Story at a glance:

  • REGUPOL Revolution is commercial flooring that is safe, practical, and beautiful.
  • Revolution Recycled Rubber Commercial Flooring is manufactured in the US in more than 40 colors.
  • The flooring is made from post-consumer, recycled tire rubber, along with vivid colored rubber granules.

With REGUPOL Revolution, commercial facilities no longer have to choose between safety, practicality, and aesthetics as they select flooring. They can enjoy all three elements at an affordable cost.

Sustainability, Functionality, and Style

The new commercial flooring combines post-consumer recycled rubber, available in 46 stock colors, with vibrant colored rubber granules made from EPDM for a soft, yet strong surface that is easy to install and maintain. Custom patterns and graphics are additional product features.

“We had to shift the paradigm slightly. Traditional thinking was, ‘Oh yeah, I saw this in my gym,’” says Bill Neifert, sales manager for commercial flooring. “We had to make it look like anything but a gym floor. That meant creating new colors, visuals, and most importantly technologies. Today you’re not limited to just black or black with colored flecks. From calming blues, greens, grays, and beiges to sleek blacks, new products are easy to style and can make any space feel more relaxing and elegant instantly. The visual mimics the ageless sophistication of marble and terrazzo but is more flexible to install, easier to walk on, and warmer to the touch. Vibrant, eye-catching colors like our Black Velvet and Oasis provide a bright option for those looking for a cheerful space.”

The best part is—it’s all recycled tires.

Neifert says every 10 tires produces about 100 square feet of material. REGUPOL manufactures Revolution in 5/32 thick-by-48-inch-wide rolls. Standard roll lengths are 25 feet and 50 feet. That large manufacturing volume makes the product more cost-effective. Revolution has a 10-year warranty and is GreenCircle-certified in recycled content.

Application

Revolution can be applied in a range of commercial facilities—including schools, retail stores, hospitality buildings, museums, and corporate workplaces. It even works well in hospital laboratories where scientists work with beakers, glass products, and hot paraffin wax. Substances can be easily removed from the floor should they fall and dry to the surface.

Anywhere carpet, ceramic tile, LVT, or terrazzo can be installed, Revolution can be utilized. “The places that we can’t use it are so few,” Neifert says.

Those places include emergency operating suites, the cooking areas of commercial kitchens, and clean rooms where high technology is manufactured. Commercial kitchens are vulnerable to grease fires, and clean rooms need to be clear of dust and other foreign objects.

Why Revolution?

In addition to being easy to install, REGUPOL Revolution is durable, slip-resistant, sound-absorbing, ergonomic, and helps reduce fatigue. The product provides warmth and functionality while still looking sleek and catering to specific commercial needs.

It’s also easy to clean and maintain. Spills and other accidents won’t diminish the quality of the flooring. A quick mop and vacuum restore it to optimum condition.

“I focus on ‘What is your need?’ That is the key: What is your need?’” Neifert says. “Do you need to reduce liability? Do you need to reduce breakage in your facility? Do you need to reduce noise?” Revolution has the answer.

Revolution in Action

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Photo courtesy of REGUPOL

At Oklahoma City’s Arbor Grove Elementary school, officials wanted to make the building more kid-friendly. That meant removing the vinyl composition tiles and replacing them with REGUPOL Revolution’s rubber flooring.

Arbor Grove opted for the Mountain Top color from Revolution’s Progress Series to encourage play and optimism. Rubber flooring has become a popular commodity in educational buildings as it helps foster learning, withstands wear and tear, promotes healthier air quality, and maintains a polished look.

It also helps reduce noise in the hallways and is resistant to scuffs as well as desk and chair indentations. Arbor Grove’s principal Brenda Davis says that even after six years of installation, the flooring remains in excellent condition.

LEED Points

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Photo courtesy of REGUPOL

Revolution also qualifies for LEED points in three of nine certification bins: material and resources, indoor environmental quality, and regional priority.

A point can be earned for environmental product declarations if the building utilizes REGUPOL type III product EPD. Up to two credits can be gained for sourcing of raw materials. Recycled material in REGUPOL products depends on the flooring’s color patterns.

An additional one to two points can be earned for reporting the use of material ingredients or optimization of material ingredients. REGUPOL products disclose known hazards in compliance with the Health Product Declaration open standard. Using the GreenScreen Benchmark, REGUPOL can present a product inventory and assessment.

Products can earn an additional one to two credits for recycled content with no minimums and can meet at least five of the criteria under reporting, optimization, or other attributes. This includes recycled content, Health Product Declaration, low emissions of VOCs, and Environmental Product Declaration.

Up to three points can be earned for VOC emissions evaluation, as all REGUPOL products have been tested by the CA Department of Public Health Standard Method and certified by Berkley Analytical.

Two points can be earned for acoustic performance. Rubber absorbs and transmits sound better than other materials for surfacing. REGUPOL products that meet a 100-mile criteria are valued at 200% base cost, according to LEED.

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Learn more about REGUPOL

https://www.regupol.us

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gb&dPRO members are recognized experts in their fields and contribute opinion columns as one of their member benefits. The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and may not reflect the view of gb&d. We are committed to a diversity of voices advocating for high-performing, sustainable built environment practices. We’d like to hear what you think about this article or any of our other coverage. Send us an email at letters@gbdmagazine.com.