The third part of an article on the FacilitiesNet website on healthcare flooring discusses the important considerations when choosing rubber. Rubber flooring is used extensively in healthcare and has been a proven performer, but can be compromised by chemicals that can cause them to break down.
The correct adhesive must be used to install rubber flooring, and the manufacturer's specifications should be followed.
Recently, several floors of medical testing labs with new recycled rubber flooring tiles were destroyed by chemicals and the installation compromised because an adhesive was used other than what the manufacturer specified, the article said.
Flooring failure rates are rising in healthcare facilities, according to the article. These failures can be blamed on the wrong product having been used, poor installation and substrate conditions, among other things. The common problem in all of these is that the needs of healthcare facilities were not fully understood.
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