Flooring for public service offices: zones, acoustic privacy and wheeled chairs

Solutions & Applications · Offices & Services

Banks, insurance firms, notary offices, accountancy firms, doctors’ surgeries, travel agencies: a space that welcomes the public is judged within the first ten seconds — and on whether the conversation at the counter can be heard whilst waiting. The flooring here serves three purposes simultaneously: aesthetics, acoustics and chairs on castors that move around the same spot all day long.

One space, four zones

Zone	Dominant stress	What is required of the flooring
Login & wait	Rain and sand from shoes, constant footfall	Slip resistance R10, abrasion resistance, brand logo
Counters & service points	Conversations containing personal data	Low footfall noise within the space, combined with an acoustic ceiling
Back office & job vacancies	Castered chairs for eight hours a day	No damage from wheeled traffic, low footprint
Meeting rooms & executive offices	Confidentiality, image	A warm look — timber or LVT — and sound insulation towards adjoining rooms

Zoning using materials and colour is not merely decorative: it guides visitors from the entrance to the waiting area and to the correct counter without the need for signs, whilst keeping the staff area separate.

Acoustics: in a service environment, it is not a matter of comfort, but of confidentiality

Discussions about a loan, insurance or a medical diagnosis should not involve waiting. The acoustics of a customer service office can be addressed in three ways — and none of these can replace the others:

Where	What it solves	Material
Roof	Reverberation — the sound does not ‘travel’ through the space	AMF THERMATEX Alpha Colour (αw 1.00) · CLEANEO AKUSTIK
Ceiling above meeting rooms	Transmission from room to room via a plenum	ADAGIO Acoustic+ — D-valuen,f,w 39 dB
Flooring	Noise from footsteps and chairs within the space	Class A flooring: iD SQUARE LOOSE-LAY, TAPIFLEX EXCELLENCE 19dB
Partitions	The voice through the wall	Knauf SILENTBOARD DFR — low-frequency performance

The impact sound class according to NF S31-074 (Class A ≤ 65 dB) describes how loud footsteps sound within the same space — what causes a nuisance in a waiting room or an open-plan back office. This is a different measure from the reduction in impact noise transmitted to the floor below.

The dark ‘industrial’ roof

Almost every contemporary office concept calls for a dark ceiling. The standard implementation — an open plenum, a black-painted slab, exposed ductwork — absorbs almost nothing: the space looks right but sounds dreadful. The AMF THERMATEX Alpha Colour Black provides the dark ceiling with a_w 1.00 — Class A, A2-s1,d0 — and is available in a range of colours, so that acoustic performance does not limit the colour palette.

Chairs with castors

In a workplace, a chair is moved hundreds of times a day within the same half-square metre area. The castor chair test (EN ISO 4918) and the resulting indentation show whether the floor will withstand it:

Flooring	Wheelchair	Permanent record
ACCZENT EXCELLENCE COMPACT+	—	0.03 mm
iD CLASSICS Glue-Down 70	In perfect condition	≤ 0.05 mm
TAPIFLEX EXCELLENCE 19dB	In perfect condition	~0.10 mm
iD CLASSICS / iD NATURALS CLICK ULTIMATE	In perfect condition	—
Linoleum xf² (VENETO, ETRUSCO)	Suitable with W-type castors	—

On a wooden floor, a protective mat should be placed under the chair at the workstation — otherwise, wear caused by the castors will become apparent first, long before the rest of the floor shows any signs of wear.

The cost isn’t in the flooring — it’s in the next refurbishment

A bank branch or a customer service office changes its look with every rebranding — often long before the wear layer is worn out. And every day the office is closed is a day without service. The installation method determines the cost of the next change:

Method	Downtime	Next refurbishment
Full permanent bonding	Larger — requires time to cure	Scraping of the substrate, possible re-levelling
Pressure-sensitive adhesive (UZIN 398-D)	Quick-drying, instant ‘grip’	The material is removed; the substrate remains usable
Click (iD CLASSICS / iD NATURALS CLICK ULTIMATE)	Minimal — and over existing tiles	Dismantling without leaving any residue
Loose-lay (iD SQUARE, LINO LOOSE-LAY)	Minimum — one weekend	Removal without leaving any adhesive residue
Permanent wood bonding (SEGNO WOOD)	Larger	Not to be replaced — sanded down and renewed on site

There is also the reverse strategy, which is equally valid. The SEGNO WOOD It is pre-finished herringbone oak parquet, with a 3.5 mm solid wood layer, which is permanently fixed with adhesive — but worn. It is not replaced during the next refurbishment; it is renewed on the spot. For offices with a stable, long-term identity — notary offices, solicitors’ practices, administrative offices — a floor that survives three refurbishments costs less than three floors that are removed.

Collections by brand image

Collection	Type & method	Where it fits
iD SQUARE LOOSE-LAY	LVT loose-lay · 17 dB · Class A · 37 designs: fabric, concrete, terrazzo, stone, oak	Open-plan reception and back-office area; combined with carpet tiles at the same level
iD CLASSICS Glue-Down 55 / 70	Adhesive-backed LVT · 30 designs · R10	Entrances and ticket offices with heavy footfall
iD NATURALS CLICK ULTIMATE 55	Rigid click · 19 dB · marble, terrazzo, wide planks	Reception area and meeting rooms with a stone finish
RIGID HERRINGBONE	SPC click herringbone · 18 dB · R10	Entrance threshold with a herringbone wood-effect finish, water-resistant
TAPIFLEX EXCELLENCE 19dB	Acoustic roll · Class A	Large back-office areas and departments situated above occupied spaces
VENETO xf² · ETRUSCO xf²	Linoleum · wax-free · naturally antibacterial	Surgeries and offices designed to meet environmental criteria
SEGNO WOOD	Herringbone oak parquet · glued	Executive offices, notary offices, high-value premises
PRESTIGE WOOD	1-strip oak and beech planks · 14 mm	Offices with a classic solid timber finish

The choice between linoleum, LVT and timber is rarely purely technical — it is a question of image. Linoleum, made from natural raw materials, supports brands that promote sustainability. LVT offers design freedom, speed and acoustic performance. Timber offers durability and prestige.

Perimeter: the skirting running along the wall

Office shells on the ground floor of buildings rarely have straight walls. The skirting Set-On for LVT It is solid PVC with a decorative film available in 200 designs and a PUR finish:

• Lighter and more flexible than MDF: they adapt to slightly uneven walls without leaving gaps.
• Waterproofing: can withstand immersion in water for 72 hours — important for entrances and cleaning with water.
• Colour coordination with the LVT ranges, for all installation methods.

Design series

1. Zones: entrance, waiting area, reception desk, back office, meeting rooms — with their boundaries shown on the plan.
2. Confidentiality: where discussions involving personal data take place — specifies ceilings, floors and partitions.
3. Job vacancies: wheeled chairs and type of castors — flooring free from damage or a protective mat.
4. Image lifecycle: How many years until the next rebranding — determines the installation method.
5. Project window: Weekends, night shifts or complete closure.
6. Substrate: levelness and moisture content; levelling where required.
7. Finishes: Skirting and transition profiles in the concept colour.

Flooring for Customer Service Centres

Linoleum & Timber

Substrates, Bonding & Finishes

Acoustic Ceilings & Partitions

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