Stonhard Floors Meet VA Medical Center Requirements, Incuding Non-Disruptive Installation

The Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC), part of the larger Veterans Administration Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, is a teaching hospital that provides both inpatient and outpatient care to US veterans. In operation since 1950, it serves veterans who live in more than 100 surrounding counties in Nebraska, western Iowa, and parts of Kansas and Missouri. The VAMC underwent a major renovation to re-vamp floors in the procedure room wing due to the rapid deterioration of their previous vinyl sheeting and disbonded epoxy flooring system.

Facility managers and planners turned to Stonhard for a high- performance seamless flooring system. Past experience with Stonhard products and installation teams on smaller-scale jobs led VAMC to put complete trust in Stonhard and its products.

Facility planners expressed their dissatisfaction with past floors. Sheet vinyl had lasted only two years in some areas of the hospital, and an epoxy topping was removed because of poor installation and service. Their ideal flooring solution would be one that would last for the long-term, perform better, offer more benefits than traditional health-grade sheet vinyl, and provide the overall appearance and feel that planners had envisioned for this facility. Specifically, they were looking for something that would reduce noise and resist damaging betadine staining.

Stonhard suggested Stonres RTZ for the procedure rooms where staff members stand for long periods of time. Stonres RTZ offers excellent acoustic efficiency; ergonomic, chemical, and stain-resistant qualities; and a smooth, modern finish with design-worthy appeal.

Additionally, a four-inch Stonclad GS epoxy cove base was installed in the patient rooms to ensure maximum cleanliness. A cove base forms an integral seal between the floor and wall to guarantee a sanitary, easy-to-maintain environment and to give the entire system a neat, uniform appearance.

The VAMC project presented Stonhard’s team with a unique challenge: how do you renovate hospital floors without drastically disrupting patient care? The solution: the floor was installed in four separate phases.

During the procedure room installs, the surrounding areas were still in service. To ensure a safe and hygienic area for patients and hospital staff, the work area was separated from the active hospital area through effective containment planning, which included negative air, plastic zip walls, and taped joints. Stonhard's team of territory managers, area managers and construction management group provided adept, on-site support utilizing their experiences with meeting safety requirements and adhering to construction schedules.

Bob Yager, Projects Branch Supervisor of VAMC, was thoroughly impressed with Stonhard. “The scheduling of work was most helpful to us. Stonhard worked nights and weekends around a tight schedule.”

The VAMC flooring project was a success and solidified a continuing relationship between Stonhard and VAMC planners.

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