If only things were that straightforward. These days, consumers can pick from a wide variety of raised Axminster Carpet Tiles designs.

When I was younger, life was a lot less complicated than it is today. In all honesty, there was typically only one option available, and your decision was frequently determined for you.

Today, people live in a very different world. You now have more options, but you also have a greater responsibility to educate yourself than in the past.

The question now is: how do you determine which Axminster Carpet Tiles is best for your building?

• The type of raised Axminster Carpet Tiles that you require is determined by a number of different factors, including the following:The type of application (such as a retail store, office, or data center)Establishment of a Cooling System and a Distribution of AirDemands for Cabling and Wiring (Inclusive of Routing and Distribution and Delivery)

   

Weight and Capacity to Carry Loads

If you have read this far, we will assume that you are already familiar with the requirement of an access floor. The creation of passageways below raised floors for piping, wires, cable, conduit, and airflow can be facilitated by the use of raised floors. Please read our article on how an access floor can affect the way you work if you are interested in learning more about the advantages of having one installed in your facility. If that isn't the case, then let's skip the sales pitch about why you need a raised floor and jump right into the nuts and bolts of figuring out what kind of raised floor you actually require.

Applications for the Access Floor

Before delving into the specifics of raised access floors, it would be a good idea to make a list of the different kinds of applications that could benefit from having a raised floor, including the following:

• The 911 System Includes Data Centers, Call Centers, and Command CentersCall CentersLibrariesplaces of instruction, particularly those that incorporate various forms of instructional technology

• workplaces

   

In the past, many architects, property managers, and building owners and operators were reluctant to use a raised floor in an office space because of the perceived increased maintenance costs. This is most likely the result of a combination of factors, but the most likely explanation is that the majority of these professionals are accustomed to the conventional types of raised floors, which are typically several feet high. Commercial buildings simply cannot afford to lose several feet of floor to ceiling height, even though this is a solution that is very practical in industrial applications.

The development of low profile access floors, which are primarily used for cable management, has made it possible for almost any kind of business with any kind of office to benefit from having this kind of floor.

Data Centers

Although raised access floors are not a standard requirement for datacom rooms anymore, they continue to offer a number of benefits that are difficult to overlook. These include the following:

Distribution of Air Below the Floor

Cable Management for the Piping of Chilled Water

Protection from water and flooding

How to Remove an Access Floor Panel in Order to Perform Maintenance on the Cables and Wires Beneath the Raise Floor

Type of Floor with Raised Access

The following are the two primary categories of raised access floor:

Standard or Traditional Access Floors Low Profile Access Floors (also known as Cable Management Floors)

According to the standards set by the industry, a low profile floor is one that has a height of less than six inches and is designed to facilitate the organization of conduit, wires, and cables. Because of the low height of the floor, there is no need to worry about or consider under-floor airflow.

Any floor that is higher than 6 is considered a traditional or standard access floor. The standard height is twelve feet or more, and some floors can reach heights of six feet or higher. These floors permit under-floor cable management in addition to airflow throughout the space.

Standard Flooring Material

In industrial and institutional settings, raised floors typically take the form of standard raised floors. They are built to last, have a high load capacity, and offer plenty of room for piping, wires, and cables. The lack of adaptability and complexity in operation is a drawback of this approach. Additionally, raised floors are put to good use; they do not merely occupy the space without contributing in any way.

If your requirements are such that this type of system is justified, it is likely that you have access to third-party contractors or highly trained employees within your organization who are able to service the heavy-duty systems that are installed in the floor.

One of the most significant drawbacks of traditional floors is that they do not make it simple to gain access to the pipes, wires, and cables that are located below the surface. Pulling several Axminster Carpet Tiles panels, which each typically weigh more than 35 pounds on their own, is required if you want to manage the wires and cables in your space. However, be careful not to pull too many floor panels at once, as this could cause the raised floor as a whole to become unstable. This is a significant issue when your floor is several feet off the ground.

Floor with a Low Profile

Even though some low profile access floors aren't as heavy as their more robust counterparts, their strength ratings are still quite impressive (as you'll see in the following section). They take up less ceiling height and are much simpler for on-site personnel to operate, which are two of the primary benefits that they offer.

There are no bulky panels that need to be moved. There is no danger of tumbling through a hole that is three, four, or more feet below the surface.

The decrease in underfloor height is, of course, the price to pay for this tradeoff. If you are going to be running a large 8 Chilled Water line underneath the floor, it is in your best interest to go with a traditional  design that includes panels, pedestals, and stringers.

A low profile floor may be exactly what you need, however, if you are running electrical conduit and data cables for a particular location, such as an office space, a library, or a retail store.