Choosing flooring for a retail store is about much more than appearance. Your floor needs to cope with customers walking through the premises every day, stock movement, trolleys, cleaning, spills and the general wear that comes with a busy commercial environment.
At the same time, flooring plays an important part in how customers experience your store. A tired, damaged or difficult-to-clean floor can detract from an otherwise well-designed retail space, while the right flooring can complement your fit-out and provide a practical surface for years to come.
So, what is the best flooring for a retail store?
There isn't one answer for every business. The right choice depends on the type of store, expected traffic, the condition of the existing floor, the look you want, maintenance requirements, budget, and how much disruption your business can accommodate during installation.
Let's look at the main factors you should consider and some common retail flooring options.
What Should You Look for in Retail Flooring?
Before comparing flooring products, consider how the floor will actually be used.
Durability
Retail floors can experience thousands of footsteps every week. Supermarkets, shopping centres and large-format stores may also have shopping trolleys, stock carts, pallet jacks and other equipment moving across the floor.
The flooring therefore needs to suit the expected level and type of traffic.
Appearance
Your floor is one of the largest visible surfaces in your store.
A fashion retailer, car showroom and hardware store may all have very different design requirements. The flooring should complement the overall appearance of the premises without sacrificing practicality.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Retail floors need to be kept clean, often every day.
Consider not only how easy the floor is to clean but also what ongoing maintenance it will require. Some flooring systems may require periodic recoating, resealing or other maintenance throughout their life.
The initial installation price therefore isn't the only cost worth considering.
Slip Resistance
Slip resistance is particularly important around entrances and areas where water or spills may occur.
Consider the required finish as part of the flooring specification, not an afterthought.
Downtime
For an operating retail business, installation time can be a major consideration.
Closing a store for several days can cost considerably more than the flooring itself. Depending on the project, it may be possible to complete work in stages or schedule parts of the installation outside normal trading hours.
Talk to your flooring contractor about this before selecting a system.
What Are the Main Flooring Options for Retail Stores?
Many commercial flooring products are available. Four commonly considered options are polished concrete, grind-and-seal concrete, epoxy flooring, and commercial vinyl or tile.
Each has different characteristics.
Polished Concrete Flooring
Polished concrete is produced by mechanically grinding, honing and polishing the concrete itself to create the finished surface.
Rather than covering the slab with another flooring product, the existing concrete becomes the floor.
This can make polished concrete particularly attractive for contemporary retail stores, shopping centres, supermarkets, showrooms and large commercial spaces.
Advantages of Polished Concrete for Retail
Polished concrete can offer:
- High durability
- A clean, contemporary appearance
- Good resistance to heavy pedestrian traffic
- Relatively straightforward cleaning
- A range of aggregate exposure and finish options
- Long service life when appropriately specified and maintained
- No separate floor covering that needs to be replaced
It can also be particularly effective where an existing concrete slab is suitable for restoration.
Things to Consider
Not every existing slab will produce exactly the same appearance.
Cracks, previous floor coverings, adhesives, repairs and variations within the concrete can influence the finished result. That is why inspecting and testing an existing slab before choosing the final flooring system matters.
Grind and Seal Concrete Floors
Grind and seal flooring can look similar to polished concrete, but the process is different.
The concrete surface is mechanically ground to achieve the desired finish and is then protected with a topical sealer.
For many retail stores, a grind and seal system provides an attractive balance between appearance, practicality and budget.
Advantages of Grind and Seal
Depending on the chosen system, benefits can include:
- Attractive concrete appearance
- Suitable for many existing slabs
- Different sheen levels available
- Easier transformation of older concrete surfaces
- Durable commercial finish
- Often fewer mechanical polishing stages than polished concrete
Because a sealer forms part of the finished system, it also needs maintenance and eventual reapplication based on its condition and use.
Epoxy Flooring
Epoxy creates a coating over the concrete substrate rather than exposing the concrete itself.
It can be a useful option where a business wants a consistent surface, a particular colour or a flooring system designed around specific operational requirements.
Epoxy flooring is frequently used in commercial, industrial, back-of-house and service environments.
As with any coating, proper concrete floor preparation is critical. Assess and prepare the substrate correctly before applying the coating.
Commercial Vinyl and Tile
Vinyl and tile remain common choices for retail environments.
They provide a wide range of colours, patterns and design options and may be particularly appropriate where the store design calls for a specific appearance.
However, joins, grout, damaged individual sections and eventual replacement should be considered when comparing them with a concrete flooring system.
Polished Concrete vs Grind & Seal vs Epoxy for Retail
The right system depends on the premises and how the floor will be used.
| Consideration | Polished Concrete | Grind & Seal | Epoxy |
|---|---|---|---|
| High foot traffic | Very suitable | Very suitable | Very suitable |
| Uses existing concrete | Yes | Yes | Yes, as substrate |
| Concrete appearance | Yes | Yes | Usually covered |
| Topical coating | No traditional coating | Yes | Yes |
| Colour options | More dependent on concrete | Varies by system | Extensive |
| Periodic recoating | Generally not in the same way as coated systems | Required over time | Required over time |
| Existing floor suitability | Must be assessed | Often flexible | Must be assessed |
| Retail/showroom application | Strong | Strong | Strong |
These are general characteristics. The actual performance of any floor depends on the concrete substrate, preparation, selected products, installation and ongoing maintenance.
What Flooring Is Best for Different Types of Retail Stores?
Different retail environments place different demands on their floors.
Fashion and Specialty Retail
Appearance can be particularly important. Polished concrete or grind and seal can complement modern store designs while providing a practical commercial surface.
Supermarkets and High-Traffic Retail
Durability, cleaning, slip resistance and the ability to cope with continuous pedestrian and trolley traffic become major considerations.
Car and Product Showrooms
The floor is an important part of the space's presentation. Polished concrete and grind-and-seal finishes can create a clean backdrop that keeps the products on display as the visual focus.
Large-Format and Hardware Retail
These environments can combine pedestrian traffic with stock carts, equipment and heavy products. Floor durability and ease of maintenance are therefore particularly important.
Cafés and Food Retail
Spills, cleaning and slip resistance require additional consideration. Select the flooring system based on the specific operational environment and relevant requirements.
Can You Use the Existing Concrete Floor?
Often, yes.
This is one of the first things worth investigating when renovating an existing retail store.
Removing old carpet, vinyl, tiles or coatings may reveal a concrete slab that can be restored and transformed into the finished floor.
The process can involve:
- Removing existing floor coverings
- Removing adhesives and coatings
- Diamond grinding
- Repairing cracks and damaged areas
- Addressing surface irregularities
- Preparing the concrete
- Polishing or applying the selected flooring system
Reusing an existing concrete slab can avoid installing another floor covering over it and may provide a durable long-term flooring solution.
However, you need to assess the slab first. Its condition, previous treatments, contamination, moisture, cracks and repairs can all affect what can be achieved.
Don't Overlook Floor Preparation
Whatever flooring system you choose, the quality of the preparation underneath it matters.
Poor concrete preparation can cause problems with coatings, sealers, and other flooring products.
Commercial concrete floor preparation can include diamond grinding, coating and adhesive removal, crack repairs, surface levelling and creating the appropriate surface profile for the selected finish.
For an existing retail store, preparation is also the stage where you discover and address unknowns about the original floor.
Think About Whole-of-Life Cost, Not Just Installation Price
The cheapest floor to install isn't necessarily the least expensive floor to own.
When comparing retail flooring, consider:
- Initial floor preparation
- Installation
- Expected lifespan
- Cleaning requirements
- Periodic maintenance
- Resealing or recoating
- Repairs
- Future replacement
- Business disruption during installation and future maintenance
A more durable system with lower ongoing maintenance may provide better value over the life of the premises even when its initial installation cost is higher.
Planning a New or Refurbished Retail Floor?
The best retail flooring is the system that matches your premises, traffic, operational requirements, desired appearance and budget.
For some stores, that may be polished concrete. For others, a grind-and-seal system or another commercial flooring solution may be more appropriate.
If you have an existing concrete slab, it's especially worthwhile to have the floor assessed before assuming it needs to be covered or replaced.
Commercial Concrete Floors can inspect your existing floor, discuss how the space will be used and recommend appropriate preparation and finishing options for your project.
Whether you're fitting out a new retail space or renovating an existing store, getting the substrate and flooring specification right at the beginning can make a significant difference to your floor's appearance, performance, and ongoing maintenance.