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92 INTERIORS & SOURCES OCTOBER 2015 interiorsandsources.com
In high-traffic, high-use applications such as K- 12 or higher education
environments, there are a number of resilient flooring options from which to
choose—each with pros and cons ranging from cost, performance, and
sustainable characteristics. Today, rubber flooring is the number one alternative
to PVC flooring apart from linoleum9.
There are a number of reasons for rubber’s popularity as a flooring option,
not only in the education sector, but also in healthcare and institutional markets
as well—and its sustainable characteristics are among the main factors. While
most of today’s rubber flooring contains synthetic materials, manufacturers can
create rubber tiles that are partially compounded using natural rubber, which is a
renewable raw material extracted from the sap of the tropical rubber plant. Some
rubber tiles are manufactured using post-consumer recycled tires. And no-wax
rubber floors reduce harmful refinishing chemicals into the environment, and
require less water usage to maintain.
In school environments, air quality is a major concern that may be affected
by emissions from the flooring material itself, as well as from the adhesives
used to install the floor and surface coatings and maintenance materials like wax
and strippers. Insufficient cleaning or excessive use of harsh cleaning chemicals,
and other maintenance issues can trigger a host of health
problems—including asthma and allergies—that increase
absenteeism and reduce academic performance10.
Research links key environmental factors to health
outcomes and students’ ability to perform. Improvements
in school environmental quality can enhance academic
performance, as well as teacher and staff productivity and
retention11.
Additionally, by specifying rubber flooring, architects and
designers are making a choice that can contribute to LEED
points under the new v4 rating system. Many rubber flooring
products qualify for credits in the Materials and Resources
(MR) and Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) categories, and
depending upon the location of the project, points may be
earned for regional manufacturing. Low VOC emissions have
also been documented through third-party testing of U.S. rubber flooring
products. The measured emissions have been below the most stringent U.S.
health standards12. Rubber flooring manufacturers in the U.S. are focused on
further reducing chemicals in rubber products for the health of their employees
and end users alike. Further, as more schools are being designed to earn a
CHIPS (Collaborative for High Performance Schools) rating, rubber flooring can
also help make schools energy, water, and material efficient, well-lit, thermally
comfortable, acoustically sound, safe, healthy, and easy to operate.
Rubber flooring’s most attractive feature to specifiers, however, is its lifetime maintenance cost—the lowest of all major flooring options (see sidebar
below). Rubber has been proven by several studies to be one of the most
cost-efficient selections for flooring installations. Compared to other resilient
flooring products, its lifetime costs are significantly less than the alternatives,
and when combined with its durability, performance, and aesthetics, this
makes it a perfect solution for educational environments.
Finally, rubber flooring has an average lifecycle of 30+ years, reducing the
need for frequent removal and disposal of the product and conserving natural
resources in the process. It’s also one of the reasons it often replaces or is
specified over VCT, vinyl sheet goods, and linoleum.
To recap, rubber flooring possesses any or all of these sustainable features,
including:
◗ Long lifecycle ◗ Recycled content
◗ Low VOCs ◗ Renewable material
◗ Recyclable
But rubber flooring isn’t all about performance and environmental benefits.
With advancements in technology, rubber flooring also offers aesthetic appeal
that is second-to-none. Today, specifiers today have a wide variety of colors,
patterns, and textures from which to choose, making flooring specification for
schools and universities a breeze.
When you do the math, resilient rubber flooring is truly a smart choice for
educational environments.
1 “State of Our Schools Report,” The Center for Green
Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (2013)
2 “Dodge Construction Green Outlook Report,” McGraw-Hill
Construction (2013)
3 “Green Building Facts,” U.S. Green Building Council
(Feb. 23, 2015)
4, 5 “Myths and Facts about Green Schools,” Center for
Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (2015)
6, 7 “Rubber Flooring is Safe, Comfortable and Even
Educational,” Laboratory Equipment (May 13, 2015)
8 “Quick Facts,” National Floor Safety Institute (2015)
9 “Healthy and Sustainable Flooring: Choosing Resilient
Flooring for the European Healthcare Sector,” Healthcare
Without Harm (September 2012)
10, 11 “Student Health and Academic Performance,” IAQ Tools
for Schools at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) (November 2012)
12 “Proposition 65,” The State of California (2015)
Glen Oaks Branch of the Queens Library in
Glen Oaks, N. Y., shows off its rubber
flooring installation in 90 percent chip content.
PRODUCT COST/SQ. FT. CLEAN/15 YEARS
LIFECYCLE COST
FACTOR (MULTIPLE OF
INITIAL COST)
Vinyl Composition Tile
(VCT)
$1.20-1.50 $24,313 17
Sheet Vinyl $2. 47-5.00 $25,879 8
No-Finish Sheet Vinyl $4.00-5.00 $15,640 4
Rubber $4.00-5.50 $8,095 2
Carpet $6. 66-25. 50 $21,982 9
Flooring Options:
Lifecycle Replacement and Cleaning Costs Per 1,000 square feet installed
SOURCE: HO W TO MAKE BUSINESS DECISIONS FOR FACILI TY FLOORING, SUZANNE R. BARNES
