When exhibitors think about trade show booth accessories, they often overlook the value flooring provides.
Skipping flooring can be a mistake because of how practical and effective this accessory is. The right flooring option gives your booth a professional and polished look that helps to grab attention.
While many eye-catching booth accessories require additional graphic design, added components, or more electricity in your booth, most flooring requires very little added expense and is simple for one person to install.
Flooring is an effective and practical accessory that too many people ignore when designing and ordering their trade show booth.
Types of trade show flooring
To start, there are many different styles, colors, and options available for exhibitors when it comes to trade flooring.
Main Styles Of Trade Show Flooring
- Rollable Vinyl
- Hardwood Tiles
- SoftWood Tiles
- Soft Mat Tiles
- Carpet Tiles
- Rollable Carpet
- Rubber Tiles
Again, these are just some of the main options you’ll find for your booth. Aside from style type, these will also come with additional options like custom colors and patterns, beveled or standard edges, branded prints, etc.
Narrowing Down Your Trade Show Flooring Search
While there are a lot of options to choose from, we’ve found that customers who are purchasing a portable or semi-portable trade show booth typically stick with one of two different styles, being Soft Wood Tiles or Soft Carpet Tiles.
Both options have their own benefits but they also share quite a few similarities that are attractive to exhibitors.
Soft Wood Flooring Tiles
Soft Wood Flooring Tiles are probably the most common style of flooring purchased for 10x10 and 10x20 exhibits. These tiles are typically square in size (2ft x 2ft) and consist of a foam base with a wood grain designed laminate on top. Each tile has pre-cut edges and connects to other tiles like a large puzzle piece. Tiles on the exterior of your booth use narrow pieces to create a flat edge look.
Benefits of Soft Wood Foam Flooring Tiles
1. Affordable
Purchasing your own flooring for a 10x10 booth is under $300. This total is often more affordable than renting the same flooring at just one or two shows.
2. Lightweight
An entire 10x10 softwood flooring section weighs under 35 lbs.
3. Easy to Install
Complete installation of your 10ft softwood flooring space often takes around 15 minutes. You just interlock the tiles together using the pre-cut edges like a large puzzle. Just be sure that the tiles are following the same wood grain throughout the entire space.
4. Polished Hardwood Look
Soft Wood tile flooring looks like a hardwood floor but feels like a foam mat. This hardwood look goes great with nearly any display and adds a clean, polished appearance to your booth space.
5. Comfortable for Guests/Staff to Stand On
One of the best kept secrets of this accessory is that it doesn't just look great, it feels great when you're at an event, on concrete floors, for hours at a time. Guests will walk into your booth and immediately notice a difference. While this flooring won’t sell your product or close a deal, it will add a nice boost to your guests' experience with your brand.
While these foam tiles are great to stand on and are very portable, you do need to be aware that these tiles can be punctured by pointy objects or high heeled shoes in some cases. Often exhibitors will need to replace or shift several tiles after every 1-3 events.
Fortunately, the tiles are both easy and affordable to replace when needed. After all, owning your own set of flooring and replacing several tiles after a few events will often save you money compared to renting flooring at one or two shows.
Soft Carpet Flooring Tiles
Soft Carpet Tile Flooring is an industry standard and likely the most popular style of flooring upgrade. This flooring option is very common in 10x20 and 20x20 display spaces due to its durable nature and ability to withstand heavier display styles.
Benefits of Soft Carpet Flooring Tiles
1. Affordable
Soft Carpet is typically only about $100 more than soft wood flooring per 10ft section, making it still very affordable for all size booth spaces.
2. Lightweight
At roughly 40 lbs per 10x10 section, soft carpet is a great portable flooring option
3. Easy To Install
As with most flooring tiles, soft carpet uses interlocking tabs that fit together like a large puzzle. Carpet tiles are also marked with arrows to ensure the pile is consistent throughout.
4. Durability
Soft Carpet is remarkably durable which adds to its overall value. Due to it’s durable nature, soft carpet is very popular with exhibitors using heavier, extrusion based displays. These larger exhibits may puncture softer foam flooring options but carpet flooring can be used over and over again with very little concern.
5. Defines Your Booth Space
While soft carpet may not have the full visual impact of a hardwood floor, it does help to define your booth space from the standard concrete at your exhibit hall. This definition helps to create a professional and finished look.
While the soft carpet flooring has a little firmer feel when compared to the Soft Wood Flooring, it still uses a foam base that provides solid cushioning and a clear upgrade to the standard trade show floors.
Common Trade Show Flooring Summary
There are numerous options and styles of flooring to choose from for your trade show booth. In our experience, we have found that most customers with portable displays in 10x10, 10x20, and 20x20 booth spaces prefer lightweight foam tiles.
The most common of these tile flooring options are the soft wood foam tiles, that look like hardwood floors but offer a much softer and lighter profile, and the soft carpet tiles, that have a more durable finish while offering a cushioned feel.
Picking the best flooring option for your space depends on your displays, products, and design. If you have any questions about flooring or want help picking the best option for your booth, please feel free to call us 877.663.3976 or email us at info@moddisplays.com.
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