Flooring for Laboratory Designs

Rubber flooring products offer more options and better performance than some traditional materials

By Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP

Some building uses are inherently tough on flooring. A very good example are laboratory settings that can be the function of an entire building (i.e., higher education science/research buildings, bio-pharmaceutical facilities, etc.) or part of another building (i.e., health care, manufacturing, etc.). All of these settings typically involve processes or activities that can require the use of chemicals, biological organisms, or heavy traffic from people and/or equipment. The flooring in these spaces, in particular, needs to hold up to these conditions in a way that is good for not only the buildings but also the people who use them. This means architects and designers are often challenged to find flooring solutions to meet the rigorous demands of these spaces while still achieving human comfort, excellent appearance, ease of cleaning, and long-term durability. This course will look a bit closer at these demands and assess some of the common flooring choices that have been used in the range of buildings where laboratory settings are found. In particular, we will investigate the growing use of rubber flooring products that have emerged as a proven alternative to some other traditional flooring materials and the qualities that have made them the preferred choice of many architects, designers, and building owners in laboratory settings.

LABORATORY FLOORING OVERVIEW

While the specific uses and types of activities can vary widely between different laboratory settings, the one thing they all have in common is that they need to address conditions that are not typical outside of the laboratory. Science and research laboratories located at college and university buildings may contain a range of substances that need to be very carefully isolated and controlled since they can be damaging to materials or harmful to people. Bio-pharmaceutical companies may have some of the same substances and chemicals but are often processing them at a much larger scale and in higher concentrations. Health-care facilities have labs (either within the facility or remotely located) that may be focused on other organisms and substances but have similar needs for containment. Clean rooms in manufacturing facilities can take the separation and isolation to an extreme in the interest of maintaining as nearly perfect an indoor environment as possible.

All of these facilities need people and equipment to operate them, which can mean a lot of foot traffic and rolling loads. They usually need to be kept quite clean too to avoid any unplanned interactions between chemicals or harm to people. In some cases, such cleanliness may be for sanitation to avoid any biological growth or chemical interactions that would jeopardize the operation of the lab. That can mean introducing some harsh cleaning agents that just add more complexity to maintaining and managing these facilities.

Recognizing the breadth and depth of all of these challenges that can be present or introduced into laboratory settings, there are two general categories of considerations—physical and human—that often influence the choice of flooring for these spaces, both of which are discussed in the following sections.

Physical Considerations

The physical, built conditions inside laboratories are usually designed to address a range of concerns, including the following:

• Spill resistance: In the normal course of any given day, an accidental spill of some material can happen. If the spill is a nonsignificant material such as water or an inert substance, then it’s not necessarily a problem. But if the spill involves chemicals, abrasives, disinfectants, or other harsh materials, the flooring may be damaged, stained, or even ruined.
• Chemical resistance vs. stain resistance: Chemicals may or may not cause a reaction and create physical damage (e.g., a deteriorated floor surface). Such deterioration could cause a problem with the integrity of the flooring and potentially create a safety hazard as well. But even if that never happens, there is a good chance that the chemicals may leave a visual stain on the floor. That may not seem like a big deal in other spaces, but management and maintenance staff often see this as a big concern in labs. Beyond the unsightly nature of the stain, it may also affect their ratings as a laboratory by accrediting bodies or inspectors, such as pharmaceutical lab audits by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Outside agencies like this include the appearance of the lab surfaces as part of their procedures and ratings. Hence, both chemical resistance and stain resistance from spills or operations need to be considered.
• Long-term durability: The owners of buildings that contain laboratory facilities are typically long-term owners that have a vested interest in the building remaining operational and durable for extended periods of time. This means that they want the materials, especially the flooring, to hold up and look good for as long as possible, without having to budget for interruptions and flooring changes.
• Lab space turnover: While the focus is on the long-term, there are often short-term changes within a building. This can mean that a lab designation may change from needing to be a more sterile environment than it was previously. The type of lab may get upgraded or downgraded in terms of its use or classification. This may impose conditions on the space that did not exist before for greater control, resistance, or cleanliness. The lab space may then need to be retrofitted with a change of materials, including a change of the flooring. Being able to either do this quickly or provide flooring that can accommodate a range of needs can help minimize the down time of the lab and control the cost of the retrofit.
• Regulatory conditions: Certain labs may need to meet federal or other regulations in order to operate or for the products that come out of those labs to be used commercially. Bio-pharmaceutical labs in particular are very much regulated and need to comply with the federally mandated current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) in order to stay in business. Some of those practices relate to the materials used in the labs and the details of how they are installed to address “bioburden.” This is defined in the context of testing to determine the number of bacteria living on a surface that has not been sterilized. Bioburden testing is an important quality-control tool for pharmaceutical and medical products and relates directly to eliminating material seams or other conditions that can harbor bacteria.

Human Considerations

We have noted that people need to use these laboratory spaces, often for extended periods of time and on a repeated, regular basis. Hence, all of the usual workplace criteria for meeting human needs of health, safety, welfare, and general comfort also apply, including:

• Slip resistance: This is a fundamental safety aspect of any flooring. It is especially a concern if wet or humid conditions are a normal part of the space, creating an ongoing hazard. Even intermittent conditions are a concern, such as an accidental spill or normal cleaning with water on the floor. It can also be a concern if protective coverings are worn over shoes that may be prone to reducing slip resistance.
• Acoustics: Labs can be made up of a lot of hard surfaces that reflect sound, causing echoes or simply exacerbating the noise from equipment or people walking. The sound can be generated within the space by normal activity and equipment or, in the case of flooring, it can generate from shoes striking the floor and creating noise. Using materials that help control that sound can create a better environment that is more conducive to focused work and concentration when needed.
• Muscle fatigue: Many people who work in laboratories can be on their feet for extended periods of time. If they experience discomfort and pain in their feet and leg muscles, they will likely complain about the feel of the flooring. It may not be possible to add mats or other cushioning devices to the floor, so addressing this concern up front is more prudent.
• Visual relief: Some people simply assume that laboratories need to look sterile, monochromatic, and uninteresting. However, there is a distinct trend by architects and designers to not only avoid that outcome but also actively seek ways to inject color, appropriate patterns, and other items of visual interest to improve and enhance the working conditions.
• Electric charge protection: In some cases, laboratories will have a concern over the presence of electricity, in the form of an electrostatic discharge (ESD) from static electricity. On certain types of flooring, people can build up a static electric charge that is released when they go to touch something that can cause harm to equipment, people, or both. Similarly, there may be a need to protect against unwanted electrical conduction coming from equipment.

There are certainly other considerations that can be part of a laboratory design, but these are the most common ones. All of them need to play a role in the decision-making process around what type of flooring to use that can meet both the physical and human needs of laboratory spaces.

TRADITIONAL FLOORING CHOICES

Laboratories and similar spaces have been designed and constructed for some time, so there is a good bit of experience on different flooring types that have been used in them. Following is a synopsis of three that have been used with mixed results.

• Finished concrete: Finished or sealed concrete is recognized as a hard and durable surface that is used in many commercial and industrial settings, so it seems logical that it would be considered for laboratories too. However, it falls short in a number of ways. First is that it is not necessarily chemical resistant. There are plenty of cases where the salts (chlorides) used for melting ice on concrete sidewalks or driveways have caused significant interactions (sometimes with reinforcing steel in the concrete) and deterioration of the concrete. The same can be true of many other chemicals used in laboratories. Secondly, concrete is prone to cracking, which causes porosity problems and hygienic issues. Third, it may get used and abused enough that its appearance over time will deteriorate, creating very poor long-term aesthetics. Fourth, people who need to stand or work on concrete for extended periods tend to experience discomfort in their feet and legs, both in short- and long-term working conditions. Clearly then, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to meet all of the physical and human considerations of laboratories by just using concrete without some other type of flooring on top of it.
• Vinyl flooring: This is a common choice for flooring in commercial and institutional buildings of all types, so it makes sense that it is considered for use in laboratory spaces in those buildings as well. Vinyl tile and sheet flooring typically offer an economical and versatile design option with many choices of color, textures, and features. Homogenous material is better suited to the heavy use in laboratories compared to heterogeneous options, but both typically include a top wearing layer of urethane. It is this layer that will bear the brunt of any spills, stains, damage, etc. It will also require the usual cleaning, waxing, stripping, and buffing processes associated with the maintenance of vinyl flooring. If the vinyl flooring is damaged, the damaged area will need to be removed and new flooring installed. The ease of doing that and the final appearance will vary depending on the specific product used.
• Resinous flooring: An often touted flooring solution for locations that need good hygiene and can hold up to harsh usage is resinous flooring. This is typically a pourable, continuous covering that essentially creates a monolithic floor surface. Some can have good resistance to chemicals and spills, although individual products do vary. It falls short in a number of other ways though. From a maintenance standpoint, it can chip, stain, or burn without a good way to either clean or repair it and restore it to its original appearance, thus making it look continuously “dirty.” Some maintenance teams find it is difficult to keep clean regardless since the surface is not like many other flooring surfaces. From a human standpoint, resinous flooring does not offer particularly appealing or compelling aesthetics. The colors are limited and visual relief is not easy to incorporate due to the monolithic nature of the flooring. Finally, even though it can be an improvement to standing on concrete, many people still do not find resinous flooring comfortable and would prefer something else.
• Epoxy flooring: An alternative to resinous flooring is found in two-part epoxy flooring systems. These provide similar traits as a resinous floor in that they provide a continuous covering over a substrate, such as concrete or other subfloor materials. However, they require a more difficult two-part installation that can take a bit more time in the field and be harder to control the quality of the installation. When finished, they often exhibit the same shortcomings as resinous flooring: poor aesthetics, not comfortable for users, more challenging to maintain, and poor ability to repair or replace areas that are chipped, stained, or burned.

RUBBER FLOORING AS A PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE

Architects, designers, and building owners who may have thought they were limited to only the three choices above for laboratory flooring are finding that there is a very compelling fourth alternative in rubber flooring. This material has a long history in life sciences buildings, including large-scale installations in both public and private institutions and corporations with many successful, durable, and attractive installations. As such, it is logical to look more closely at rubber flooring for laboratory settings, particularly since there are more options than ever before. Manufacturers offer a number of different rubber flooring products that have different characteristics suited to the various needs of buildings, particularly laboratory spaces.

Rubber flooring, like virtually all commercially available rubber products, is actually vulcanized rubber. Vulcanization is a chemical treating process (primarily using natural sulfur or other chemicals) in order to make rubber harder, stronger, more flexible, and more resistant to heat than in its untreated condition. Natural rubber that is not vulcanized is not suitable for products since it is very sticky to touch while the independent polymer chains inside the rubber naturally deform, allowing the rubber to melt if warmed and break apart if too cold. Introducing vulcanization to natural or synthetic rubber overcomes these issues by creating cross-link bonds at an atomic level, allowing a wide range of products to be made. The degree of vulcanization determines the ultimate characteristics as exhibited in everything from rubber elastic bands, automobile tires, and even bowling balls. Some rubber flooring products are also calendared, meaning they are treated with high heat and pressure to enhance their properties.

Manufacturing Process

Rubber flooring is commonly made from all natural materials harvested from rubber trees and then vulcanized to create the desired characteristics. During the manufacturing process, the rubber can be colored to be a strong, consistent color throughout, or it can have a pattern incorporated. The surface can be very smooth, slightly textured, or contain a pattern of raised round circles across the top side. The thickness of the rubber flooring can be controlled and produced to suit different needs for wear resistance and durability. Further product enhancements can be made to suit different applications, including those needed for laboratory settings.

From a design standpoint, rubber flooring can be used in labs similarly to other resilient flooring products. It is available in square tiles (nominally 24-inch or 48-inch squares) or continuous rolls of sheet flooring (nominally 48 inches wide by lengths of 40–50 feet). (Rectangular planks are also available, but not typically in products that are suitable for laboratory flooring.) Combined with an array of color options, this diverse set of offerings allow plenty of choices for creating patterns, inlays, design features, and other visually appealing elements. It is also possible to combine different products in one facility such that different rooms and places have similar flooring appearances while the different products meet the different needs of the spaces: laboratories, corridors, meeting spaces, classrooms, restrooms, etc. Manufacturers also offer a full range of accessories to go with the rubber products, including wall bases and adhesives, as well as complementary products like one-piece stair treads and risers.

Beneficial Characteristics for Laboratories

Vulcanized rubber flooring products offer a number characteristics that are beneficial for laboratory use. In terms of addressing physical requirements, they provide the following:

• Spill and chemical resistance: Chemicals, acids, oils, bacteria, and similar substances generally sit on top of the nonporous surface of rubber floor coverings. This means they can be cleaned up readily with little or no absorption into the flooring, thus avoiding stains or other deterioration of the flooring. Since the dense surface of the rubber does not readily react with many chemicals, it is not affected and the appearance is retained.
• Hygienic installations: Rubber flooring is typically installed with a seamless process using heat- or cold-welding techniques at junctions of flooring. This means that a liquid-tight environment can be created with no gaps that can leak fluids beneath the flooring or allow the growth of bacterial bioburden.
• Long-term durability: Laboratory and workplace floors are often exposed to equipment loading and foot traffic. Flooring made completely of rubber has superior elasticity and dimensional stability to enable it to withstand these loading and traffic conditions that can otherwise cause wear lines or tracks as they do in other types of flooring. The dimensional stability also means that it does not move under temperature extremes of either hot or cold. Movement or changes in the subfloor can cause cracks to form in other flooring such as epoxy or resin coatings, for example. With rubber floors, this risk does not exist since the elastic nature bridges any cracks to remain permanently intact and attractive. Further, impact effects from falling tools, metal parts, etc. may be lessened by the use of rubber flooring—even fragile objects (e.g., glass containers) are likely to sustain less damage and not break. In case there is any damage to the rubber flooring, either a tile can be replaced or the damaged area can be cut out of sheet flooring and a new piece cold welded into place. Either way, the repair process is quick and simple, making the flooring that much more durable over the long term.
• Flexibility for changes: In the event that rubber flooring needs to be changed to accommodate a change in the laboratory use, the process is pretty straightforward. If tiles are used, then they can be removed and new ones reinstalled. If sheet flooring is used, then it can be cut out and new material installed and heat or cold welded along the seams. Of course, in cases where potential changes are considered in advance, the type of rubber flooring can be selected to meet the most stringent anticipated needs to avoid the need for future replacement.
• Meeting regulatory requirements: The choice of different types of rubber flooring products means that selections can be made to accommodate specific requirements. Among other things, rubber flooring can be selected that qualifies for certification under cGMP regulations for bio-pharmaceutical facilities. This means the rubber flooring is shown to be effective at resisting a full range of chemicals, cleaners, disinfectants, abrasives, etc. in an acceptable manner. Separately, if there are code or other requirements for fire safety in the laboratory spaces, rubber flooring can help in this regard as well since products are available with high fire-retardant properties.
• Simplified cleaning and maintenance: Maintaining laboratory floors means that cleaning needs to be simple and effectively done with the flooring holding up to frequent, sometimes intense cleanings. Rubber flooring can provide these attributes, often reducing or eliminating the need for harsh cleaners in favor of mechanical cleaning approaches. This can include simply buffing out surface scuff marks, wheel marks, etc. to restore the surface to its original appearance. Further, there are no coatings or waxing required on the surface. That means less maintenance time spent adding or stripping wax and the cleaning products and processes related to that.

Based on the above, rubber flooring clearly meets the full range of physical demands for laboratories and similar intense indoor environments. Turning to the need to meet human considerations in laboratories, the following traits are also provided:

• Slip resistance: Rubber flooring has been used in many high-foot-traffic areas for decades with an excellent record of slip resistance. There are several ASTM and ANSI standards used to determine how slip resistant a flooring product can be based on independent testing. There is also the European standard DIN 51130: Testing of Floor Coverings. Rubber flooring has commonly received very positive results for safety and slip resistance when subjected to these tests. Where appropriate, raised circles in the flooring can help with that slip resistance, particularly where water or other liquids may sometimes be present.
• Footfall sound absorption: The nature of the rubber flooring is to cushion impacts from people walking on it and in the process prevent noise from footsteps. It can also help with general sound deadening inside the laboratory compared to other flooring approaches that create echoes. Some rubber flooring has been tested for sound using standard measuring methods, and that information may help with selections where acoustics are a particular concern.
• Human comfort: Rubber flooring has been reported by many people in a number of different settings as being easier on their feet than other types of flooring. This can be attributed to the elastic nature of the rubber material and the inherent cushioning effect brought with it. The result is less discomfort or fatigue compared to standing or walking on hard surface floors.
• Visual variety: The options of rubber flooring types, colors, patterns, and textures allow for design creativity and visual alternatives to a single, uniform appearance everywhere. Tile patterns in geometric or other forms are possible, as are direct inlays in sheet flooring. All of these can be done without sacrificing any of the other attributes of the flooring or compromising on the performance in any way.
• ESD and electrical protection: Rubber flooring with electrostatic dissipative properties are available in the form of ESD flooring that is designed to dissipate the buildup of static electricity on people and equipment. Since rubber has a natural low propensity to charge compared to other flooring materials, it is an excellent choice here. Further, since rubber is also an insulator, it can help protect people and equipment from electrical current as well as static electricity.

While the discussion of all of these attributes has been about rubber flooring, keep in mind that these all apply to the accessory materials associated with it as well. Wall bases can be installed in a flash-cove manner that creates a seamless enclosure around the perimeter of a lab space. Alternatively, separate rubber wall-base products can be specified that can provide a more traditional appearance and installation process. Similarly, adhesives, stair treads, skirtings for floor penetrations, and any miscellaneous accessories can all be obtained. The advantage of getting all of these accessories from the same manufacturer is that they become a coordinated system that helps assure a complete, warrantable installation. It also allows the use of trained installers who are taught to use all of the products properly in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and recommendations for best results.

Josiah Woods is a former project manager at Janssen pharmaceutical company and has first-hand experience working in facilities both with resinous/epoxy flooring and rubber flooring. He comments, “What we really liked about the rubber flooring was its durability from blunt impact. In our environment, heavy hoses and metal clamps routinely hit the floor while disassembling equipment. The epoxy floors would chip, and the chips would spread like a pothole over time. The rubber flooring would withstand that impact considerably better with no breach of integrity to the floor.” This speaks directly to the durability and reduced maintenance that is inherent in the rubber flooring.

Nonetheless, in the cases where something did cause damage, he goes on to say, “Any repairs if needed, were cleaner and much easier than grinding down an epoxy floor. It was just a matter of replace the tile and go.” This speaks to less down time of the facility and a quicker, easier means to protect the appearance and cleanliness of the labs.

GREEN BUILDING CONTRIBUTIONS OF RUBBER FLOORING

All building products are routinely reviewed by architects and others for sustainability traits and quite often for how they can help contribute to certification under the LEED green building program or others. The U.S. Green Building Council has developed the well-known LEED rating system to recognize and certify buildings that can be considered to be green or sustainable. The current iteration of this popular system is LEED version 4 (LEED v4), which applies to a range of building types. Rubber flooring can be used to help contribute to earning LEED credits and ultimately certification at the Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum levels in several ways. Depending on the quantity of rubber flooring used on a project, the green building contribution could range from minor to very significant. Hence, it is worth recognizing the following green building attributes of rubber flooring.

Materials and Resources (MR)

A prerequisite for any LEED building is to reduce the amount of construction and demolition waste by recycling, recovering, or reusing building materials. Since rubber flooring can be installed very efficiently, there is very little waste to begin with. Any excess or scrap can be managed and recovered by the manufacturer. At least one manufacturer has a construction waste takeback program for the purpose of reducing job-site waste by taking back uninstalled waste flooring. Details of this program are made available directly from the manufacturer.

Looking to the bigger picture, LEED v4 recognizes efforts to address the environmental impacts of materials over their full life cycle. Toward that end, a life-cycle assessment (LCA) protocol is used to support certification points for this Materials and Resources credit. Additionally, an environmental product declaration (EPD) based on the LCA and applicable product category rules (PCR) helps substantiate the green qualifications of most resilient flooring products, including rubber flooring. Although not recognized by LEED v4, some manufacturers also take the additional step of achieving ISO 14001: Environmental Management Systems certification, which helps assure that their processes and products directly address environmental concerns. By using this information, the environmental impacts of rubber flooring can be determined from the extraction of raw materials through manufacturing and shipping (cradle to gate).

LEED v4 also includes credits for the use of products from manufacturers that disclose the chemical ingredients using an acceptable methodology. Acceptable forms of documentation include Declare labels, health product declarations (HPDs), and Cradle to Cradle Certification, to name a few. The intent is to minimize the use and generation of substances harmful to human health to create beautiful and sustainable interiors.

INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (EQ)

Healthy indoor environments are paramount among many green building rating systems, including LEED, the WELL Building Standard, and The Living Building Challenge. In particular, the use of building materials inside of buildings that do not contain or emit substances that are harmful to human health has been a major motivation behind the creation of these standards and criteria. Their refinement and sophistication have helped define a high-quality healthy indoor environment.

Rubber flooring plays well into this situation not only because of the natural materials it contains but also what it does not contain. Rubber flooring is free of known problem ingredients; there is no polyvinyl chloride (PVC), ortho-phthalate plasticizers, halogens, or asbestos. Further, since no coatings, finishes, or special cleaners are required, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are not a concern with maintenance of the flooring.

Rubber flooring used in LEED v4 projects must be tested and certified in compliance with California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Standard Method v1.1-2010. Certifications like Greenguard Gold and FloorScore both demonstrate compliance with this CDPH Standard. However, Greenguard Gold is a more stringent standard since it includes the same 35 chemical emission caps as FloorScore plus an additional 330 more individual chemical caps and a total VOC (TVOC) emissions limit.

Adhesives used to install rubber flooring can be specified to be similarly friendly to human health. They can be specified to be low- or non-emitting and contained and separated from the interior environment by the flooring. Adhesives used in LEED v4 must be in compliance with the VOC content requirements of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Rule 1168 as well as have VOC emissions certification in compliance with CDPH Standard Method v1.1-2010 to protect the health of installers and other trade workers on-site during installation.

SPECIFYING RUBBER FLOORING

When specifying rubber flooring, there are numerous choices and options from which to choose. Coordination with manufacturers during the design phases of a project will help gain insight for project-specific details, cost drivers, installation nuances, and the latest options. In a standard CSI or MasterFormat, the usual location to include this specification is in Section 09 65 00: Resilient Flooring. Some of the relevant items to address in a standard three-part specification format are highlighted as follows.

Part 1: General

The scope of specification work can include all preparation work, substrate review, product choices, and final installation. In terms of specifying performance, the appropriate ASTM and other testing standards should be referenced both for testing the substrate (commonly concrete floor slabs) and for the rubber flooring and related products.

Submittals for rubber flooring products should include the usual manufacturer’s data and information for all products used, plus samples with color and texture data to confirm that the correct appearance is being achieved.

Quality assurance is an important part of any field installed system, and the same is true here. Installers should have qualifications acceptable to the manufacturer of the resilient flooring or be “resilient certified” by the International Standards & Training Alliance (INSTALL). Evidence of such qualifications can be requested as a submittal, but it is important that the people actually in the field are the ones with the qualifications and experience needed.

Delivery of the materials should occur sufficiently in advance of installation to condition materials to the required temperature for 48-hours prior to installation. On site protection of products should be carried out according to the manufacturer’s instructions and recommendations. The manufacturer’s standard limited warranty (10 years is common) for wear, defect, bond, and conductivity can be requested and sought for the entire installation.

Part 2: Products

All of the different rubber flooring products used in the building should be called out and specified. If multiple products are used, they should be identified by type in the specifications and the locations of each type needs to be clearly called out in either the drawings or specifications. The details of the specified products can include:

• The makeup and composition of the rubber flooring should be specified including the recognized ASTM type and grade of rubber flooring.
• The specific type, size, and shape of the rubber flooring(s) should be identified for each product used. These can include square tiles, rectangular planks, or continuous sheet flooring.
• The specific performance criteria for each product, including thickness, dimensional stability, flammability, burn resistance, slip resistance, bacteria resistance, sound absorption, and any other needed criteria, can be specified.
• The specific color, pattern, and texture of each rubber flooring product needs to be called out. Manufacturer’s literature should be consulted for this as with any finished product.
• Other requirements including the details of cleaning and stain removal for the product can be called out.

In addition, all trim, accessories, adhesives, and related items need to be identified in the specifications based on compatibility with the flooring, ideally as part of a complete, coordinated system.

Part 3: Execution

As with any site-installed product, the installation requires multiple steps that need to be clearly articulated in the specification to achieve the best results.

• Examination and preparation: The importance of this step should always be stressed. In addition to the architect, the installer should review and examine the substrate for conditions affecting the performance of the flooring in accordance with ASTM F710: Standard Practice for Preparing Concrete Floors to Receive Resilient Flooring. Any issues will need to be corrected if they are found to be out of compliance with the requirements of the standard or specifications. All surface defects must be repaired using appropriate patching materials unless a rubber flooring product is being used that is acceptable for irregular or high-moisture substrates. Ultimately, the goal is to provide a substrate surface that has been prepared to an acceptable level, is clean of all contaminants, and free of any debris.
• Installation: Rubber flooring tiles, planks, and sheet flooring are commonly adhered in place according to manufacturer’s instructions and installation manuals. Those should be consulted to assure that the flooring system is installed to meet the conditions for a successful project.
• Protection: Once applied, the flooring surface should be protected during any remaining construction work, including final mechanical or electrical trimming, painting of adjacent surfaces, or any punch-list work.
• Cleaning: Upon completion, the rubber flooring should be cleaned of any construction or miscellaneous dirt, debris, etc. Further, the flooring contractor should conduct a post-installation cleaning after 72 hours for wet set adhesives.

When specified and installed correctly, the finished flooring will provide the desired look and long-term performance characteristics that are intended.

CONCLUSION

When it comes to selecting flooring for laboratory settings, there are many considerations to take into account, both physical to the building and functional for people. While some traditional choices have been used for years, vulcanized or calendared rubber flooring products have emerged as a clear choice with many advantages due to their inherent traits for performance, appearance, and sustainability. Specifying rubber flooring in laboratory settings is a proven, long-lasting, durable, and easy-to-maintain solution.

Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED-AP is a nationally known architect, sustainability consultant, technical writer and continuing education presenter. www.linkedin.com/in/pjaarch