The success of a retail business inevitably depends on its ability to interact with its customers. The environment in which this contact takes place is one of the key factors affecting the shopping experience. Retail space design is therefore a fundamental step that should seek to choose versatile construction solutions that combine the style and image of the brand with the practical and functional requirements of a sales point. For this reason, many companies decide to rely on the modularity and durability of porcelain stoneware raised floors to revitalise their retail spaces.
The benefits technical raised floors offer retail premises
Every business has a range of needs that can be met according to the degree of freedom offered by the spaces available and their interior design. And in these contexts, the use of indoor raised floors is a growing trend, mainly due to the versatility and multiple advantages these solutions offer. In fact, porcelain stoneware raised floors have special building properties that make them ideal for creating any type of shop floor. Let’s have a look at the key ones:
- Durability: in environments like shops that are visited every day by a considerable number of users, it is essential that the floor surface is resistant to wear and retains its original visual quality over time. Porcelain stoneware raised floors are a perfect solution for high traffic locations, thanks to their extremely durable materials and panels which can be replaced easily if damaged.
- Style: every sales point helps to create and communicate its brand identity and character to the public, whether that is eccentric, elegant, dynamic or refined. This is why the design of retail spaces is so important and needs to be perfect, right down to the smallest detail, starting with the flooring. Porcelain stoneware solutions can meet any retail space design, colour and layout requirement. The wide range of colours, textures and finishes available and the possibility of creating continuity between indoor and outdoor spaces allow unique and impactful environments to be created for any space, from large shopping centres to small boutiques. Let’s not forget either that raised floors installation conceal any previous constructions below them, so all the remaining space can be dedicated entirely to expressing the brand’s style.
- Safety: in addition to the possibility of installing utility systems below indoor raised floors, which avoids potential accidents, the non-slip properties of porcelain stoneware also make it the ideal choice for shop floor safety. As far as fire risk management is concerned, the raised floor structure is classified according to UNI 13501-1 and UNI 13501-2 standards with the possibility of achieving Bfl-S1 and REI 30 ratings respectively.
- Versatility: retail businesses are extremely dynamic and changeable, so the design, layout and furnishings of their interior spaces are often completely revolutionised several times a year. The modularity of raised floors meets this need perfectly by facilitating the redistribution of displays, refrigerated counters, lights and electronic tools, as well as the layouts of the underlying systems that power them.
- Sustainability: an increasingly crucial aspect for the realisation of public spaces is the use of ecological materials that limit environmental impact to a minimum. In this sense, porcelain stoneware, is the ideal choice for shop floors, as it is produced using sustainable recycling and reuse methods that implement energy optimisation technologies.
- Easy maintenance: thanks to the intrinsic nature of raised floors that facilitate the inspection and repair of the systems underneath them, maintenance operations are no longer intrusive and time-consuming. The floor structure also does not need any special care or maintenance apart from an annual check on dust build-up and the integrity of the screed.
Renovating a shop with a porcelain stoneware raised floor
The choice of a raised porcelain stoneware floor is not limited solely to new retail spaces. Raised systems, in fact, are designed so they can be installed on existing floors too, and without requiring demolition work or the use of mortar or adhesives. By following the advice of a team of experts, you can breathe new life into your retail business, benefit from all the advantages of porcelain stoneware raised solutions and significantly reduce the impact of shop interior renovations on your existing environment.
