Trade & commercial

Choosing floors for offices and commercial interiors

Modern Wood Flooring team · Published September 20, 2026

Empty timber loft with brick walls and a polished wood floor lit from tall windows. — Open commercial interiors are judged by the floor first. Room scene for illustration; it does not show a specific product, client project or installation.

An office floor is judged twice: by the visitor who walks in, and by the facilities manager who lives with it. A good specification satisfies both.

Zone the plan

Entrances, corridors and kitchens take the heaviest traffic and moisture; private offices and meeting rooms take less. Products carry traffic and durability ratings from their manufacturers; use the heaviest rating where footfall concentrates.

Compare wear layers

For luxury vinyl, the wear layer (listed in mil on our product pages where supplied) is the number that predicts how long the surface resists scuffing under chairs and carts. Commercial specifications usually call for thicker layers than residential ones.

Plan for repair

Glue-down planks and tiles allow a damaged section to be lifted and replaced. Keep attic stock from the original batch so replacements match.

Keep it continuous

One floor through the whole space, with direction or pattern changes to mark zones, reads calmer than several materials and simplifies cleaning regimes.