What flooring is suitable for an exhibition stand?
Flooring suitable for an exhibition stand depends on how often the stand will be set up, how long staff and visitors will be standing, and how even the substrate is. The organiser’s technical regulations specify the required fire classification.
Evidence of the required classification should be available before an order is placed. Exhibition carpet is the most common and lowest-cost option; ribbed, needle-punch and velour carpets are available in many colours, installed with double-sided tape and removed without residue. After the event, the covering is usually discarded.
Carpet tiles can be laid loose without adhesive and used more than once. A thin carpet covering provides limited walking comfort, and irregularities in the substrate can show through it.
PVC floor coverings, commonly sold as vinyl flooring, are abrasion-resistant, easy to clean and available in many designs. Click vinyl flooring is laid without adhesive, but PVC floor coverings require an even, clean substrate and remain hard without resilience.
Where the substrate is uneven or cables need to be concealed, a raised floor system is used. The platform can be covered with laminate, exhibition carpet or vinyl flooring, but requires a substructure, installation time and edge ramps.
WARCO click tiles made from PU-bound rubber granules are laid loose without adhesive, directly on the exhibition-hall floor without a substructure. Outdoors, they can also be laid on paving, gravel or natural ground. Their dovetail-shaped edge teeth engage to form a continuous surface without tools.
The elastic structure yields slightly underfoot when walking or standing, which becomes noticeable over several exhibition days. The tiles are water-permeable and weather-resistant, making them suitable for outdoor areas. After the event, they can be lifted by hand and kept ready for the next occasion.
Versions with an EPDM wear layer achieve Cfl-s1 under BS EN 13501-1. For a one-off exhibition, exhibition carpet remains the straightforward choice; for repeated exhibitions during the year, outdoor installations or long hours at the stand, click tiles made from rubber granules are the more suitable option. The required fire classification is usually B1 under DIN 4102-1 or Cfl-s1 under BS EN 13501-1.