Raised access flooring, choosing the right panel - you have options!

Hello everyone, thanks for clicking on todays blog post! When it comes to raised access flooring there a ton of different of different options out there, concrete, metal, wood, calcium sulphate, porcelain, exposed pre-finished panels and so much more - how do you know which is right for your project? There are a ton of raised access flooring manufacturers around the world today, many of which produce very similar products - so how do you what type of floor and from which manufacturer?

There are several questions I would ask first, we need to find out what your space is being used for….is the floor being used to distribute air? What type of floor finishes are you hoping to have, do you have an open office, what type of equipment do you have, etc (so many questions…)

We have been involved in many raised access flooring projects over the years and have spoken to so many people about their floors that I want to share the most talked about issue with raised floors …….Walkability, sounds, creeks, squeaks are the NUMBER 1 problem for most raised access flooring installations. This is not necessarily due to the installation, it could simply be the wrong panel for the application, it could also be the wrong combination of panels and finishes, either way when you spend money on a raised floor system you expect performance - this is where choosing the right panel for the job comes into play.

Lets say you have an office space and you are hoping to employ a raised floor (thank you) and you are choosing to use UFAD (under floor air distribution) - where do you start? Typically you would call your trusted raised access flooring expert (Cook’s Construction!) and start to get an idea of budgeting and various options etc….With us, we would start by getting to know you and your project, as mentioned above we would want to know exactly what you are using your space for. So we know its an office space utilizing UFAD, so we know that we will have people walking, working, talking and moving around the space. This means that walkability and air leakage will be your 2 biggest concerns. One way to ensure walkability, comfort, air leakage is to think about using a field applied carpet tile, this not only gives you some cushion whilst walking but also helps mask the sound and actually adds a layer of air leakage protection if installed correctly.

FACT: When choosing the actual raised flooring panels for this application it would be advantageous to ask to see a mockup or to see an actual installation to get an idea of how the floor walks. This gives you a chance to walk around and truly listen to the floor after its been installed for several years.

There are panel options that don’t require floor finishes, exposed concrete has really made a surging trend as of the last few years and there has been a lot of installations of exposed raised access flooring concrete panels. This is really neat because you have now eliminated a line item out of your project budget - floor finishes. Your raised access flooring panel is your finish! Function and finish all-in-one! If you are looking at exposed finishes, be sure to ask for air leakage reports and testing, exposed concrete panels should come with an available air gasket seal around the perimeter of each panel to ensure air tightness and mitigates any excess leakage in the floor system. Air leakage in raised floor systems is a very important factor, one which we will cover in another blog post!

Back to the office space with carpet, this is pretty standard in the interior of the office, however, when you have front entrance, elevator lobbies, etc. it is always nice to have some higher end finishes perhaps. This is the beauty of raised flooring, you can make the adjustments in height UNDER the floor finishes, eliminating any transitions or small ramps etc. The raised flooring is completely adjustable, meaning you can have say a 5mm thick carpet tile, transition seamlessly up to a 1” thick stone tile, all of the adjustment is done under floor (I will provide a snapshot and pic below…) This means that you can pick and choose finishes at your leisure without affecting the space - another PLUS for raised flooring.

There are some panels on the market today that we would put forward only on certain applications for example, DATA centers, call centers alike, these would be panels that are more accepting of high pressure laminate finishes and vinyl for anti-static properties. In Data centers there are often specification guidelines setout that dictate the level of resistance required, therefore a flat, lightweight panel that has less of a concern on the walkability and more on efficiency and functionality would be the best bet.

Here at Cook’s Construction we truly pride ourselves on offering the client the right panel for the right application - we believe that the client deserves the best advice and best product that is specific to their project. Too many times we have gone into a space that has an existing raised floor and the client is unhappy with the performance because it was meant for an entirely different application. An application where that customer would have been thrilled by the product, but they were ill-advised or ill-informed and in turn procured the wrong system for the job. Put it this way, you likely wouldn’t purchase a 4x4 HD off-road pickup truck for fuel economy and commuting to the offices, you would likely choose a more economical vehicle….you would be pretty upset if you went to your trusted dealer and were sold a Honda Civic for the upcoming mud-bogging, dirt off-road race - nothing wrong with a 4x4 pickup and nothing wrong with Honda Civics, however they are designed and intended for different applications.

With access flooring they are all essentially VERY similar, they all serve the same purpose - however, it is very important to pick the right product for the project - please give us a call today and we would be more than happy to work through your project with you, discuss the types of panels in details, discuss your finish options and ensure you have the absolute best product for your project.

Thank you and until the next time, take care.

Russell J. Cook, NCSO, GSC, Dip.ME

Please note these images were taken from google, simply for educational reasons, I do not claim to own any of the images above.