When building or renovating a new lab or area with access floors, a lot of careful planning happens before any construction begins. In a recent interview with Lab Design News, our CEO, Tom Ricciardelli, answered some questions about what you should discuss and plan for before building a new lab.
Labs and areas with access floors have specialized requirements. Here’s what you should know about lab flooring before you start.
Consider your flooring from the start.
Although the first things that spring to mind are equipment and lighting, you shouldn’t let the flooring be an afterthought. Consider the functional needs of your space, such as spill containment, chemical resistance, or static control. In addition to the technical needs, you also need to consider ergonomics and aesthetics. Will lab workers be sitting or standing while they work? What do you want the working space to look like? With these questions and considerations in mind, you can limit your options to flooring that will meet your needs.
Know what you’re working with.
By that, we mean the condition of the existing subfloor, if there is one. Hard data on the condition of the subfloor gives you vital information to select the best flooring system. For concrete subfloors, it is especially important to have moisture tests done. The moisture content of the concrete lets you know if you have to worry about potentially trapping water under your new flooring, leading to mold or mildew growth.
Plan for the future.
In recent years, reconfigurable spaces have become an important part of lab design. You may build a lab for one purpose, but a few years later, a new project requires a different setup. SelecTech products use a hidden interlocking system that allows them to be picked up and moved to reconfigure the space or access the subfloor or utilities underneath.
Lab and Access Floors | FreeStyle Flooring by SelecTech
Our products at SelecTech meet the technical requirements of labs for several uses and industries. For antistatic, chemical-resistant, and liquid-tight access floors, FreeStyle products from SelecTech are the industry standard. With our flooring products, you can build a lab that meets your immediate needs and can work for you in the future.
