PROJECT
interiors
Resilient Flooring Wins Design Challenge Senior living community solves acoustic concerns with flooring choice.
Ecore’s Forest Rx surface in European Oak is in the hallways of four resident wings at Silver Bluff Village senior community. The flooring uses a composition rubber fusion-bonded to the back of a heterogeneous vinyl layer, providing sound control and comfort underfoot.
N
estled in the mountains on the banks of the
and refuse barrels up and down the halls continuously 24
vinyl layer. This combination creates a surface that may
Pigeon River in western North Carolina,
hours a day, and that can create a lot of noise,” said Leath-
possibly reduce the risk of injury associated with falls
Canton-based Silver Bluff Village is a fami-
erwood.
while offering sound control and comfort underfoot.
ly-owned-and-operated senior living community offering
In response to the feedback, she decided to forgo in-
“We installed the flooring in one wing at a time, start-
short-term rehabilitation, long-term care, independent liv-
stalling a hard surface and instead opted for a high-end
ing with our most alert residents, so we could determine
ing, and social activities for residents
carpeting product that was 40% more expensive than reg-
right away if noise would be an issue and if we received
ular carpeting.
any resident complaints,” said Leatherwood.
Lisa Leatherwood, MSN, RN, and the facility administrator, sought to refresh the design of the corridors and
“We were told the higher-end carpet would clean up
It didn’t take long for Silver Bluff residents and staff to
nurses’ station in the main skilled-nursing building, a
fine, that we wouldn’t have any issues, and that it would
realize the positive results of the flooring installation. “No
long-term care facility serving more than 120 patients.
last for a long time,” said Leatherwood. “That turned out
one noticed a difference in noise between the carpet and
Her design challenges: replace the carpet without creating
to be completely wrong.”
the Ecore flooring, and we didn’t receive a single com-
a louder environment and specify a surface that was easier for the staff to clean and maintain. “Our main building was built in 1984, and it originally featured luxury vinyl tiles throughout,” said Leather-
As a result, she began searching for an alternative to
plaint,” reported Leatherwood. Staff also noted that it was
carpet and learned about Ecore (Ecore International, Lan-
easier to roll carts and move residents around, as well as
caster, PA, ecoreintl.com) flooring after attending a skilled
clean the surface.
nursing convention.
“A damp mop and you’re done cleaning the floor,”
wood, a third-generation family owner of Silver Bluff.
“I was immediately interested in Ecore’s rubber-backed
“Nurses, staff, patients, and families all use the halls, and
resilient flooring products, specifically the Rx line,” she
noise was a major issue.”
said. “We also researched a less costly LVT brand engi-
In the first renovation, Leatherwood chose to replace
neered for sound control from a different manufacturer.
the tiles with carpeting. “It didn’t take long for the carpet-
However, when we followed up with that company, they
ing to get dirty,” she explained. “It ended up looking terri-
couldn’t provide us with any resources or a customer refer-
ble and was difficult to clean.”
ral to discuss noise levels. At that point, I just wasn’t con-
For the next major remodeling, in 2009, Leatherwood considered re-installing a hard flooring surface in the
vinced that LVT would be as effective as Ecore’s Rx line in sound absorption.”
said Leatherwood. “It’s really easy to clean and it looks great.” CA
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halls, but was met with opposition. “Everyone said if I had
Leatherwood made the decision to install Ecore’s For-
never had carpet before, installing a hard surface would be
est Rx surface in European Oak in the hallways of all four
fine; but, now that I had it, I would probably receive mu-
resident wings, a busines-office area, and in a short wing
Watch a product video.
tiny from the residents because the increase in noise
that leads to the assisted-living building attached to the
Download a flooring information sheet.
would be terrible,” Leatherwood detailed.
long-term care building.
Acoustics is a major issue in senior living communi-
Forest Rx features 5 mm of the company’s composi-
ties. “We have staff rolling patients, linen carts, food carts,
tion rubber fusion-bonded to the back of a heterogeneous
Get information on Ecore Forest Rx.
Find out more about Silver Bluff Village.
commercialarchitecturemagazine.com
JULY 2018
COMMERCI A L A RCHI T EC T URE
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