Neuner first turned to nora rubber flooring when he replaced tile in the lobby of a Geisinger facility in Wilkes-Barre, PA, with norament grano. “At the time, the nora product was the only floor covering I could find that offered matching stairtreads to give us a unified look,” he recalled. “Also, the rubber flooring was much quieter and easier to maintain.”

Since then, Neuner has managed hundreds of installations that feature nora products in lobbies, patient units, surgical suites, emergency rooms, obgyn suites, stair towers and elevators. “In almost every case,” he said, “the first comment I get from staff members is ‘This feels really good on my feet.’ I find that particularly interesting, because in many cases, we’re replacing carpet.”

The good news is, nora floors don’t require those processes,” he continued. “They actually save us time and eliminate the presence of harsh chemicals found in stripping and waxing products. In addition, the nora floors look nicer than the VCT and carpet they are replacing.”

This is especially true in the recently renovated lobby at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. Each day approximately 4,000 outpatients walk through the lobby. According to Neuner, success with other nora products influenced his decision to replace the lobby’s worn carpet with norament luxor, one of the newest products in the nora portfolio, and take advantage of luxor’s maintenance and durability benefits.

Neuner notes another benefit rubber introduces to the lobby and other areas of the hospital. “Highly waxed VCT tile creates a harsh glare as you look across lobbies or down corridors. With nora products, the absence of wax means much less glare, allowing you to better see floor patterns and color. Also, from a safety standpoint, shiny floors tend to make older patients nervous, because patients think the floor is wet. The shine also disturbs depth perception, making walking more difficult. Rubber floors eliminate those problems.”