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Installing the correct type of tile in a commercial healthcare setting matters for several key reasons. The material you select for a hospital’s floor space has to be both functional and hardwearing. Hospitals see lots of traffic from visitors so the flooring installed must be able to withstand heavy, frequent usage.
Your choice of hospitality tile has to be cost-effective and easily replaced or repaired if it gets damaged. Patients and staff also need to easily walk on the floors and have steady access to the facility. Lastly, the proper choice of hospitality tile will allow for safety. Everyone who walks into the facility should be able to do so with little fear of injury.
It is highly recommended to use vinyl, linoleum, porcelain, rubber, or hospitality-grade textured carpet tile in commercial healthcare settings. These durable materials will deliver in each of the most key areas while keeping your staff and patients safe inside the facility.
If you would like to learn more about the best types of hospitality tiles we have provided a list of the best options available below. We have also provided helpful suggestions for hospitality carpet tiles that will create the right balance of color and pattern for your healthcare facility.
Some studies suggest that colors are a sensory experience that influences how people feel and perceive the world around them. Researchers say that green and blue are the colors that evoke the feeling of calmness. Yellow and red have been discovered to be more energizing shades. Considering these findings, we recommend you keep in mind the impact of certain hues when choosing your facility’s color scheme.
Regarding your hospitality floor tile design, you want to make the space appear safe and inviting. It’s ideal to seek a balance between cool tones and pops of warmth to create an atmosphere that’s soothing and comfortable.
Balancing the colors of your hospitality tile benefits the morale of your staff. Furthermore, your patients will feel relaxed when inside the facility which enhances the satisfaction during the stay. A mix of bright colors and cool tones also allows your cleaning staff to prioritize hygiene and keep floors safe for everyone inside the facility. White tiles can be a good option to create a sense of cleanliness.
The answer is yes and no. Hospital policies call for strict flooring requirements. Only a select number of hospitality tiles will meet the necessary standards for durability and safety. Hospital-grade flooring has to be able to withstand heavy use each day while remaining safe and hygienic. The following types of hospitality tiles are recommended. Most of the tiles on this list are not types of tiles that will be found in most homes while others are materials that you can use commercially and in homes.
The six types of hospitality tiles are the most used in hospitals and commercial healthcare facilities. Any material from this list will result in durable floors and long-lasting safety benefits.
Luxury vinyl tile flooring (LTV) is used in hospitals, urgent care centers, and clinics all over the country. Luxury vinyl boasts exceptional durability and can be applied to most areas of a hospital without issue. Luxury vinyl tile also offers the following benefits:
Sheet vinyl is another nice option for hospitality settings. It is typically formatted on sheets that are six feet wide to provide ample floor and wall coverage. Sheet vinyl is also often referred to as linoleum based on its composition, so be sure to double-check with professionals that you are using it on the correct surfaces before having it installed.
Rubber flooring has always been a staple in gyms, and workout facilities. Thanks to its numerous safety benefits, rubber tile flooring are also gaining popularity in hospital settings. The best places to install rubber flooring will be in the cafeteria, as well as in bathrooms, hallways, and as an outdoor hospitality tile. Rubber is also a fantastic choice for a cellar hospitality tile, the foundation of your facility will receive a durability boost with this hardwearing material. Additional advantages of rubber tile flooring are:
The benefits of rubber flooring in commercial healthcare settings are unmatched. You will not regret having this incredibly versatile material in your hospital’s most used areas.
Also known as VCT this type of vinyl flooring meets all the requirements to function well in different healthcare settings. It shares properties with both LTV and rubber tile flooring.
Linoleum flooring has had a long-standing place in healthcare settings. The material boasts many of the same advantages held by vinyl floors with one exception- longevity. Properly installed linoleum floors are a great investment, typically lasting over 25 years.
Linoleum flooring is also:
Porcelain tiles are on this list because they are durable and beautiful solutions for commercial healthcare floors. Hospitality porcelain tile floor designs are customizable and versatile so you can have the function and color palette needed to give patients the ultimate care experience. Porcelain hospitality tile floor patterns are abundant so you can achieve many unique color combinations or keep flooring simple.
You may have noticed that many hospitals have heavy-duty carpeting in some areas. The areas are covered in textured hospitality-grade carpet tile. The most common color you will see in hospitals is grey tiles, but black tiles and shades of blue are also popular. Textured carpet tile for hospitality facilities is suitable for spaces where patients will be gathering such as entryways and waiting rooms. This thick heavy-wear tile provides a grip to prevent injuries and a highly stylish appearance that breaks up the look of traditional tile.
At Stone Tile Depot, we enjoy informing you about different versions of tiles and more! Please contact us, and our team will provide you with the information you need.
If you or your loved one is in the hospital, you may be struggling to make sense of all the acronyms that represent the different floors and units of the institution.
The following acronyms are frequently used in hospitals to describe where the patient is receiving care before, during, and after surgery. They may vary somewhat between facilities but these are fairly standard in the United States.
Brianna Gilmartin / Verywell
CCU
The coronary/cardiac care unit (CCU) is a specialized intensive care unit for cardiac issues. If you have heart disease, experienced a cardiac event such as a heart attack, or if you're recovering from open-heart surgery, you may be treated in the CCU. In some facilities, a separate open-heart recovery unit may be utilized for surgical patients.
ER or ED
The emergency room (ER), also referred to as the emergency department, is where you're first seen after a sudden and serious illness or injury. You may arrive at the ER by private transportation or by ambulance.
Care is provided according to the severity of your illness rather than by when you arrived. This is because an individual who's having a heart attack requires immediate treatment, while those with less serious injuries are able to wait.
The general rule of thumb is that if you can wait to see your own doctor in the morning, your issue is likely not serious enough to warrant a visit to the ER. On the other hand, the ER is the right place for serious illnesses and injuries that need immediate attention.
ICU
The intensive care unit (ICU) is where you're sent if you require close monitoring. The ICU is also referred to as a critical care unit. Nurses in the ICU typically have just one or two patients, so you're able to be constantly monitored while there. In most facilities, if you require a ventilator to breathe, you'll be cared for in an ICU.
MICU
The medical intensive care unit (MICU) is for care if you're critically ill with a medical problem such as a chronic disease like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or diabetes, or if you're acutely ill and, for example, develop a serious infection. MICU patients are managed by physicians who have a background in internal medicine.
NICU
The NICU may be either the neurological intensive care unit or the neonatal intensive care unit, depending on whether the facility treats adults or children. In some facilities, the neurological ICU is referred to as NCC, for neurological critical care.
The neurological ICU is where you're taken if you have a serious brain-related illness. Patients in the neuro ICU may have illnesses ranging from strokes or seizure disorders to traumatic brain injuries, or they may be recovering from brain or spine surgery.
The neonatal ICU is where newborns are taken for intensive care. Premature infants or very sick babies are treated in the NICU where they can receive constant monitoring.
Oncology
The oncology unit is where you receive therapies intended to improve or cure your cancer. These treatments may include radiation and chemotherapy.
Open-Heart Recovery
An open-heart recovery unit is where you're treated after heart surgery. You don't typically go to the post-anesthesia care unit after surgery; instead, you're taken right to the open-heart recovery unit to be monitored.
OR
The operating room (OR) is where both inpatient and outpatient surgeries are performed.
PACU
The post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) is where you're taken after surgery to be closely monitored while your anesthesia wears off. You typically only stay in the PACU for a few hours, but you may stay longer depending on the availability of a hospital room or if your condition isn’t stable enough to allow you to be transferred to a regular room to continue your recovery.
Palliative or Hospice
A palliative or hospice unit is where end-of-life care is provided if you have a life-limiting illness, which may or may not be cancer-related. Hospice and palliative care focus on providing comfort and quality of life. In some facilities, oncology and hospice/palliative care may be provided in the same unit.
PICU
The pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is where children receive critical care. Depending on the facility, newborns may be treated in a PICU or a neonatal ICU. Smaller facilities may have a PICU only, while larger facilities may offer both a PICU and a neonatal ICU.
Pre-Op
Pre-op is short for preoperative, which means before surgery. This area is sometimes called same-day surgery, outpatient surgery, or preoperative holding and is where you wait prior to your procedure. Often this is where any necessary medications or intravenous (IV) access are initiated.
Rehabilitation
This area may be in the hospital or a separate facility, depending on your location. Rehabilitation is where you go to increase your strength so that you can go home.
This could mean learning how to transfer from a wheelchair to your bed or car seat. Or it may mean strengthening your muscles enough to walk again after spending an extended period of time in the hospital.
Rehabilitation floors often provide as much as six hours a day of physical and occupational therapy with the intention of helping you recover the strength and function that you need to be mostly independent in your daily life.
SICU
The surgical intensive care unit (SICU) is where you receive care if you're critically ill and in need of surgery or recovering from surgery. You may be too unstable to be treated on a regular nursing floor, or ICU-level monitoring may be the protocol for a particular procedure. This unit is managed by physicians who have a background in surgery.
Step-Down Unit
A step-down unit is an area where an intermediate level of care is provided. This means that you don't need intensive care level treatment, but you're not stable enough to go to a standard floor. There are many types of step-down units, ranging from surgical step-down to cardiac step-down.
For example, you may initially be treated in the surgical intensive care unit, but when you improve, you might receive care in the surgical step-down unit before being treated on the floor.
The Floor
A floor unit in a hospital is where you're cared for when you don't require especially close monitoring. On the floor, your vital signs may be taken every few hours rather than being constantly monitored as you would be in the critical care areas.
You may be able to walk to the bathroom with or without assistance and you're usually able to feed yourself and perform some self-care. If you're on the floor, you may not be quite well enough to go home, or you may need medications that have to be administered through an IV.
You may be on the floor to have tests done, such as blood tests or imaging tests, or maybe you're getting stronger after an illness and you're waiting for the care team to determine that you're able to safely return home.
Floor units vary widely by name. They may be referred to by location, such as 7 South, which means the south wing of the seventh floor. Others may be referred to by specialty, such as orthopedics, meaning that patients with bone issues are being treated in the area.
TICU
The trauma intensive care unit (TICU) is where you're treated if you've suffered a blunt impact. Injuries such as those received in serious falls, car crashes, and other types of impact-related accidents may be treated in this area.
Summary
Hospital staff becomes so accustomed to using abbreviations and lingo that they often forget that the average person doesn't understand what they're saying. Don't be afraid to ask for clarification about the information you're being given.
It's an excellent reminder to doctors, nurses, and other healthcare staff that they may not be providing information in a way that's easily understood. In general, if you're being told something in a hospital that you don't understand, be sure to ask more questions until you do.
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