Canton, N.C.— Lisa Leatherwood, MSN, RN and administrator of Silver Bluff Village, a family-owned and operated senior living community, sought to refresh the design of the corridors and nurses’ station in the main skilled nursing building, a long-term care facility serving more than 120 patients here. Her design challenges were to replace the carpet without creating a louder environment and specify a surface that was easier for the staff to clean and maintain. 
“Our main building was built in 1984, and it originally featured luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) throughout,” Leatherwood said. “Nurses, staff, patients and families all use the halls, and noise was a major issue.” According to Leatherwood, acoustics is a major issue in senior living communities.
Leatherwood began searching for an alternative to carpet. She learned about Ecore flooring after attending a skilled nursing convention. She then made the decision to install Ecore’s Forest Rx surface in European Oak in the hallways of all four resident wings.
Forest Rx features 5 millimeters of Ecore’s composition rubber fusion-bonded to the back of a heterogeneous vinyl layer. This combination creates a surface that may possibly reduce the risk of injury associated with falls while offering sound control and comfort underfoot.
“No one noticed a difference in noise between the carpet and the Ecore flooring, and we didn’t receive a single complaint,” Leatherwood said. “We are extremely satisfied with the Ecore floors.”
