Choosing the right carpet is a crucial consideration when designing any space, especially when planning interior design for apartment complexes. Many values must be considered, including design, durability and even acoustics.
In this blog, our commercial carpet company outlines which carpet styles are ideal for apartment buildings, to create the perfect blend between well-being and practicality.
Iconic Design
In the world of carpets, styles and product types are constantly changing to keep up with design trends. They are becoming more and more creative, combining cutting edge technology with an awareness of industry needs.
Carpet tiles provide endless patterns, colours and designs, making them ideal to renovate and spruce up dated apartment floors. Modern colours and designs can give the right impression to space users, firmly conveying professionalism and style.
Cosy and Warm
Apartment buildings are residential spaces, so it is essential that they’re comfortable and welcoming, because they are people’s homes. Carpet and other soft furnishings can work to create a cosy atmosphere, whilst keeping in warmth.
Furthermore, apartments can be expensive to heat, with 10-20% of the heat loss of a home coming from uninsulated floors. The right carpet can help with insulation, allowing heat to be trapped and retained. Thick and dense carpets are the best option, such as our classic Hobnail range.
Amazing Acoustics
As a multitude of people live in apartment complexes, noise control is essential. Although innovations such as thick walls and sound proofing can help with this, carpet can also play a part.
According to the American Society of Interior Designers, carpets are 10 times more efficient in reducing sound than other flooring types, helping to destroy reverberations and echoes in a space. This increases homeliness, privacy and comfort for residents. Our Iron Duke range reduces noise impact by 18 decibels per sheet, as per BS En ISO 140-8 standard, so is the perfect choice.
Functional Flexibility
Apartments are often refurbished and modernised, so require flexible, cost effective flooring options. This is particularly crucial in the current climate, when residential spaces must be able to quickly adapt to the latest covid-friendly government guidelines.
Carpet tiles can be moved around easily, without replacing the whole floor, which makes them the perfect choice for apartment buildings. This means that if a portion of the carpet is damaged, only the affected tiles need to be replaced, reducing costs and inconvenience.
Durability
Shared areas of apartments, such as hallways and corridors, foresee the coming and going of residents every day. The flooring must therefore be able to withstand increasingly heavy footfall, whilst remaining clean and hygienic.
Fibre bonded carpet tiles can withstand heavy footfall, as well as intensive cleaning measures; two things which are part of daily life in an apartment building. Both the Hobnail and Iron Duke carpet tile ranges are designed with demanding environments in mind, helping lower maintenance costs.
Heckmondwike FB is one of the UK’s leading commercial carpet manufacturers, with over 40 years experience catering for design professionals. To learn more, or request a free carpet sample, please contact 01924 406 161 or email sales@heckmondwike-fb.co.uk.
Throughout summer, Heckmondwike, a market-leading UK manufacturer of fibre-bonded carpets, has been running a competition to win a bespoke logo mat, with the draw taking place in early September.
The competition has been running from June and will end on 31st August, so there is not much time left if you would like to be in with a chance of scooping the prize.
To enter, simply visit our ‘Summer’ competition page, https://heckmondwike-fb.co.uk/summer/, and fill out the contact form. Alternatively, when you place an order for a sample card on our site – https://heckmondwike-fb.co.uk/samples/ – quote the word ‘Summer’, and your entry will be added to our list.
Entries are open to all, including our key sectors of education, architecture and development, flooring contractors and distributors, among others.
A Heckmondwike bespoke logo mat allows customers to create a unique entrance to a building for employees, clients or students, with the mat incorporating a bespoke design, including a logo or name, onto the carpet. For examples of Heckmondwike’s bespoke logo mats, please refer to the bottom of this blog.
Please note, terms and conditions apply to this competition. The logo mat can only be up to the value of £1,000, and it excludes installation.
For more information about the competition, please contact marketing@heckmondwike-fb.co.uk.
Good luck to everyone who enters!
Earlier this year, Heckmondwike, a market-leading UK manufacturer of fibre-bonded carpets, announced the sponsorship of an apprentice across its National Floorcoverings Ltd group of companies.
The Group is working in partnership with one of its long-standing customers, Hillside Contracts to provide support to trainee floor layer, Kai Linton.
More information about Kai and the reasons for the company’s sponsorship, can be found in the blog published on the Heckmondwike website in April, and throughout the year, Heckmondwike will be providing updates on Kai’s progress, and this is the latest…
Over the last couple of months, Kai has made significant progress with both on the job and off the job training, with more than 80 per cent of his learning being undertaken with ‘on-site’ jobs, putting into practice techniques he has been developing daily.
To date, Kai has been getting to grips with some large commercial projects and has completed vital floor preparation work including scraping and applying adhesive, alongside setting out and fitting carpet tiles – ensuring all steps are followed using manufacturers’ instructions.
Kai is supported on-site by a host of experienced floor fitters and is learning every day with their advice and mentorship, and as a result, is growing in confidence.
Further to this, Kai is also developing his skills at the Floortrain Training Centre in Doncaster. He is currently learning how to install textile carpet to a flat surface, alongside installing safety impervious flooring. Kai is expected to pass the ‘flat fit carpet’ task with distinction.
Kai has also performed well in a host of other tasks, including installing underlay and a matt well, alongside completing a heat seam joint.
National Floorcoverings Ltd, including Heckmondwike, is delighted to see how well Kai is progressing, with the company firmly believing in the importance of developing young talent to enhance the future of the industry.
Heckmondwike, a market-leading UK manufacturer of fibre-bonded carpets, has assisted a Willmott Dixon initiative to support a guide dog centre in Leamington Spa.
The company has provided 15 square metres of its specialist entrance and transition carpet, Diamond, in Charcoal, free of charge. The carpet has been installed to the reception area of the site by local flooring contractor Westcotes Flooring.
The donation is part of Willmott Dixon’s ‘Guide Dogs for the Blind Community Challenge 2019’. The project was aimed at improving training facilities at the Leamington Spa centre, with a full refurbishment of the existing garage building.
As a Willmott Dixon preferred supplier, and with the two companies working closely together on a number of projects throughout the country, Heckmondwike was more than willing to assist with the supply of carpet, which played a small, but vital role, in the development of the building.
Peter Barker, Heckmondwike area sales manager for the Midlands region said, “When Willmott Dixon asked us to support their ‘Guide Dogs for the Blind Community Challenge’, it was an opportunity we couldn’t turn down.
“Our relationship with the company is great and we always try and support their charitable activities in any way we can, as a way of giving back to the local community.
“Even though our Diamond entrance carpet is a small part of the building, the project is one I deeply care about, as I currently sponsor four guide dogs.”
Alongside Heckmondwike, Westcotes Flooring worked with other large suppliers in the flooring industry, such as Bostik, to provide new flooring and supplies across the facility.
Image supplied by Westcotes Flooring.
Heckmondwike, a UK-leading manufacturer of fibre-bonded heavy contract carpet and carpet tiles, including its market-leading Supacord range, has recently made two appointments to its team of area sales managers.
Martyn Grove and Mike Sanders have joined the company to manage the South West and North West regions respectively.
Both acquisitions have significant knowledge of the flooring sector, having worked for some of the largest companies in the industry, with over 40 years of experience between them.
As a result, Martyn and Mike are well versed with working in partnership with distributors, flooring contractors and main contractors, alongside the company’s key sectors including, education, architecture and development and apartments to build long-standing successful relationships and provide new business opportunities.
The pair will be covering the same regions as their predecessors, with no boundary changes taking place. This provides a seamless transition for all customers in both areas. For a detailed breakdown on area boundaries, and to contact Martyn or Mike, please visit https://heckmondwike-fb.co.uk/contact-us/sales-team/.
Bob Mortimer, UK & Ireland Sales Manager at Heckmondwike FB, said: “We would like to welcome both Martyn and Mike to the team at Heckmondwike FB. The appointments have been bought on board to enhance our already existing depth of knowledge in the sales team, while adding their own account management skills.
“It is important for both of them to get to know our customers, therefore, over the coming weeks and months, they will be contacting and visiting as many as they can across their respective regions.
“As we are currently in summer, our busiest time of the year – due to our expertise in the education sector, Martyn and Mike will be highlighting to our customers how Heckmondwike FB can provide key product lines, including Supacord on express delivery while maintaining high quality and cost-effective product.”
Heckmondwike, the market-leading UK manufacturer of commercial fibre bonded carpets, has supported one of its customers in the education sector by joining their environmental project.
Led by UK & Ireland Sales Manager, Bob Mortimer, Heckmondwike donated and planted a number of trees, via the support of the Woodland Trust, at St Leonards Church of England Primary School in Banbury, Oxfordshire.
St. Leonard’s Church of England Primary School is a Heckmondwike customer and has been using the company’s products for a number of years. The school is currently carpeted with Supacord and Broadrib throughout, alongside Hippo for its entrance areas.
Bob Mortimer said, “The education sector is Heckmondwike’s most important, with millions of square meters of Supacord alone currently installed in schools, colleges and universities throughout the UK.
“With the sector being crucial to the company, it’s always a nice feeling when you can give something back and offer support that goes above and beyond providing carpets.
“The opportunity to support the school with an eco-friendly project was great, it was brilliant to see the children learn about the importance of their local environment.”
When developing new apartment complexes, or refurbishing an existing residence, a key consideration is how to create communal areas that serve a purpose, look atheistically pleasing and stand the test of time.
A crucial part of that is the carpet. As Heckmondwike FB is one of the UK-leading manufacturers of fibre-bonded heavy contract carpet and carpet tiles, the company has expertise in producing products for communal areas of apartment complexes.
Here are some top tips for specifying carpets for apartment communal areas:
Be versatile
In an installation, one carpet may be required for several different areas. For example, if a specifier is looking for the same finish in the corridors, stairs and meeting areas, it would be sensible to use the same carpet or carpet tiles – especially one that is risk-averse and suitable for heavy contract use, due to large footfalls in those particular areas.
Supacord is the perfect example of this – with hard wearing, non-ravel, non-fray properties, a ten-year wear warranty, and 42 colours to choose from, Supacord can be specified with confidence for almost any requirement in an apartment complex.
Add some colour
Traditionally, communal areas may have been considered a dull part of an apartment, only there to act as a functional measure as people move from one room to another.
However, many modern developments are vibrant, with hints of bright colours used on the walls and soft furnishings.
Adding colour to the carpet can also be a great way to match the colour scheme of a room, or be used to create breakout sections on the floor.
Heckmondwike FB’s Array range is the perfect design-led option to add a splash of colour to corridors and communal areas – with a striking pattern that will stand out in any installation.
Focus on footfall
Entrances and corridors are often the most used part of an apartment complex, with people coming and going throughout the day. In the mind of designers, entrances can be a great place to set the tone for the building – providing a light environment that welcomes residents and visitors.
However, when looking at heavy trafficked areas, the carpet choice is crucial.
Not only has the carpet got to be strong enough to withstand footfall for a sustained period of time without showing wear and tear, but it has also got to ensure that outside debris does not ruin the carpet throughout the apartment.
Manufactured specifically for entrance areas, Battleship/Hippo is suitable for the most demanding of spaces – ensuring carpets throughout the apartment area protected. For corridors, Heckmondwike FB’s Dreadnought is suitable due to its diagonal rib and heavy structure.
To discover more about carpets for communal areas, please visit https://heckmondwike-fb.co.uk/sectors/apartment-complexes/.