Ironically, the most functional flooring is the kind that you think about the least. In the case of a commercial setting, the function is everything. This is especially true for commercial kitchen flooring.

Commercial kitchens go through a ton of wear and tear during their daily operation. Heat, spilled food, harsh chemicals, constant foot traffic, and torrents of water are some things your restaurant kitchen deals with consistently. So as the owner of a commercial kitchen, it’s essential that you pick the flooring best suited to these circumstances.

In this guide, our team at Smart Coatings of Mattoon, IL, goes over some of the best options for commercial flooring materials to help you find the one that best suits your business.

What To Look for in Commercial Kitchen Flooring in Southern Illinois

Before deciding on one type of commercial kitchen floor over another, you’ll need to determine your needs. Due to the harsh environment of a commercial kitchen, flooring is an especially critical decision.

A few factors to consider when deciding what commercial kitchen floors are best for you include:

• Comfort – In a commercial kitchen, employees stand for hours on end while preparing food. A comfortable floor keeps up morale among the staff.
• Ease of cleaning – Keeping a kitchen floor clean is imperative. Flooring that cleans easily is helpful to avoid spending more time than needed cleaning.
• Slip-resistance – Kitchens are very busy and very wet. You’ll want a floor that limits slipping incidents.
• Visual aesthetics – Some floors look better than others, and a beautiful floor is always a boon, especially if your kitchen is visible to customers.
• Price – When it comes to any business expenditure, the cost is always a significant factor.

The Best Commercial Kitchen Flooring Options

Vinyl

Vinyl is an affordable and well-rounded flooring option for any space. The installation process is relatively easy, and it works for a variety of subfloors. Commercial vinyl is more durable against scratches and dents when compared to residential vinyl, but it’s still one of the less-resilient flooring options. As a softer form of flooring, vinyl is very comfortable to stand on for long periods of time. While vinyl isn’t the most elegant flooring, it has many benefits.

Concrete

Concrete is one of the most common, reliable, and affordable flooring options. This durable flooring can sustain a lot of damage without any severe downsides. While decent enough on its own, concrete shines due to the multitude of ways you can finish it. With the right texture and polyurea coating, concrete can have waterproofing, non-slip, and stain-resistant properties. A finish can also make concrete look perfect for nearly any interior design style. One of the downsides of concrete is that it’s uncomfortable to stand on for long periods.

Tile

Tile flooring is a staple in many kitchens, and for good reasons. Glazed tile is durable, stain-resistant, slip-resistant, and often relatively inexpensive. Many kitchens utilize unglazed quarry tiles for their non-slip properties. However, unglazed tiles are porous, so they aren’t the most water-resistant. Glazed tiles are more resistant, come in more colors, and can have the qualities you’d want in the kitchen flooring.

Stone

One of the most unusual options for kitchen floors, the stone is an attractive, albeit very pricy, flooring material. Stone is one of the most aesthetically pleasing choices for any floor and would be a good option for a customer-facing kitchen. However, due to the uneven nature of the stone, upkeep in a kitchen is difficult and expensive, requiring regular use of sealant. A non-glossy stone would be the best choice to guarantee more slip resistance in the kitchen.

Epoxy

Epoxy offers a highly-customizable commercial kitchen flooring option that just about does it all. Initially a liquid, epoxy is personalizable before laying it out. So, you can change the color and add any texture you want. Because epoxy starts as a liquid, it’s free of seams and completely waterproof, so it’s perfect for a busy kitchen. You can even use epoxy over old floors without tearing out the previous flooring first.

Expert Floor Coatings for a Longer-Lasting Commercial Kitchen in Illinois, Indiana, & Missouri

You have many options for quality commercial kitchen flooring, but giving it a proper coating will make it even better. As the experts in polyurea and epoxy coating for commercial kitchen flooring in Southern Illinois, our team at Smart Coatings knows how to treat your floor right.

Call us at 217-343-5965 for a free quote to make the most out of your commercial kitchen flooring.