Making the choice to carpet - nursing homes

Nursing Homes, July-August, 1996 by Kathryn O. Wise

As competition drives even greater efforts to provide a pleasant, home-like environment for residents and visitors, carpet as a floor covering choice in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities is growing in popularity. In fact, it is estimated that over 22 million square yards of carpet is installed in health care facilities each year - in corridors, patient rooms, public areas, lobbies, and offices. The only areas not generally carpeted are those areas that may have excessive or frequent spills, such as kitchens, restrooms, laboratories and supply rooms.

Carpet provides aesthetic as well as functional benefits to nursing and assisted living facilities, some of which are readily apparent, and some of which may be unexpected bonuses.

* Economy. Savings in actual construction costs can be significant when a building plan initially calls for carpet, since it is then not necessary to install any other finish flooring material prior to the carpet installation. Greater savings may be realized when floors in older buildings need refurbishing. If badly worn wood or vinyl floors are resurfaced, they may need another underlay material before the new hard surface can be installed. By specifying a carpet installation with attached cushion, "bad" areas can simply be patched. This levels the problem area and prevents premature, localized wear on the carpet, avoiding the need for total resurfacing. This solution can also alleviate asbestos flooring, while adhering to ADA standards.

* Safety. Hard surfaces may be appropriate for wheelchair users but are not always the safest choice for ambulatory residents. Wet or polished areas are a major contributing factor to most indoor "slip and fall" injuries. By contrast, carpet reduces the incidence of falls and cushions any falls that do occur: this translates into enhanced patient comfort and savings in medical costs, workman's compensation and insurance claims.

Carpet also reduces or eliminates reflected glare, minimizing residents' disorientation, and reducing staff members' leg fatigue - and increasing productivity - associated with walking on hard surfaces.

* Psychological "uplift." The prestige that carpet lends to any nursing facility is widely recognized. The sophistication of carpet dramatically enhances the feeling of quality and comfort in interior design and has the ability to "deinstitutionalize" a facility. The atmosphere improves both patient attitudes and staff morale.

* Noise control. Soft floor coverings are highly effective in controlling noise by reducing ambient sound and surface noise up to 70% and by reducing impact sound transmission from floor to floor. Carpet with attached cushion, or with a separate cushion, controls noise even more than uncushioned carpet attached directly to the floor. To appreciate this aspect of its total value, the cost of carpet should be compared to the costs of other flooring materials plus an equivalent acoustical treatment.

* Temperature control. The pile construction of carpet is a very efficient thermal insulator, reducing energy consumption for heat and air conditioning. The surface temperature of carpet is substantially higher than that over cold, hard surfaces, thus reducing coldness at foot and ankle levels.

* Air quality control. Most facility managers understand that carpet emits fewer emissions than most other indoor furnishings. Carpet also improves indoor air quality by holding airborne dust particles and allowing them to be removed easily by vacuuming. In studies, airborne particle counts were significantly lower in carpeted areas than in the hard surface areas, and bacterial counts at the carpet surface were lower than those at the surface of hard floors.

Selection Issues

As the popularity of carpet in health care settings grows, so does the complexity of product choice, not to mention questions about Federal regulations, installation, air quality, cleaning, and maintenance. To provide the appropriate carpet for specific areas, it helps to understand performance guidelines, color options, and functional attributes for elderly persons.

To ensure that you end up with the product that will meet your facility's aesthetic and functional needs - and will continue to do so for years to come some important decisions need to be made before you make your carpet purchase.

Loop Pile or Cut Pile?

Tufted or modular carpet is usually specified in nursing homes and is a densely tufted, level loop or cut pile, low pile height, construction. In corridors, lobbies, and patient care areas, loop piles offer good performance, retaining appearance and resiliency and generally providing a better surface for rolling traffic. Cut pile carpet, with its more residential appearance, is a good choice for administration areas.

Carpet's performance is associated in part with pile yarn density, ie., the amount of yarn in a given area of carpet face. A higher density and lower pile height, 1/2 inch or less, will be more durable, will accommodate rolling traffic, and adheres to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. Minimum Federal (HUD/FHA) requirements for nylon carpet in facilities for the elderly are 20 to 24 ounces in weight per square yard, with a density of 3300 and up. An average, adequate density, where there is wheelchair, cane, and walker use, is 4,000.