Specify a corridor for wheels first, then for looks.
Specify for rolling loads
Corridors carry carts, gurneys, chairs on casters and floor scrubbers all day. Full-spread adhesive is the right call anywhere wheels roll. It also stops the perimeter creep that a floating floor gets under uneven load. Our commercial vinyl guide states that all commercial installs with rolling loads must be glued to the subfloor. Use a manufacturer-approved adhesive. Before the install, make sure that the subfloor is smooth, clean and porous enough to bond with the adhesive. Press sheet goods into the glue with a 100 lb. floor roller, from the middle toward the edges. Work one section at a time, so part of the corridor stays open.
Cut the seam count
- Sheet vinyl: Choose the sheet width that fits the corridor, to minimize seams and waste. The most common width is 12 feet.
- Rubber rolls: One custom cut length can remove a mid-run seam. Custom cuts carry a 15-foot minimum, in whole-foot increments.
- Rigid core planks: Mixed plank lengths, such as COREtec Grande, keep a long corridor from looking like a repeating pattern.
Send us the corridor lengths and widths. We will plan the cuts and the seams.
Choose a surface that hides daily wear
A flecked or color-mixed surface hides scuffs and water spots. Solid black and solid gray look sharp on day one and show everything later. In sheet vinyl, homogeneous sheet is one solid color from top to bottom, so stains and wear do not show as easily. For rigid core planks, ask for the wear layer. Our clinic guides set 20 mil as the minimum for commercial traffic.
Plan the doorway transitions
Every room door off a corridor can be a change in floor height. The ADA Standards set the limits that wheels need. Check each doorway against the table before you choose a floor thickness.
| Change in height | What the ADA asks for |
|---|---|
| Up to 1/4" | Can be vertical |
| 1/4" to 1/2" | Bevel, with a slope not steeper than 1:2 |
| More than 1/2" | Ramp |