By Healthcare Facilities Today

Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md., had to replace the flooring in its operating rooms four times in four years due to the impracticality of the homogeneous sheet vinyl product being used. The flooring would stain easily and was difficult and time consuming to clean, taking up to two hours to sterilize between operations. The rigorous sanitization process required to maintain the floors would often cause damage, as scrubbing out stains would result in the removal of sealer and the need for costly repairs. Falling instruments and rolling wheelchairs and carts would further damage the floors, causing rips and broken welds. Even the walls of the operating rooms were susceptible to damage from rolling gurneys and medical equipment.

The hospital’s facilities staff searched for a durable, stain resistant solution that would stand up to constant heavy traffic, reduce maintenance and repair expenses, and decrease sterilization time. The flooring needed to be long lasting, seamless, and capable of integrating a floor cove wall system. Terrazzo was considered, but the expensive, lengthy installation process would put operating rooms out of use for two weeks.

The solution for the various requirements of the operating rooms was Floorazzo, a resilient flooring product with all the aesthetics and benefits of terrazzo, but without the costly, time consuming installation. It is a homogeneous resilient terrazzo flooring tile with 18 percent pre-consumer and 18 percent post-consumer recycled content. It is available in 2-by-2 foot and 2-by-4 foot tiles.

Floorazzo now covers the floor and part of the walls in the operating rooms as well as the hospital’s main corridors. Since installing the Floorazzo, sterilization between operations has been cut from two hours to twenty minutes. The flooring is virtually stain proof, and spills easily wipe clean. The expenses associated with the constant need for repair of the walls and floor has been eliminated due to Floorazzo’s resilience, durability, and sanitary cove base and transition wall. Maintenance is minimal and involves a sealing every six months, and since the Floorazzo was installed three years ago, neither the flooring nor wall cove has required repair of any kind, according to the manufacturer.

Mats Inc.