CASE STUDY: SILVER BLUFF VILLAGE

Carpeting was specified several times for this senior living community, but it could not be kept clean. The specification of next-level flooring featuring 5 millimeters of vulcanized composition rubber fusion-bonded to the back of a heterogeneous vinyl layer is easy to keep clean as well as quiet and comfortable.

When Silver Bluff Village, a family-owned and operated senior living community offering short-term rehab, long-term care, and independent living, sought to refresh the design of its main skilled nursing building, a long-term care facility serving more than 120 patients, it was faced with some challenges. These included replacing the carpet without creating a louder environment, and specifying a surface that was easier for the staff to clean and maintain.

“Our main building was built in 1984, and it originally featured luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) throughout,” says Lisa Leatherwood, MSN, RN, administrator and a third-generation family owner of Silver Bluff. “Nurses, staff, patients, and families all use the halls, and noise was a major issue.”

In the first renovation, Leatherwood chose to replace the LVT with carpeting. “It did not take long for the carpeting to get dirty,” she says. “It ended up looking terrible and was difficult to clean.”

For the next major remodeling in 2009, Leatherwood considered reinstalling a hard surface in the halls, but she was met with opposition because noise is a major issue in senior living communities. “We have staff rolling patients, linen carts, food carts, and refuse barrels up and down the halls continuously 24 hours a day, and that can create a lot of noise,” she explains.

In response to the feedback, Leatherwood decided to forgo installing a hard surface and instead opted for a high-end carpeting product that was 40 percent more expensive than regular carpeting.

“We were told the higher-end carpet would clean up fine, that we would not have any issues, and that it would last for a long time,” Leatherwood says. “That turned out to be completely wrong.”

As a result, Leatherwood began searching for an alternative to carpet. She learned about a sophisticated flooring choice after attending a skilled nursing convention.

“I was immediately interested in the company’s rubber-backed resilient flooring products, specifically the health-care line,” she recalls. Leatherwood made the decision to install the engineered resilient surface in the hallways of all four resident wings, a business office area, and a short wing that leads to the assisted living building attached to the long-term care building.

The next-level flooring features 5 millimeters of vulcanized composition rubber fusion-bonded to the back of a heterogeneous vinyl layer. This combination creates a surface that may possibly reduce the risk of injury associated with falls while offering sound control and comfort underfoot.

Before long, the Silver Bluff residents and staff realized the positive results of the flooring installation. “No one noticed a difference in noise between the carpet and the new flooring, and we did not receive a single complaint,” Leatherwood says.

According to Leatherwood, staff also noted that it was easier to roll their carts and move residents around, as well as clean the surface.

“We are extremely satisfied with the floors,” Leatherwood adds. “They are beautiful, they really are as quiet as carpet, and everyone is enjoying them so much. We could not be happier.”