“Rubber is going to hold up a lot longer than VCT, and that’s what I was looking for – as well as something low maintenance. We are saving on custodial products and custodial time by not having to apply finishes to the floor.”
When Mike Luscher, director of facilities for Scott County Schools, was faced with floor selection for the newly constructed Lemons Mill Elementary, he drew from previous experience and local research. “We have used noraplan® eco in a number of the schools in our system and have had a very good experience with its durability and ease of maintenance,” says Luscher. “We also visited another school here in Kentucky that used norament® grano in its cafeteria and lobby. I liked the feel under my feet. The floor had noticeable cushion. I also realized that a thicker floor wouldn’t telegraph the imperfections of our concrete at Lemons Mill. When you look down a long hallway you don’t want to see the expansion joints and imperfections of the concrete come through.”
After that visit, norament® grano was installed in the hallways and cafetorium at Lemons Mill, while noraplan eco was again used in the classrooms. With a footprint of 70,000 square feet, the new school would be home to 600 students.
In regards to upkeep benefits, Luscher says, “We are saving not only on custodial products, but custodial time by not having to apply finishes to the floor. The one thing I had to get my maintenance team accustomed to is: shiny does not equate to clean. They are used to shiny VCT floors. With nora, we run an auto scrubber in the bigger areas, some light buffing, and we’re good to go.”
Luscher continues, “When you look at sustainability, the life of a building and the life of materials, I think nora products provide a comfortable, low-maintenance and long-lasting solution that will be here long after I’m gone, and others. That’s why we chose it.”