Flooring for Healthcare Facilities
With millions of square meters of our floor coverings installed in healthcare, Forbo is at the forefront when it comes to understanding the needs and concerns of the healthcare marketplace.

In healthcare environments, it is important that a floor can withstand the impact of the day to day traffic of heavy equipment, hospital beds and foot traffic.
Whether you need an adhesive free resilient for a quick refurbishment of a ward, carpet tiles for an office space or specialist ESD flooring for an operating theatre, Forbo have products suitable for almost every environment within the healthcare sector.
Did you know? Independent testing by the University of Glasgow has proven that Marmoleum has a unique suitability for a diverse range of environments where hygiene and control of bacteria such as MRSA or E. coli is an everyday concern.
First impression of a building
Durable and safe flooring
A relaxed, welcoming atmosphere
Hygienic flooring
A demanding area
Ease of cleaning
A functional area
Slip resistance
Products to use in Healthcare
- Fast Fit is Forbo’s collection of genuinely adhesive free products including entrance products and interior flooring ranges in sheet, tile and plank format for maximum flexibility.
- The speed of installation can reduce downtime by up to 50% which is crucial in a 24 hour hospital environment.
- Floors can be used straight after installation so there’s no need to wait 48 hours after installation before using heavy traffic.
GO TO THE FAST FIT COLLECTION
- Our Marmoleum products are proven to inhibit the growth and spread of infections such as MRSA, Norovirus and C Difficile, helping to contribute to a healthier and more hygienic environment in any area of a hospital.
- Marmoleum’s unique Topshield finish reduces soiling and is resistant to staining from hand disinfectants.
- Marmoleum has the Allergy UK Seal of Approval as thanks to its smooth surface, it does not harbour dust mites.
- Marmoleum 2.0mm and 2.5mm are now independently EPD confirmed as CO2 neutral in the cradle to gate stages of the product’s life cycle.
- Marmoleum has been awarded 12 independent Ecolabels – more than any other floor covering in the world.
Go to Marmoleum collection
- SMART-top PUR surface finish ensures Sphera has a high resistance to chemicals, scratches and stains.
- The inline coating and subsequent embossing delivers superior appearance and durability.
- State-of-the-art steel-belt press and thermofix technology ensures consistent quality.
- The green energy and zero waste technology ensures efficient and sustainable manufacturing.
Go to Sphera collection
Our ESD collection presents advanced technical flooring systems specifically designed to control static discharge in sensitive areas such as cleanrooms, operating theatres and server rooms.
Sphera - The sheet solution
Colorex - The tile solution
Colorex plus - The adhesive free solution
Marmoleum Ohmex - The sustainable solution
Go to the Under Control collection
- Forbo Flooring has over 30 years experience in this specialist field and has produced over 100 million m2 of acoustic floor coverings.
- Sarlon is phthalate free and offers a wide range of colours and designs.
- Sarlon is an excellent all-round performer ideal for waiting areas where noise pollution can be an issue.
- Sarlon has an impact sound reduction of 15-19 dB. It requires minimum cleaning and maintenance and is available in an extensive range of colours and designs.
Go to Sarlon collection
- A general purpose vinyl perfect for waiting areas where a durable solution is key.
- Eternal is available in realistic wood effects, stone and abstract designs, a broad palette of colours and some digitally printed visuals which are designed to inspire.
Go to Eternal collection
- The Step collection offers varying levels of slip resistance from R10-R12, meaning it is the perfect floor covering for areas prone to spillages
- PUR pearl finish means Step is resistant to scuff marks and improves the ease of cleaning and maintenance.
- Particles in the wear layer of ALL Forbo step safety floors guarantee lifetime sustainable slip resistance.
- Step is available is over 60 designs in wood and stone effects.
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- Typically found in toilets and changing rooms, Surestep Laguna was developed especially for barefoot and footwear use and is also suitable for wheelchair use.
- Laguna’s plain, soil hiding design is available in 15 colourways and ideal for the use in dementia applications.
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- Safestep Aqua is designed for barefoot, soft soled shoe areas and wheelchair use, meaning it's the ideal floor covering for wet room facilities.
- Available in 8 colours, Safestep Aqua can be installed to meet the requirements of application areas such as wet rooms, changing rooms and toilets.
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- The Allura collection offers the aesthetics of realistic, natural wood and stone floors whilst giving the benefits of a strong and durable vinyl.
- Allura is practical and easy to clean, with low maintenance costs.
- Allura is also phthalate free and REACH compliant.
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- Flotex is the perfect solution for waiting areas where foot traffic and movement of chairs requires a durable floor covering.
- It provides the comfort and warmth of a carpet tile, but with increased durability and resistance to light soiling thanks to it's flocked construction.
- Flotex holds the allergy UK Seal of approval™ and is available in a wide range of colours and stimulating designs.
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- The Tessera collection offers a wide range of multi-construction carpet tiles available in many different designs and colours.
- Various formats are available including planks and XL tiles, enabling creative floor design.
- Tessera tiles offer impact noise reductions up to 30 dB.
- Random lay ranges are available, these canreduce installation waste to 2%.
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- Our Nuway collection is the recognized market leader in engineered entrance flooring systems.
- Nuway entrance systems provide an outstanding first line of defence against soil and moisture entering a building on the soles of shoes and the treads of wheeled traffic.
- Our Coral collection has been the market leading, textile entrance flooring brand for 50 years.
- Coral has been proven to stop up to 95% of dirt and moisture from entering a building.
- By keeping out dirt and moisture at the entrance, it has also been proven to reduce the cleaning times of a building by up to 65%.
- Coral entrance floors can prolong the life of your floor as well as greatly reduce cleaning costs and the risk of slipping.
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Forbo’s Marmoleum is made from an average of 97% natural raw materials.
So it’s no surprise that it is the world’s leading, sustainable resilient flooring.
The weighted average of our Marmoleum product range is also CO2 neutral (cradle to gate) without offsetting.
With the UK Government recently setting a new target for the NHS of having net zero carbon emissions by 2040, the use of Marmoleum in the healthcare sector has never been more relevant.
Find out more about Marmoleum
From old carpet fluff to abandoned fishing nets, many of our Coral collections are made from ECONYL® – a high quality yarn made from 100% regenerated polyamide.
The primary backing of Coral Welcome is made from recycled plastic PET bottles.
We make Coral in a factory that runs entirely on green electricity and sends virtually zero waste to landfill and 100% of our aluminium, steel and rubber waste from our Nuway production is recycled.
And for those customers wanting a ‘natural’ entrance system, we offer Nuway Tuftiguard with Bamboo scraper bars. Bamboo is a sustainable species of grass and one of the fastest growing plants on earth.
Find out more about our EFS products
All of our UK-produced tufted carpet tiles have at least 57% recycled content (by weight), with some containing an impressive 76%.
We’re also reducing the amount of virgin materials we use. For example, instead of throwing away yarn ends, we rewind them and tuft them into our Tessera range. We even have several ranges made with up to 100% ECONYL® regenerated yarn.
Discover the Tessera range
We are constantly striving to improve the environmental profile of our vinyl products through local and international initiatives.
Our Step products are 100% phthalate free and have at least 70% recycled content in the backing.
We produce all our vinyl in Europe where it meets the highest possible current and future REACH compliance standards for chemical content.
Of all the electricity we buy, 100% comes from renewable sources. This means our vinyl production sites are part of an effective environmental management system and achieve ISO14001 certification.
See the full Step range
In order to ensure that we focus our efforts on the areas that help our public sector clients deliver their hard FM services, we partnered with BiP to undertake an iGov survey.
Over 50 Hospitals, NHS trusts and healthcare providers were included in this survey.
The survey explored:
• How important hard FM is within the NHS and healthcare
• The challenges faced when delivering hard FM services
• How organisations are currently managing Hard FM
The key findings are shown below.
To view the full report click here
80% of respondents said that when considering a solution for hard FM services, well-being was a high priority.
Forbo understands the importance of health & wellbeing within the healthcare sector and our product portfolio is designed with these two factors in mind. A high standard of employee comfort and wellbeing means optimised productivity.
Read our whitepaper 'How the Design of the Workplace Influences well-being and Productivity'.
FORBO FLOORING OFFICE WHITEPAPER
Forbo has partnered with Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC), an international centre which draws on 25 years of global research and practice, to identify which products in our portfolio can contribute to improving the quality of life for people with dementia. For more information read Do's and Don'ts DSDC
63% of respondents said that when considering a solution for hard FM services, speed of installation and minimised disruption was a high priority
That's why we've recently introduced our Fast Fit collection of genuinely adhesive-free products, perfect for the healthcare sector.
The range includes entrance products and interior flooring ranges in sheet, tile and plank format for maximum flexibility. Quick, easy and economical, this collection can reduce installation time by up to 50% saving you valuable downtime.
To find out more visitFast Fit adhesive free products
When asked specifically about health and safety issues surrounding floor coverings, 71% cited minimising slip risks.
Forbo offers three key collections to help keep staff, visitors and patients safe and sound. Firstly, there are our entrance system ranges of Coral and Nuway. They can stop up to 95% of dirt and moisture entering a building helping to reduce slips. Find out more about Coral & Nuway
Our Step safety vinyl floor coverings have guaranteed lifetime slip resistance and offer safety solutions for a wide range of applications.See the full Step range
The answer, according to our respondents is that 35% considered it a high priority in terms of hard FM solutions.
Forbo has an extensive range of policies and actions which help us in our mission of Creating Better Environments. We are also aware of our social responsibilities as one of a small number of companies in the UK who have SA8000 accreditation. This standard is one of the world's pre-eminent social standards and helps to protect workers along each step of the supply chain
To find out more, just click hereCreating better environments
Helping to win the fight against Hospital Acquired Infection
When it comes to infection control and stopping Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs), what better place to start than from the flooring up? Our Marmoleum products are proven to inhibit the growth and spread of infections such as MRSA, Norovirus and C Difficile, helping to contribute to a healthier and more hygienic environment in any area of a hospital.
Marmoleum is often chosen as the desired flooring solution for healthcare and cure environments. Hospitals, private clinics, senior care facilities and assisted living environments all benefit from using Marmoleum as a hygienic floor covering solution that is easy to clean and maintain as well as durable, safe and comfortable for both wheeled and foot traffic.
✔ Infection control
✔ Phthalates free
✔ Prevent the growth of bacteria
✔ Allergy approved
✔ Low emission
Marmoleum's ability to inhibit the growth of bacteria stems from the natural raw materials that go into its production, namely linseed oil. An inherent property of the product, the anti-bacterial qualities of Marmoleum won't diminish over time, giving peace of mind and constant protection from the moment it is installed.
Independent testing by the University of Glasgow has proven that Marmoleum has a unique suitability for a diverse range of environments where hygiene and control of bacteria such as MRSA or E. coli is an everyday concern. The test results for MRSA, Norovirus and C-DIFF can be downloaded below.
As age-related changes and impairments can often make it more difficult for people to understand and navigate a building, Forbo Flooring Systems has partnered with The University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) to review over 1000 floor finishes; assessing their suitability for use in dementia-friendly environments.
DSDC is an international centre of knowledge and expertise dedicated to improving the lives of people with dementia. They have drawn on research and practice from across the world, for over 25 years, to provide a comprehensive, up-to-date resource on all aspects of dementia.
Find out more about how to design for Dementia friendly environments hereForbo + DSDC: Designing for Dementia environments
Many healthcare facilities worldwide used floors from Forbo Flooring Systems before you. Visit our reference section and get inspired by existing Forbo flooring solutions in a Healthcare environments. Our reference overview will help you to see products in use and how they are applied.
See references
To create your floor and make up your mind what would fit best we have several tools and services. Our floorplanner helps you to place any of our floors in a healthcare environment or even combine them so you can see how this works.
Start playing with our floorplanner
Our design service can even go further. We can help you design your floor. Our team of designers is ready for you, get in contact and let them know the requirements, sent them the pictures of the current situation or the desired solution and they will come up with floorplans and product proposals.
Contact our design team
Every solution. One supplier.
Our healthcare brochure helps to demonstrate how by using Forbo, you really can have every solution, with one supplier.
From entrances to wards, specialist areas to corridors, our brochure shows you which of our products are suitable for almost every area within the healthcare environment.
Click here to view our healthcare brochure