The secret to commercial carpet comfort

In the commercial environment, it’s very easy to ignore creature comforts in favour of a stripped-back aesthetic, but when it comes to what’s underfoot, comfort pays dividends.

That’s not only because environments with the right underlay are warmer and have better acoustics, but the impact of heavy foot traffic on the carpet is dramatically reduced when there’s a suitable underlay.

The right underlay is essential in avoiding premature wear and tear, thereby maximising the life of the carpet. The premature degradation of carpet without underlay is often a result of what is called “carpet crush” says Dunlop Flooring’s Robert Brouwer.

“If you don’t have underlay, you can glue the carpet directly to the substrate, but of course, when you have trolleys running over it, or you’re walking over the carpet, there is no give under the carpet, it gets crushed and is more likely to wear quickly. It is also not particularly comfortable, and insulation properties are marginal.”

That is why in commercial settings it is particularly important to get the right high quality underlay to ensure the carpet and underlay together can cope with a lot of point-loaded furniture, castor chairs, trolleys or wheelchairs.

Robert says Dunlop Flooring manufacture this product specifically for commercial environments, which include retirement villages, offices, hotel foyers, rest homes, libraries, conference rooms, places of worship and meeting places, such as RSAs.

“The Commercial Double Bond 5mm (DB5) underlay is designed and rated for Heavy Commercial use to the soft underlay standard AS4288:2003, and is intended for use in very busy environments.

“In residential settings a conventional underlay is normally used, but in commercial environments, or large areas, it is essential to have a commercial rated underlay that is adhered to the carpet and substrate. This removes issues such as carpet stretch, giving the carpet a much longer life.”

Robert says the perfect example of its success is in Dunlop Flooring’s own offices.

“We installed the DB5 with a good commercial carpet seven years ago and the carpet still looks really good. It’s a pretty tough environment, with foam chips everywhere from staff coming in and out of the factory. By the office desks, where we have castor chairs, we have protected the floor with special plastic mats to help extend the life further, we haven’t seen that as necessary for the meeting room where usage is a lot less. We are extremely pleased that the existing carpet will easily go for another seven years.”

Robert recalls when he worked in an office where they had direct-stuck carpet and after five years it was looking very tired and had to be replaced.

Of course, the DB5 double-bonded underlay is also far more comfortable than walking on a hard floor, or carpet that is direct-stuck.

This makes it an excellent solution in classrooms, where children are often sitting on carpet tiles glued to a cold concrete floor.

DB5: sustainable, low-VOC, insulation

In addition, the Green Label PLUS low emission programme rating means the DB5 underlay complies with strict low VOC criteria, so there are no nasty chemicals for anyone in contact with it.

To meet the Green Label PLUS criteria, the underlay is tested for over 35 different harmful emissions and must be within strict limits to comply.

“An obvious one that people know about is formaldehyde—we always get a BQL on that—that means we’re below quantifiable limits, where they can’t detect it at all.”

Dunlop Flooring ensures their underlay foam consistently reaches these standards by buying offcut foam from trusted European and New Zealand suppliers.

“The foam is a bi-product of manufacturing. We are buying it off manufacturers who are making furniture and beds and they generate offcuts when they convert the foam. You can get packaging foams but they don’t have the same resilience. There’s a vast difference in foam quality and we are using the highest quality materials that we can access.”

DB5 also improves the thermal and acoustic insulation properties of carpet. Thermal insulation is great for when installed on cold concrete floors, and acoustic insulation is great for multi-level buildings.

And when it comes to the end of the carpet underlay’s life, there isn’t an issue with removing it as the installation process means there’s no need to grind glues off the substrate.

Find out more about underlay for commercial applications.