Why education flooring is different
Continuous foot traffic, end-of-day cleaning, multi-purpose spaces, child safety. Indoor air quality matters more (children spend 6-8 hours/day in classrooms). MOE budget pressure drives mid-tier specifications.
Performance requirements
EN 685 Class 33 minimum (Class 34 for primary corridors), Bfl-s1, R9 dry / R10 corridors / R11 wet, FloorScore VOC, MS 1184:2014 thresholds ≤ 13 mm, acoustic backing for multi-storey.
Area-by-area
Classrooms, heterogeneous 2.5 mm with 0.55 mm wear layer. Corridors, heterogeneous 2.5 mm with 0.70 mm or homogeneous 2.0 mm. Multi-storey corridor/classroom, acoustic-backed (ΔLw 17-19 dB). Sports hall, sports vinyl EN 14904. Science labs, homogeneous with chemical resistance. Kitchens: R12 safety vinyl. Washrooms: R11 safety vinyl. Library, heterogeneous with acoustic.
Specification clause template
Supply and install commercial heterogeneous vinyl sheet flooring complying with EN 685 Class 33, EN 13501-1 Bfl-s1, R10 slip per DIN 51130, FloorScore certified, total thickness 2.5 mm minimum, 0.55 mm wear layer minimum. Heat-welded seams in classrooms. Standard PVC skirting acceptable in classrooms, coved skirting in wet zones.