The dos and don'ts of commercial washroom refurbishment
Are your commercial washrooms in need of a little TLC?
Whether you are in charge of a retail store, restaurant, hotel, healthcare service or office block, updating your commercial bathrooms involves careful planning and execution. After all, you need to ensure that these spaces are accessible, functional and stylish.
But if you’ve not been part of a large washroom refurbishment project before, this can be a daunting prospect, especially when you're on a budget.
The good news is, we can help. Below, we’ve put together some key dos and don’ts to be aware of when upgrading your commercial bathrooms.
Do: Optimise your space
It’s so important that you make the most of all available space, especially when you have a large number of people using your washrooms. By optimising the space through great design, you can maximise functionality and user comfort.
To do this, consider installing space-saving fixtures, such as compact toilets, wall-mounted sinks, sleek automatic hand dryers and floor-to-ceiling toilet cubicles.
Don’t: Forget about style
While functionality and accessibility are crucial in commercial bathrooms, aesthetics also play a significant role in the overall user experience.
So, as well as thinking about the practical elements like toilet cubicles, sinks, etc., you also need to choose a design and colour scheme that creates a welcoming and visually appealing environment.
Even better if these design features and finishes reflect your brand or the user’s preferences and style.
Do: Ensure adequate ventilation
Proper ventilation is essential in your commercial washrooms. This can help to prevent the build up of odours, moisture, mould and mildew.
So, during the design process, make sure there is space for an effective ventilation system or windows. These will provide adequate airflow and minimise humidity levels in these spaces.
Don’t: Neglect the health and safety of users
Following on from this, you need to prioritise the health and safety of all users when designing your commercial washrooms. This includes reducing the risk of injury by removing slip and trip hazards. You can do this by ensuring proper lighting, signage and the use of non-slip flooring materials.
You also need to think about how easy it will be to clean your new washrooms as germs and bacteria can quickly build up in busy bathrooms.
As you want to protect the health of all employees, customers or guests, it’s best to choose sleek surfaces that are easy to clean, preferably those without too many joints or edges, and ensure a rigid cleaning schedule.
You might also want to introduce touch-free technology to reduce the number of people touching surfaces and spreading germs. For example, introducing automatic soap dispensers, lights and hand dryers. You could even include touch-free locks on your toilet cubicles.
Do: Consider future maintenance
You need to think about the future maintenance needs of your washrooms, especially in high-traffic areas like customer or workplace toilets, healthcare washrooms and larger communal toilet blocks.
By choosing fixtures and fittings that are durable and easy to clean and maintain, you can simplify cleaning tasks and prolong the lifespan of the washroom. We suggest smooth, non-porous surfaces and stain or abrasion-resistant materials like our solid grade laminate (SGL) cubicles.
Don’t: Ignore the needs of the users
You need to carefully consider the diverse needs of all washroom users, including children, elderly visitors and people with disabilities.
In order to do this, you need to design the washroom to accommodate a wide range of users and provide amenities that enhance their convenience and ensure comfort for everyone.
This also requires you to stay up to date with rules and regulations, ensuring accessible toilets are the right size and all fixtures are at the right height.
Do: Take on board customer and employee feedback
Before the initial design process, seek feedback from those who use your facilities, such as employees, customers and facilities managers. You can continue to ask for their feedback and thoughts throughout this process.
This is important as their input can help to identify potential issues and highlight real changes that need to be made. This will ensure that the final design meets their expectations as suggested above.
Don’t: Cut corners
It can be tempting to try and cut corners when revamping your commercial bathrooms, especially when you're on a tight budget. However, when it comes to washroom design, you really do get what you pay for.
Of course, this doesn't mean you have to break the bank, instead, you should look for affordable solutions from trusted providers.
It’s also important not to rush this process and to think carefully about the design and installation. You should opt for durable materials that are strong and easy to maintain so that you can ensure the longevity of your washrooms.
Do: Work with an expert service provider
Lastly, the best way to ensure that your commercial washrooms are of the highest quality is to work with a top service provider.
At Cr8tive Washrooms, we offer the latest in real-time 3D design to bring your ideas and space to life before we begin.
We also offer a tailor-made service and full installation that allows us to design and create the perfect washroom environment for your business.