U.S. Products questions flooring ownership costs

PLYMOUTH, MN — Recently, U.S. Products’ product manager for the Jan/San division, Bob Adams, announced that studies show that, in the long-term, carpet flooring is less expensive than hard surface floors, according to a press release.

"At first glance, it would appear that hard surface flooring, such as VCT (vinyl composition tile), would be less expensive," Abrams said. "However, studies going back more than a dozen years have found just the opposite to be true."

This statement takes into consideration the 2002 IICRC study published as “A Life-Cycle Cost Analysis for floor coverings in School Facilities, which found that, while on average properly selected and maintained hard surfaces last about 12 years longer than carpet of the same quality, the maintenance costs for hard surface flooring could still be considerably more than for carpet.

"The maintenance requirements can make the difference," explained Abrams. "While this certainly may not be true in all cases and with all floor types, this is a study that building owners, managers and especially school administrators should [consider] when selecting new floor coverings.”

To read the full release, click here.