Wheelchair Flooring

Requirements

We are looking for flooring for a bedroom. The rest of the place is laminate flooring that will be hard to match. We don’t really have the money to re-do the whole place with quality laminate flooring, and we do not want hard tiles because of falls, vinyl because it would require being glued with an under floor, or hardwood or bamboo floors because of cost and general wear-and-tear. The following is an overview of our requirements:

  • Low rolling resistance. Need to propel an ultralight chair with small casters and narrow high pressure tires, using one arm and foot “toddling”.
  • Can handle some moisture because of an attached roll-in shower.
  • Resilient with some padding to allow for minimum injury from falls from seizures.
  • Matte finish and slip-resistant and nothing with glare because of vision problems.
  • Fire-retardant and noise resistant to not bother the downstairs neighbours.
  • Easy to install, easy to clean, low-maintenance and durable. Will be installed over a cement floor.
  • Possibility to replace worn out areas as needed.
  • Not too expensive, as it may eventually be replaced if we put in better floors throughout.

Options

Carpet tiles

Commercial grade tiles, that are short pile, dense BCF nylon (bulked continuous filament polyamide), with a thin built in rubber pad, that do not need to be glued directly to the floor, in different colours that can be replaced in heavy wheelchair use areas. So far, this seems to be a good brand Interface (Heuga) with TacTiles and transition strips.  I think the home version in the US is called FLOR with FLORdots.(Dutch: projecttapijt,tegeltapijt, commercieel gebruik, rolstoel geschikt, restpartij, laagpolig,overgangsprofiel vloerprofiel rolstoeldorpel). Carpet information: www.carpetbuyershandbook.com Suppliers: www.tapijttegelstunter.nl, www.onlinetapijttegels.nl, www.magic-carpets.nl

Laminate

Tongue-and-groove wide planks or tiles, rated for intensive use of AC4+, about 12mm. I have read Balterio Laminaat Grandeur/Fortissimo is good with Redupax 10db underlay. Also check Alloc and Quick Step. For standards see EN 13329:2000. (Dutch: klliklaminaat, tegellaminaat, intensief gebruik, ondervloer). Suppliers www.onlineparketshop.nl/laminaat/balterio/grandeur.