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Live music and event venues can be busy and often see a huge influx of users in short bursts – such as intervals and half-time during sporting events. With this in mind, durability and anti-vandal fixtures and fittings are always going to be the highest priority on the washroom specification. However, that doesn’t mean you have to fit a cold, uninviting commercial washroom and if you’re clever with the design, you can even make the space easier to clean and maintain.
Here, we take a look at durable options for entertainment venues that aren’t stainless steel.
So where do we begin?
In a full-scale refurbishment, you’ll want to begin with a fresh look at your mains water feed and more importantly, your waste capacity. This is particularly important if you are increasing the number of sinks or toilets in the washroom as if your drainage isn’t up to the volume of water, then you could run into trouble at a later stage.
Floor covering
You need something ruggedly durable – particularly in the female washrooms where high-heeled shoes can shorten the life of the floor covering. Anti-slip safety flooring is a solid choice and one that we recommend as it's fitted so that it laps up the edges of the walls to create a water-tight kind of skirting board – making deep cleans and hose-downs much easier. In this instance, you’ll also want to think about including a floor drain.
However, there are many hard-wearing floor tiles that carry anti-slip properties too. If you would like more specific advice on floor coverings in your washroom, please get in touch and we can guide you further.
Solid Grade Laminate (SGL)
This is a highly durable material that can be used for toilet cubicles, wall covering and the construction of vanity units. What makes SGL so popular is the fact it is completely impervious to water, so you will never have a problem with delamination and swelling from moisture, dampness and humidity. This material is available in almost any colour, so can be produced to tie in with existing colour schemes. While toilet cubicles might seem the obvious choice, do not overlook SGL’s use as a wall cladding. Duct panel systems can be covered in sheets of SGL as can partition walls and entire wash basin units. It’s an easy-clean surface that can be sanitized in seconds and wiped down with little to no fuss.
Hand dryers Vs. paper towels
In busy entertainment venues that see a high volume of traffic in short, often intense periods of time, you can get through an incredible amount of paper towels. This means you not only need a lot of dispensers and routine top-ups, but a great deal of space for large waste bins. We recommend in this setting to go for high-powered, efficient hand dryers that remove the need for hand towels and waste bins and with today’s modern models, they use very little electricity too.
Items like the Dyson Airblade V take much less space up on the wall than the original Airblade so more units can be fitted in a smaller space. You might also look at alternatives to this hand dryer.
Sensor activation
This is an absolute must in this sector. Sensor activation delivers several key benefits to this setting. When used in conjunction with light switches, toilet and urinal flushers, taps and hand dryers, users never need to physically touch many (or any) items in the washroom. This improves hygiene a phenomenal amount and also cuts down on the spread of dirt and bacteria – no more grubby hand marks by the light switches and door handles.
Sensor activation also makes sure that taps and dryers are never left on unnecessarily. This gives you an economic saving on water and electricity but also removes the risk of accidental flooding.
Also, because users are not turning taps, pulling flush handles and pushing hand dryer buttons, moving parts are much less likely to give in to wear and tear. If vandalism is a concern in your washroom, you could either opt for deck mounted anti-vandal sensor taps, or choose something like the Dolphin Recessed Automatic Wash Station, which is specifically designed for busy washrooms where vandalism and accidental damage are a concern.
So sensor activated items in the washroom are definitely your friend.
Vandal resisitant toilets and concealed trap urinals
You could install wall hung anti-vandal toilets that are designed to not need a toilet seat. Design of this type of toilet has come a long way and don’t have to be a cold stainless steel pan you might associate with a prison cell. With no toilet seat, moving parts in your washroom are reduced even further, so less potential wear and tear. This particular model also conceals all the pipework within the pan and behind the duct panel system it affixes to. Wall hung toilets also leave the floor clear beneath them, meaning the room appears larger and cleaning is easier – there’s also no awkward grooves for bacteria to cling to and spread.
It’s worth bearing in mind that all washrooms pose their own unique needs and hurdles. Perhaps you have an unusual shaped room, or some restraints you’re not sure how to get around. With such a wealth of experience in this field, we have a depth of knowledge to draw from and can help, guide and advise you through your refurbishment to get the end result you are looking for.
We offer a full 3D design service at Commercial Washrooms and can take you through suitable options before you even break ground on the refurbishment or new build washroom. If you’d like to talk more, then get in touch today on 01202 650900
