FLOORING
ENTRANCE FLOORING: OPENING NEW DOORS FOR INTERNAL FLOORING
Entrance flooring is well known for its functional uses, reducing walked-in dirt and moisture, protecting against slips and trips, and keeping wider internal flooring schemes clean. However, it can also deliver much more than that. Here, Chris Rand, Category Marketing Manager – EFS, from Forbo Flooring Systems, delves further into this.
Role of entrance flooring Entrance flooring systems are an essential element of a flooring scheme in all buildings, particularly in the education, healthcare, retail and office sectors – spaces where you can expect to see high volumes of footfall all year round. Within schools, it can understandably be challenging to get younger students to slow down and physically wipe their feet before entering a building. While in healthcare settings, as well as the obvious need for hygiene, the dangers of falls due to wet internal flooring are even more paramount, especially when you consider the sick, elderly or vulnerable people present.
It's therefore no surprise that the British Standard 7953:1999 states that an entrance flooring system is necessary to reduce the risk of slip injuries, prolong the life of the interior floor finishes and help reduce cleaning, repair and overall maintenance costs. When incorporating an entrance flooring system into a flooring scheme, it should scrape, wipe and retain soil, making contact with both feet of people entering the building and, in the case of wheeled traffic, with the full circumference of the wheels, releasing dirt easily when cleaned.
The industry recommendation is to use at least three metres of entrance matting for light use areas and up to seven metres for busier entrances, such as those seen in busier retail or education environments. As a general rule of thumb, the more matting used the more effective the system will be at preventing dirt and moisture build-up within interior spaces.
Incorporation within the wider flooring scheme Despite a significant amount of space being taken up by entrance matting, traditionally it isn’t always utilised for
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its design purposes. However, this is now changing, with a rise in the availability of entrance flooring solutions that can deliver on function and performance while also contributing to the wider interior design.
Take chevron designs as an example, a popular and modern aesthetic. Previously, these types of solutions would have been a bespoke offering only and therefore come with a higher price point and longer lead time. However, this is no longer the case, with some manufacturers, like Forbo, offering ready-made panels that are available ‘off the shelf”, able to be easily shipped precut and installed onsite. Larger textile inserts are also rising in popularity, offering greater design versatility, increased dirt and moisture removal and softening the look of an entranceway.
Nuway Connect Plus Part of Forbo’s long-established Nuway brand of barrier matting, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024, Nuway Connect Plus features larger textile inserts and reduced aluminium strips. As a result, the collection can accommodate more varied designs, including chevron shaping –ideal for locations where design and functionality need to be equally balanced.
Nuway Connect Plus is also available in 10mm closed construction and entrances in fire sensitive locations can be installed with Coral inserts that meet Bfl-s1 fire regulations. If installed by a Forbo Entrance System Specialist Installer (FESSI) contractor, the product guarantee is extended from five years to seven. Facility managers can also take advantage of Forbo’s extended guarantee offered on its interior flooring solutions when installed in conjunction with its Nuway entrance flooring systems.
www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/Nuwayconnectplus twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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