  The trick is to know just how much maintenance you are willing to put to your carpets and choosing flooring that correlates to those demands.  If you have a small office, with only a few employees and a weekly cleaner, the carpeting you choose should disguise any spots and dirt until cleaning day.  On the other hand, larger offices with a team of dedicated cleaners may be able to opt for lighter colours and plushier carpets in their boardrooms. Learn more on how to clean your carpet properly with our complete carpet cleaning guide.

Using Colour to Jazz Your Space

Once you have a solid handle on the actual needs your flooring must fulfil, then it is time for a little colour fun.  The hues you choose for your new flooring can jazz your space, or make your office appear as sensible as you want it to look.

Bright, bold colours on your floors can liven a space significantly more than you realise.  Within this range, outdoorsy colours tend to make people naturally happy, and unrestricted.  These are brilliant options for creative companies, travel agencies, and innovation online businesses.

Cooler colours do not necessarily have the opposite effect as much as they are designed to calm people.  Most employees find that cooler colours allow them to feel peaceful while at work, which helps companies whose key employees do independent work at their computers.  Staying focused and on task is associated with lighter tones.

Strong, dark colours suggest wealth and power.  Dark carpeting with white walls also conveys a sense of style that is difficult to recreate elsewhere without the use of expensive decor.  Dark carpeting colours are excellent choices for financial institutions and consulting practices.

Every office needs a combination of all these sensations.  Smaller offices can easily replicate what larger businesses have been doing for years - creating different areas, and different moods with plays on colour.  Choose one colour to make a bold statement in reception, another for your main workspaces, and even another for your accounts department.

One benefit to using different colours in different spaces is that you can easily choose different carpeting strengths in different areas. In consultation with your carpeting expert, you can determine which carpet products are best in certain areas of your office, such as entrance matting or boardroom carpet.

There is no shortage of ideas for mixing it up either. Browse through some of the inspiring offices from around the world, taking note of the elements you would like to bring into your space.

Most importantly, though, you need to remember that your carpets are an investment.  You will not want (or need) to replace your carpeting for many years, especially if you focus first on your carpeting needs.  Although you may not know where your company will stand in a decade, you surely have a growth plan, and your carpeting should work within that.  After all, having a jazzy office is just one small part of your business - fortunately for you, it's our whole business.

Free carpet samples can be ordered from the Birch website by adding them straight to your basket. Speak to a member of our team today for more information.