Museums help to satisfy people’s natural curiosity about the world and its social, cultural, and religious history, and most rely on a steady stream of visitors to ensure that precious artefacts can be sensitively cared for. Visitor numbers to the UK’s museums are consistently high, ranging from thousands to millions each year, which introduces challenges in terms of maintenance, particularly to floor surfaces. High volumes of footfall and the movement of heavy or bulky artefacts on wheeled trolleys can cause rapid wear, so it is essential that museums utilise a resistant and durable flooring material to minimise long-term costs and the risk of accidents.
In this article, we’ll explore why commercial resin flooring is a suitable and cost-effective choice in museums.
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Improve Durability And Safety
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Epoxy resin flooring is extremely durable and resilient to wear and tear. Five times the thickness of normal paint, it resists the ingress of moisture, which is particularly important in buildings which visitors may be entering from rainy conditions outside. With excellent resistance to abrasion, it is a logical choice for areas which will be exposed to high levels of footfall, minimising the need for early replacement.
Because smooth floor surfaces may become slippery when wet, epoxy resin floors in museums must be laid with a suitable additive to increase friction and reduce the risks of accidents. As well as keeping your visitors safe, this will protect your institution from legal action.
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Promote Museum Aesthetics
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Modern museums are no longer dark and dingy places with rows of glass cabinets, but bright, immersive, and interactive spaces in which people can learn about the world and its history. Epoxy commercial resin flooring can play an important part in creating a welcoming and engaging atmosphere in which museum artefacts are exhibited. Neutral colours help exhibits to stand out in each room, catching visitors’ attention and increasing their engagement, while intricate patterns or even the organisation’s logo can also be incorporated into the flooring to showcase the museum’s identity at desirable points.
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Ensure Easy Cleaning
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Epoxy resin floors are extremely easy to clean, requiring little more than a mop to quickly eliminate dirt and debris. To achieve an attractive shine, the surface can also be buffed: the sheen will reduce the need for artificial lighting in dim conditions or will enhance the use of focused lighting to showcase the museum’s exhibits. Because epoxy resin is hardwearing, little in the way of maintenance will be needed, so rooms won’t have to be put out of bounds for repairs, and cleaning detergents can be used without the risk of damaging the floor’s surface.
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Enhance The Visitor Experience
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Finally, epoxy resin floors are so versatile that you can even incorporate visitor information when choosing your design or colour scheme. For example, you can add the names of individual rooms or galleries so visitors understand which part of the museum they are in; provide wayfinding information to guide visitors around the building; or feature background information about exhibits to reduce demand on wall space.
Find Out More About Commercial Resin Flooring
For more information about our epoxy resin floors or to request a free, no-obligation quotation, please get in touch with ARTI today.
Image Source: Unsplash
