Coffeehouse flooring recommendations?

[coffeedelights]

Hi All,

My wife and I are looking to setup a small retail shop/cafe, and are planning the buildout.
Our desire is to have a slightly upscale look with dark/warm colors, and originally liked the idea of going with a walnut or cherrywood laminate flooring.
After thinking it through a bit, I started wondering if a laminate floor could holdup to the spills and abuse of commercial traffic.
I don't want something that looks great on opening day, but is warped, buckled, or worn out 6 months later.

Do any shop owners here have any experience with a wood laminate flooring in their shop?
If so, how is it holding up over time?

Any other advice from experienced owners on flooring is appreciated.
Thanks everyone!

 

[Gmbaltrusitis]

Go with a porcelain grade ceramic tile, just my opinion. When laminate flooring gets wet it cups
and buckles. You are selling coffee.......see where this is going?

 

[rascott]

You can also get ceramic tile with the look of wood. They install it with small grout lines so it has the appearance of wood flooring without the maintenance problems in a wet environment

 

[coffeedelights]

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping that someone came on and said "We used laminate flooring in our coffeehouse, and it worked out great!", but it looks like the reality is that we should start looking at tiles.
Thanks for the sound advice.

 

[Bob_E]

I would look into wood grained linoleum or vinyl flooring. It's some pretty rugged stuff. However the sticky vinyl "tiles" are less rugged. I used some of those in an entry way once. The first winter melted snow found it's way in between the tiles causing them to start coming loose.

 

[tazzadiluna]

I'm not a shop owner, but just my opinion...

Yikes, no, don't do wood laminate nor hardwood flooring. I've been to shops and restaurants that have that and you know, customers don't care how they treat your floor... unsightly scratches/damages everywhere!

The most common I've seen are tiles; porcelain tiles are supposed to be more durable than ceramic. If you go with tiles just make sure you get extra in case you have to replace one that breaks.

I've even started seeing concrete, you know they seal it and clean up is easy. I've seen ones with different colors and texture to make them slip resistant, so I'm sure the options are there if you don't like the plain gray concrete.

Vinyl is cheaper and more comfy on the feet, but doesn't last as long.

I've heard of stone flooring and epoxy flooring options, but I don't know much about that.

 

[PinkRose]

I like the gray slate flooring, because all of the scuffs and marks from moving the chairs and tables come right out when you run a mop over it. Someone dragged a walker, that had a bad wheel, across the floor and scraped the floor pretty bad (the line went from one end of the cafe to the other). The maintenance guy took the wet mop and went over the line, and it was gone.

 

[Cafeciteaux]

Have you looked into staining the concrete slab? You can seal it and have them polished to a gloss. Any visible cracks and defects add character and you never have to worry about maintenance.

 

[LBBeans]

Have you looked into staining the concrete slab? You can seal it and have them polished to a gloss. Any visible cracks and defects add character and you never have to worry about maintenance.

A friend of mine own's a company that does this. The floors are very durable, low maintenance, easy to clean, look great but can be expensive depending on if you polish the floor or need to pour the slab. The polished concrete has the look of granite.

 

[PinkRose]

Whatever you decide to do, please be sure to get some thick, heavy, cushioned mats for your workers to stand on. Standing on the hard concrete floor for hours on end is tough on the body (feet, knees, back, etc).

 

[coffeedelights]

After scouring the internet and scouting around several other restaurants, we've decided on the 6"x24" tiles that look like wood. With small, dark grout lines they don't look that bad. You can still tell they're tile, and not wood, but it's more than an acceptable trade-off of function over form. Thanks for all the suggestions and advice!

 

[CoffeeLovers]

I have a friend who uses Anti Slip Vinyl Flooring to avoid accident if the floor got wet due to coffee spills. But if you choose to have wood laminate flooring, you better choose the one that can resist water so that it won’t damage easily.

I think customer doesn't care of the flooring as long as you serve them with the best cup of coffee. Be sure that you choose a tile for your floor that can be cleaned easily.

 

[PinkRose]

After scouring the internet and scouting around several other restaurants, we've decided on the 6"x24" tiles that look like wood. With small, dark grout lines they don't look that bad. You can still tell they're tile, and not wood, but it's more than an acceptable trade-off of function over form. Thanks for all the suggestions and advice!

Don't forget to get some thick, heavy, cushioned mats for you and your employees to stand on when you're behind the counter.

 

[Zimmy]

My experience has shown that if your floor is built out to withstand the weight, poured concrete is the way to go for the shop environment... You can stain it any color you'd like and after it's sealed cleanup is a dream... Bonus, it doesn't get super slippery when wet as many tile options can... Also, tiles can settle unevenly over time causing tables to be tippy...

Wood laminate flooring is generally made to float on the sub-floor and therefore has a hard time holding up to heavy use... Not to mention, it is not moisture friendly...

Good luck!

 

[ODanchez]

I'm sure prices vary by location, but anyone that did the polished/colored cement flooring willing to tell us how much you spent on doing that? Just wondering. It seems to be a popular option in our neck of the woods, I think I've even heard some stain the cement with coffee grounds and then polish it? Anyone else hear of this? I will keep researching. Love the Grey Slate Idea above too, very pretty, are you willing to say how much it cost you to do your shop? If that's too personal that's fine too. Just wondering and shopping around for options. Thanks!