^{Shaw Contract Featured Products In These Photos: Origin (Rigid Mineral Core 4338V) in Theory (38140)}

How Town Pump Found Success with Shaw Contract MineralFloor and Entryway Carpet Tile

^{Article Written By: Frances Phillips: Shaw Contract, Senior Content Manager. Published by: Shaw Contract}

For convenience stores like Town Pump in Montana, maintaining durable, clean and attractive flooring is no small feat. With more than 275 locations across the state, these high-traffic retail spaces endure heavy customer traffic and deliveries by dollies and pallets daily, compounded by harsh winter conditions. Installation issues with porcelain tile led Town Pump to explore alternative flooring solutions. 

Enter Shaw Contract MineralFloor a high-performance hybrid flooring option designed to combine the durability of porcelain with the ease of resilient flooring. The Town Pump convenience storechain has successfully installed Shaw Contract MineralFloor in five new construction projects and four remodels across Montana in the last year. Averaging between five to 10 new construction projects and remodels annually, MineralFloor is now Town Pump’s flooring standard. 

“I would recommend MineralFloor to any retail chains. This mineral composite flooring provides a long-lasting, easy-to-clean, classic look at all our facilities. The composition of the material is what really caught my attention. It is more robust than an LVT plank and yet more flexible and crack resistant than porcelain tile all while maintaining its resistance to water." - Town Pump Director of Construction & Development, Dan Sampson

Addressing Flooring Installation Challenges in Retail Convenience Stores

Prior to the MineralFloor flooring brand standard, Town Pump installed porcelain tile flooring in its convenience store locations across Montana. Porcelain tile is a widely used flooring option in the retail industry, and skilled porcelain tile installers are critical to the long-term success of the flooring.

“We were experiencing a lot of cracking and breakage of the tile floors we were using prior to changing to MineralFloor. While the immediate cause was from running carts of product across the floor during stocking and deliveries, the root cause comes back to installation,” Sampson explains. “Good tile installers are in short supply, and all too often the tile gets installed with voids in the thin-set application. As soon as you apply weight to the tile, any areas with voids underneath crack and break.”

Porcelain tile has long been a go-to option for convenience stores but not without some drawbacks:

• Labor Shortage: Skilled tile setters routinely prioritize high-end residential projects where they receive higher pay, often making it difficult to secure experienced labor in rural areas for commercial installation projects.
• Installation Challenges: Improper mortar application on subfloors can lead to cracking and breakage about a year after installation, increasing long-term maintenance concerns.
• Frequent Damage: Heavy delivery roller traffic and dropped inventory compounds the improper mortar installation, leading to cracked and broken tiles about a year after the initial installation.
• Costly Repairs: Replacing broken porcelain tiles requires specialized installation crews, commonly costing thousands of dollars and lengthy repair wait times.
• High Maintenance: Grout lines make cleaning labor-intensive, especially in Montana’s winters, where mud, snow, and salt are tracked indoors.

These challenges highlighted the need for a flooring solution tailored to the unique demands of Town Pump's high-traffic environment.

Acoustics, Maintenance Ease: Added Benefits of MineralFloor in Retail Environments

MineralFloor benefits at Town Pump extend beyond aesthetics. Sampson said one unexpected feature of MineralFloor is improved acoustics in the convenience stores, which range on average between 11,000 to 30,000 square feet per store location. Sampson said store managers and employees have noticed that MineralFloor absorbs more sound than porcelain tile, tremendously improving in-store acoustics.

Elimination of grout lines with MineralFloor has been another benefit for the store locations. Heavy retail traffic and Montana’s harsh climate conditions of snow, mud, dirt and ice melt results in constant maintenance challenges in the convenience stores. “While the elements are easy to clean off porcelain tile, cleaning grout lines is extremely difficult. Eliminating grout lines with MineralFloor has reduced the labor for cleaning and helps keeps our stores looking neat and tidy,” Sampson said.

By eliminating tripping hazards of cracked and broken tiles in past installations, Sampson said MineralFloor has increased the safety of both customers and employees at Town Pump.

MineralFloor: Experience the Key Benefits

1. Unmatched Durability

• Engineered to withstand heavy foot traffic, dollies and pallet movement
• Resistant to cracks and breaks

2. Ease of Installation

• Installs three times faster than porcelain tile: requires minimal floor preparation and no mortar or grout, enabling LVT installation crews to handle the job
• Faster installation reduces downtime, allowing stores to open faster

3. Low Maintenance

• No grout lines mean easier cleaning: dry mopping in summer and wet mopping in winter
• Supports deep cleaning with low-RPM cleaners, keeping floors pristine

4. Cost Savings

• Eliminates the need for specialized porcelain tile crews, reducing labor costs
• Minimizes repair expenses, as MineralFloor planks can be easily replaced without extensive disruption

Retail Convenience Store Cleaning Enhanced With Entryway Carpet Tile

Town Pump also incorporated entryway carpet tiles in vestibule areas, the most abused spaces in convenience stores. Entryway carpet tiles are specifically manufactured to trap dirt, mud and moisture, reducing wear on interior flooring and simplifying maintenance. Adding entryway carpet tiles not only extends the life of MineralFloor but also enhances the overall cleanliness and traps moisture at the door.

The Results: A Transformational Change

Since transitioning to MineralFloor, Town Pump has reported significant improvements:

• Reduced Maintenance Costs: Simplified cleaning routines and fewer repairs.
• Improved Aesthetics: Floors maintain their appearance even under heavy use.
• Faster Project Turnarounds: Shorter installation times have accelerated store renovations and new construction. 
• Enhanced Customer Experience: Clean, durable floors contribute to a welcoming retail environment

Shaw Contract Featured Products In These Photos: Origin (Rigid Mineral Core 4338V) in Theory (38140)