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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Best Floor For A Daycare
dreamer 07:23 PM 06-29-2017
What kind of flooring do you think is best to have in rooms used for daycare, and why?
Josiegirl 02:31 AM 06-30-2017
I'll be anxiously waiting for replies to this question. I have a lino kitchen floor, hate it. I have laminate in another room, with toddlers/crawlers it's hard to fall on. Rugs gross me out now. 
Sorry, no help here.
Sorry, no help here.
DaveA 04:19 AM 06-30-2017
I have carpeting in the classroom, bamboo in the dining room. Aside from having to run a carpet shampooer on a regular basis I like it.
Mike 05:33 AM 06-30-2017
I think any kind of easy to clean floor, like laminate, tile, hardwood, etc, with large throw rugs, would be best. The softness of carpet is nice, especially for kids to learn on, but installed carpet is a problem long term. After tearing up carpets in many homes, even ones that still looked nice from the top, I just will not ever install carpets in my house. There's no such thing as a vacuum cleaner that can clean carpets right through.
midaycare 06:40 AM 06-30-2017
I have carpet in one room and it works pretty well. No food allowed in there. Wood upstairs where we eat. I have a second room downstairs that has a hard, cement floor. I had rugs on it, but I recently covered it with mats and I 
it. The mats look like wood. One parent said it looks like bamboo. It feels so much softer than the shag rugs I had. And those were thick!
it. The mats look like wood. One parent said it looks like bamboo. It feels so much softer than the shag rugs I had. And those were thick!
midaycare 06:44 AM 06-30-2017
I took a picture of the mats. My husband is installing the mats this weekend so they align perfectly. I took out one connector so you can see how they connect. It's so soft on my feet! 200 sq ft for $179 from Amazon.
Attached:
20170630_094151.jpg (55.5 KB)
daycare 08:14 AM 06-30-2017
I just went from carpet to hardwood floors and you could not pay me to ever put carpet back in the house. it's so much more clean.
Cat Herder 08:41 AM 06-30-2017
I went with hardwoods in all living areas and commercial grade padded sheet vinyl flooring in the playroom similar to the autumn slate, here: http://www.armstrong.com/flooring/vi...shion-step.asp. No carpet.
I will be replacing it soon (15 years
) and am considering the Stone Parquet - Sierra Green, above, because it may be fun for playing homemade board games or huge tic-tac-toe.
I do have themed play/circle time rugs I pressure wash often.
I will be replacing it soon (15 years
) and am considering the Stone Parquet - Sierra Green, above, because it may be fun for playing homemade board games or huge tic-tac-toe. I do have themed play/circle time rugs I pressure wash often.
Ariana 09:15 AM 06-30-2017
I think carpet is the best and darker coloured carpet even better, like a light brown. I had a play room with ceramic tile and you had to cover it with rugs because it is so hard and COLD! I found rugs to be tripping hazards and harder to clean. I also find tile and wood to be hard on my feet and legs and we are on our feet all day.
In my current playroom I have carpet which is great. So easy to vaccuum up bits and pieces and dust remains on the carpet not piled in the corners like on my wood floor. I bought a small Bissell green machine because the carpet is beige and so far it has been perfect for my daycare. It is softer for falls and softer for my feet/legs as well. The only issue I have is that I can't use home made playdough. It is just way too hard to get it out so I just use commercial play d'oh. Keep in mind I don't have a ton of kids!
In my current playroom I have carpet which is great. So easy to vaccuum up bits and pieces and dust remains on the carpet not piled in the corners like on my wood floor. I bought a small Bissell green machine because the carpet is beige and so far it has been perfect for my daycare. It is softer for falls and softer for my feet/legs as well. The only issue I have is that I can't use home made playdough. It is just way too hard to get it out so I just use commercial play d'oh. Keep in mind I don't have a ton of kids!
daycarediva 09:22 AM 06-30-2017
I agree with Mike on carpet. No way, never again. The last two houses it has been the first thing we ripped out.
I had laminate, it was ok, but I was always worried about spills/warping.
I put in ceramic tile in 1/2 of my dc space and real wood flooring in the other 1/2. WAY better.
I had laminate, it was ok, but I was always worried about spills/warping.
I put in ceramic tile in 1/2 of my dc space and real wood flooring in the other 1/2. WAY better.
BrynleeJean 09:33 AM 06-30-2017
ideally id use my linoleum for kitchen/eating area because i don't let the children play in here so there arent any falls really and id prefer it not to be something pretty like tile in case there is a fall, tile is much harder. and no hard wood or laminate because of the chance of water damage from spills.
Id use the laminate for play rooms and class rooms with area rugs for sectioning the room into play areas and for comfortable play (and also idk if this is just me but the room feels colder and louder if there is only a hard surface flooring) and for babies id use those like 4X4 water proof real squishy mats.
if i was feeding in my classroom that had carpet, and I've thought about it, id roll out a sheet of linoleum where the table goes because I've tried those interlocking mats and at least for me they moved so much everyday on the carpet and stuff got under them all the time
Id use the laminate for play rooms and class rooms with area rugs for sectioning the room into play areas and for comfortable play (and also idk if this is just me but the room feels colder and louder if there is only a hard surface flooring) and for babies id use those like 4X4 water proof real squishy mats.
if i was feeding in my classroom that had carpet, and I've thought about it, id roll out a sheet of linoleum where the table goes because I've tried those interlocking mats and at least for me they moved so much everyday on the carpet and stuff got under them all the time
Pestle 10:58 AM 06-30-2017
Hardwood, no question. It's easy to clean, doesn't trap dust or liquids, and is warmer and softer than other hard surfaces.
I have commercial carpet tiles in my playroom, because underneath it's broken VCT. I would say this option is the second best. It's relatively inexpensive, since you can usually find commercial carpet tile at a discount in small volumes. Get the kind that aren't tip-sheared--it should be most or all uncut loops. They look great, wear great, hold up to harsh cleaning because they were designed for use in offices with much higher traffic than your home will ever see, and are designed to more rigorous indoor health standards than residential broadloom carpet. And you can install it yourself, with no help at all!
You don't need any special tools to install. You don't put a pad underneath it. You just measure your room and draw it out, then figure out where to start your first tile so that you won't have a lot of tiny little slivers of tile at the edges and corners. (Sometimes that means you start with a half tile instead of a whole tile.) You can cut it with a sharp, new craft knife, but be careful. Score it from the back of the tile and use several cuts to get down through the fibers. You also need to know how your tile pattern will be best installed--most tiles look best quarter-turn or ashlar. So you have to remember which way your tiles are going to be oriented before you cut them to fit all the nooks and crannies in your room. Also buy an extra couple of boxes of the tiles so you can replace any that get damaged/stained over the next several years. So much easier to maintain a clean, new look than any other product!
You can use double-sided carpet tape, available at home improvement stores. I didn't even tape my tiles down and they're doing just fine after a year.
I was a design professional before I went into day care and I would never use broadloom carpet or ceramic tile where children are crawling around/learning to walk.
VCT is a good long-term option. It's cheap, but installation can be expensive because it must be installed by people who know what they're doing and it may need yearly maintenance. You also need to know what the wear layer (surface) of the tile needs as far as maintenance goes--janitors in schools often damage the tiles by using the wrong cleaning method, like stripping and waxing a product that shouldn't be stripped and waxed.
Linoleum tiles are environmentally-friendly and better for your indoor air quality than VCT.
Laminate is inexpensive but, again, needs to be installed by people who know what they're doing. It has a super-tough wear layer but it can't be refinished/repaired if chipped.
Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is a misnomer--it's often very cheap. It can look great or look tacky depending on the manufacturer's print quality for the image that's embedded below the wear layer. It's softer than laminate.
I have commercial carpet tiles in my playroom, because underneath it's broken VCT. I would say this option is the second best. It's relatively inexpensive, since you can usually find commercial carpet tile at a discount in small volumes. Get the kind that aren't tip-sheared--it should be most or all uncut loops. They look great, wear great, hold up to harsh cleaning because they were designed for use in offices with much higher traffic than your home will ever see, and are designed to more rigorous indoor health standards than residential broadloom carpet. And you can install it yourself, with no help at all!
You don't need any special tools to install. You don't put a pad underneath it. You just measure your room and draw it out, then figure out where to start your first tile so that you won't have a lot of tiny little slivers of tile at the edges and corners. (Sometimes that means you start with a half tile instead of a whole tile.) You can cut it with a sharp, new craft knife, but be careful. Score it from the back of the tile and use several cuts to get down through the fibers. You also need to know how your tile pattern will be best installed--most tiles look best quarter-turn or ashlar. So you have to remember which way your tiles are going to be oriented before you cut them to fit all the nooks and crannies in your room. Also buy an extra couple of boxes of the tiles so you can replace any that get damaged/stained over the next several years. So much easier to maintain a clean, new look than any other product!
You can use double-sided carpet tape, available at home improvement stores. I didn't even tape my tiles down and they're doing just fine after a year.
I was a design professional before I went into day care and I would never use broadloom carpet or ceramic tile where children are crawling around/learning to walk.
VCT is a good long-term option. It's cheap, but installation can be expensive because it must be installed by people who know what they're doing and it may need yearly maintenance. You also need to know what the wear layer (surface) of the tile needs as far as maintenance goes--janitors in schools often damage the tiles by using the wrong cleaning method, like stripping and waxing a product that shouldn't be stripped and waxed.
Linoleum tiles are environmentally-friendly and better for your indoor air quality than VCT.
Laminate is inexpensive but, again, needs to be installed by people who know what they're doing. It has a super-tough wear layer but it can't be refinished/repaired if chipped.
Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is a misnomer--it's often very cheap. It can look great or look tacky depending on the manufacturer's print quality for the image that's embedded below the wear layer. It's softer than laminate.
daycarediva 11:06 AM 06-30-2017
Originally Posted by Pestle:
Hardwood, no question. It's easy to clean, doesn't trap dust or liquids, and is warmer and softer than other hard surfaces.
I have commercial carpet tiles in my playroom, because underneath it's broken VCT. I would say this option is the second best. It's relatively inexpensive, since you can usually find commercial carpet tile at a discount in small volumes. Get the kind that aren't tip-sheared--it should be most or all uncut loops. They look great, wear great, hold up to rigorous cleaning, and are designed to more rigorous indoor health standards than residential broadloom carpet. And you can install it yourself, with no help at all!
You don't need any special tools to install. You don't put a pad underneath it. You just measure your room and draw it out, then figure out where to start your first tile so that you won't have a lot of tiny little slivers of tile at the edges and corners. (Sometimes that means you start with a half tile instead of a whole tile.) You can cut it with a sharp, new craft knife, but be careful. Score it from the back of the tile and use several cuts to get down through the fibers. You also need to know how your tile pattern will be best installed--most tiles look best quarter-turn or ashlar. So you have to remember which way your tiles are going to be oriented before you cut them to fit all the nooks and crannies in your room. Also buy an extra couple of boxes of the tiles so you can replace any that get damaged/stained over the next several years. So much easier to maintain a clean, new look than any other product!
You can use double-sided carpet tape, available at home improvement stores. I didn't even tape my tiles down and they're doing just fine after a year.
I was a design professional before I went into day care and I would never use broadloom carpet or ceramic tile where children are crawling around/learning to walk.
VCT is a good long-term option. It's cheap, but installation can be expensive because it must be installed by people who know what they're doing and it may need yearly maintenance. You also need to know what the wear layer (surface) of the tile needs as far as maintenance goes--janitors in schools often damage the tiles by using the wrong cleaning method, like stripping and waxing a product that shouldn't be stripped and waxed.
Linoleum tiles are environmentally-friendly and better for your indoor air quality than VCT.
Laminate is inexpensive but, again, needs to be installed by people who know what they're doing. It has a super-tough wear layer but it can't be refinished/repaired if chipped.
Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is a misnomer--it's often very cheap. It can look great or look tacky depending on the manufacturer's print quality for the image that's embedded below the wear layer. It's softer than laminate.
I am redesigning my center (well, not MINE, I'm the new director) and putting neutral VCT in the classrooms. The hallways and common ways are commercial carpet right now (it's brand new, but this GARISH red) Hardwood, no question. It's easy to clean, doesn't trap dust or liquids, and is warmer and softer than other hard surfaces.
I have commercial carpet tiles in my playroom, because underneath it's broken VCT. I would say this option is the second best. It's relatively inexpensive, since you can usually find commercial carpet tile at a discount in small volumes. Get the kind that aren't tip-sheared--it should be most or all uncut loops. They look great, wear great, hold up to rigorous cleaning, and are designed to more rigorous indoor health standards than residential broadloom carpet. And you can install it yourself, with no help at all!
You don't need any special tools to install. You don't put a pad underneath it. You just measure your room and draw it out, then figure out where to start your first tile so that you won't have a lot of tiny little slivers of tile at the edges and corners. (Sometimes that means you start with a half tile instead of a whole tile.) You can cut it with a sharp, new craft knife, but be careful. Score it from the back of the tile and use several cuts to get down through the fibers. You also need to know how your tile pattern will be best installed--most tiles look best quarter-turn or ashlar. So you have to remember which way your tiles are going to be oriented before you cut them to fit all the nooks and crannies in your room. Also buy an extra couple of boxes of the tiles so you can replace any that get damaged/stained over the next several years. So much easier to maintain a clean, new look than any other product!
You can use double-sided carpet tape, available at home improvement stores. I didn't even tape my tiles down and they're doing just fine after a year.
I was a design professional before I went into day care and I would never use broadloom carpet or ceramic tile where children are crawling around/learning to walk.
VCT is a good long-term option. It's cheap, but installation can be expensive because it must be installed by people who know what they're doing and it may need yearly maintenance. You also need to know what the wear layer (surface) of the tile needs as far as maintenance goes--janitors in schools often damage the tiles by using the wrong cleaning method, like stripping and waxing a product that shouldn't be stripped and waxed.
Linoleum tiles are environmentally-friendly and better for your indoor air quality than VCT.
Laminate is inexpensive but, again, needs to be installed by people who know what they're doing. It has a super-tough wear layer but it can't be refinished/repaired if chipped.
Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is a misnomer--it's often very cheap. It can look great or look tacky depending on the manufacturer's print quality for the image that's embedded below the wear layer. It's softer than laminate.
dreamer 05:03 PM 06-30-2017
Anyone have vinyl? How is it?
LK5kids 02:33 AM 07-01-2017
I have laminate in the smaller room where we eat, paint, have the sensory table, etc. and carpet in the big room. While I love the look of hardwood I'm one of the few that still likes carpet.
I have hardwood in other parts of my house and I think carpet is easier to deal with.
I know someone whose two year old slipped on tile and cracked his skull. So I'd stay away from tile myself.
I have hardwood in other parts of my house and I think carpet is easier to deal with.
I know someone whose two year old slipped on tile and cracked his skull. So I'd stay away from tile myself.