A new ‘knitted’ vinyl flooring is launched, and a new hospital plays with colour in its choice of bacteria-resistant floor coverings

Floorink by Printed Space

Floorink by Printed Space has launched its new 'knitted' floor range created with knitwear designer Melanie Porter. This digitally printed cushioned vinyl flooring puts the comforting texture and quirky cool of Porter's most popular knits underfoot.

A range of her knitted patterns have been photographed and these images have been converted into artwork ready for printing to fit any size floor space. The range features patterns such as the classic cable, bramble and fishing net stitch that can be scaled up or down depending how much of an exaggerated look is desired.

The range creates a way to feature the cosy feeling and texture of knitwear for a surface on which it would normally be impractical to do so. Being vinyl flooring, Floorink is easy to clean and maintain and is custom-made to fit individual projects.

Royal Oldham Hospital

Flooring by Polyflor has been used for some 10,000 sq m of space at the new Women and Children's Unit at the Royal Oldham Hospital.

The Pearlazzo PUR range in a variety of different colours has been installed and several designs have been water-jet cut into the floor for added effect. Alison Gilmore, market manager at Polyflor says: 'It can be welded at the seams and to coved skirtings to create continuous, impermeable surfaces that offer no sanctuary to dirt and bacteria. Its surface treatment also means that the flooring is very easy and simple to clean.'

The hospital's facilities manager David Shepherd adds: 'It is vital that the hospital is a pleasant and welcoming environment for our staff, patients and visitors and we feel strongly that a healthy environment promotes a greater sense of wellbeing and can help with recovery.'

This article was first published in fx Magazine.