Hanover Housing Association working in partnership with Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council, the Housing Corporation and the DoH have just completed work on the Sunnyfield Lodge development of 40 one and two bedroom apartments with floor coverings from Tarkett Marley Floors specified throughout. Designed in response to the changing needs of older people the development offers well-designed, low maintenance living space and a wide range of purpose built facilities, including a residents' lounge, restaurant, hairdressing salon, therapy room, guest room, assisted bathroom, laundry and on-site shop.

Understanding the needs of older people and recognizing that property maintenance can be hard work and a physical burden it was important that all aspects of the building design, its fixtures and fittings looked good, were durable and low maintenance. With high volume traffic of residents and visitors this was particularly important for the choice of flooring. In the large residents’ lounge and entrance hall and hair salon ID Moduline was used. The flooring has a 0.8mm pure PVC transparent wear layer, which makes it exceptionally hardwearing and indentation resistant. Its PUR reinforcement means that it is resistant to scuff marks and offers easy low cost maintenance as no wax or polish are required throughout the flooring’s service life so staff time and costs on maintenance routines can be kept to a minimum. In addition its designer collection of colours and images offers scope for creativity and design originality and in the dining area of the residents’ lounge a realistic wood effect was created.

Granit Multisafe studded safety floor was specified for use in the bathrooms. Available in a choice of 12 colours, it has been specially designed to offer optimum safety underfoot in wet areas, with a construction that provides a good grip for feet even when the floor is slippery with soap and water. The dense, impermeable surface and the well-rounded studs mean that it is hygienic and easy to clean.

Commenting on the project, Janice Hogarth from Hanover Housing who specified the flooring said, “Tarkett Marley Floors were chosen because their flooring ranges offered the high performance standards that we required, they also look great – really modern - and they offer value for money. It was particularly important for this project that the interior design gave a ‘hotel’ rather than institution feel and Tarkett Marley Floors really helped us to achieve this. We are delighted and so are our residents.”

The kitchens in each of the apartments were fitted with Tapiflex, which offers the latest in technical advances in modern flooring. The unique structure means that it has excellent durability and resistance to indentation whilst the high-density closed-cell foam backing provides superior impact sound reduction of 19dB together with comfort underfoot. Its PUR surface reinforcement makes it resistant to abrasion and easy to maintain as no wax or polish are required (reducing maintenance costs by 30%). Importantly the built-in Sanitized® treatment protects the floor covering from premature ageing caused by micro organisms, and also provides hygiene benefits vital in sensitive areas such as hospitals, schools and kindergartens.

In the communal catering kitchen Safetred Spectrum was specified. This tough, durable, easy to maintain slip resistant flooring is designed for environments that are subject to heavy wear and require safety under foot such as healthcare and education establishments, canteens and laboratories. It offers a wide colour palette for greater design flexibility and importantly
incorporates biostat for lasting hygiene.

In the storage areas Tarkett’s classic Standard homogeneous vinyl floor covering was used, which is specifically designed for use in areas such as apartments, retirement homes , small stores and offices. Available in a discreet pattern in 16 colours Standard is tough wearing with a factory seal, which is polyurethane based to protect the surface and provides a good base for future maintenance

Email: uksales@tarkett.com