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As popular designs and trends are on the rise within specific industries, there’s one area that needs more attention than ever before. There is simply no better time to renovate run-down or outdated areas in public facilities. Two specific areas are locker rooms and restrooms. In 2023 and beyond, it’s more important than ever to provide a safe, private, modern, and inclusive design to your facility’s locker room or restroom.
So, when you’re thinking about what design trends to run with, what exactly are the biggest and most important reasons to update restrooms or lockers? Some may simply need to replace rusted lockers for better eye-appeal or safety concern since someone could get cut, others may need to take care of more challenging requests like plumbing issues creating damp environments which lead to rust and corrosion within the area. Or, some may want to upgrade for the benefit of a successful sports program to commemorate their home team. Whichever your reason for revamping your lockers or restroom partitions, it’s important for facility managers to keep in mind that these areas are more than just places to change, shower, and serve as functional public necessities—they can, in fact, complement your facility’s overall design scheme.
In this blog, we’ll discuss current design trends and what is working for the locker room and restroom partition industry based on a few factors of what’s been tried and true and rising in popularity with today’s society. Keeping these trends in mind will help your facility reap the benefits of HDPE plastic with Scranton Products brands.
Designed for Modernness & Privacy
Just because you’re looking for privacy doesn’t mean you have to forfeit a modern, sleek design that compliments the style of your restroom or locker room. Today, style and privacy go hand-in-hand, and everyone wants to feel comfortable in a private setting such as restrooms or locker rooms.
Scranton Products® Aria Partitions® are our full height partition and were developed to add enhanced comfort and privacy to your restroom design. Aria Partitions aesthetics combined with its solid HDPE material gives you a restroom design , and customizable to fit your project’s desired level of privacy and design.
Locker rooms are places that have a bad reputation because we often associate them with loud, slamming, rusty lockers from storing damp or sweaty items in. No matter what storage needs your facility has, Tufftec Lockers® have a solution. With a multitude of styles, configurations, and interchangeable options, you can create customized lockers that make the most of a space, while still giving you design options that complement your building in a durable HDPE material.
Restroom Partitions are Gender Inclusive
Co-ed dorms are on the rise, including gender-inclusive bathrooms in public facilities such as colleges and universities, now more than ever. Low privacy bathroom designs are a thing of the past! Instead, choose high-privacy restroom partitions that reduce sightlines and boastfully enclosed compartments that are not only attractive but also gender-neutral friendly.
We aren’t just talking about dorms and restroom facilities in high traffic areas, some students did not feel safe nor comfortable in their campus recreational facilities locker rooms because they were outdated, and not giving as much privacy as they would like. It’s important for these high-traffic facilities to accommodate the needs of others to feel safe and secure in a locker room or restroom that is meant for changing and private purposes.
Aesthetically Pleasing Designs
An attractive, sophisticated restroom partition or locker can make all the difference when it comes to the appearance of a commercial restroom or locker room. In fact, many facilities opt for slightly more expensive materials for their counters in order to create this quality look.
But did you know that higher quality materials, such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic, are often nonporous which means they’ll stay cleaner since HDPE is naturally germ resistant? This type of material may be slightly more expensive at the initial purchase, but the costs you’ll save in maintenance over the years making it less expensive in the long run.
When it comes to locker design, Scranton Products creates lockers and restrooms for strength and durability, all while keeping a modern, clean, and sophisticated design. The major difference between metal and HDPE lockers and partitions is the impact resistant properties that HDPE plastic holds. These products are also resistant to mold and bacteria, have low maintenance costs due to being power washable and steam cleanable, and offer the ability to choose from an array of styles for a custom locker or partition that matches your brand.
Sustainable Products
More and more companies are considering the carbon footprint they’re leaving and choosing sustainable products that are less harmful to the environment and better for the people in the facility. Some products give off emissions that reduce the quality of the air and can end up diminishing health.
Not only is HDPE plastic customizable, impact and moisture resistant, power-washable, easy to maintain, but Scranton Products® HDPE plastic also provides an extensive collection of colors and textures to choose from for your next restroom or locker room project.
When we are talking about restroom partitions, opting to choose plastic shoes and brackets increases the overall sustainability of your system by allowing the recycling process to become more streamlined at end-of-use, allowing for easier disposal. Not only do they both retain the same benefits offered by solid plastic materials, but they can be recycled all at once instead of being separated.
HDPE plastic can be made from recycled material and helps improve the air quality. This is especially helpful for restrooms and locker rooms that are heavily used, and are very easy to clean, and of course will never rust. And because HDPE plastic is solid color throughout, it never requires paint, so VOC emissions are avoided.
Focusing on Student Athletes
It’s to no surprise that school sports are a major part of a lot of students’ lives. Where the sport starts and ends is often in a Scranton Products Tufftec Lockers are engravable so you can show your school pride with your mascot or team logo, too!
What’s even more important with branding and mascot is recruiting visits for potential future players that are going to be representing the team and school. A cohesive design throughout a locker room is necessary in order to establish team-wide communication for those specific mascot and colors for the team’s history, community, and culture.
Hopefully now you have a better understanding of today’s current design trends for restroom partitions and lockers. It’s a given that we are focused on sustainability and privacy options now more than ever and it’s up to us to implement these needs into current design trends.
As a facility manager in charge of an entire school, there are probably a bunch of tasks that you’re not a fan of. In fact, you may even loathe them, so why not find a way to get rid of them? One of the most common tasks that has caused considerable dislike is routine locker maintenance. Given the number of lockers in your school, and the variety of issues that can occur with them, facility managers simply hate the meticulous nature of maintaining them. However, because it’s a school, you can’t simply get rid of the lockers and have barren hallways. Students need storage compartments for their books and supplies, but there has to be a better alternative that can reduce your workload.
The 5 Tasks of Locker Maintenance That Facility Managers Despise
- Painting. Giving all of your lockers a fresh coat of paint is never fun. Sometimes, though, there are no other options. Whether the exterior is chipping, or there’s considerable wear and tear, you can’t get away with painting just one locker. Still, while you’re carefully brushing the paint on, you may also dislike the fact that it’s filling your school with harmful VOC emissions.
- Graffiti Removal. It’s hard not to take graffiti personally since it’s you that has to clean it off the locker. This requires more repainting, which simply adds to the frustration because you know it can, and probably will, happen again.
- Removing Rust. Facility managers hate rust removal because it’s so tedious. Whether you’re using vinegar or baking soda, endlessly scrubbing one specific spot on a locker is an easy way to wear your wrist out, let alone drive you crazy.
- Meticulous Cleaning. In order to prevent signs of rust, unsightly stains, or dust, the lockers require significant cleaning. Power washing makes the process a lot easier, but even that results in considerable cleanup, and you have to wait until students are out of the building.
- Replacing Lockers. When they can’t take any more, lockers need to be replaced. They get slammed shut every day and they’re exposed to the elements. However, replacing them can result in high costs and painstaking installation.
Getting Rid of These Menial Tasks
If you’ve always fantasized about ways to rid yourself of these meticulous, dull, yet important tasks, there are actually ways to get around them while still having viable lockers and storage compartments for students. HDPE plastic has been introduced to schools across the country, and has met with positive results among students and facility managers. These lockers have successfully cut down on routine maintenance. HDPE is a solid plastic, so it has a durable structure that’s actually resistant to impacts, scratches, and rust. When there’s graffiti present, you don’t have to open a fresh can of paint. The graffiti can simply be wiped off the locker without affecting the locker’s homogenous color. You’ll save time and money on maintenance with HDPE lockers. They’ll provide the necessary storage for students while ridding your day of those pesky tasks. Finding ways to cut your maintenance costs is great, but finding a way to eliminate the task altogether is every facility manager’s dream. Implementing HDPE plastic into your school will reduce the time and money that goes into your school’s maintenance. That way you’ll have a long lasting material that doesn’t require any frustrating or meticulous maintenance, allowing you to use your time towards more important and pressing tasks in your school. Want to learn more about HDPE lockers and the benefits of choosing them for your school? Download this eBook, The Ultimate Guide to HDPE Plastic Lockers, from your friends at Scranton Products.
Privacy is one of the most crucial components to your bathroom. Using the restroom is something that everyone experiences, and more often than not, they want to experience it privately. So, you need to figure out ways to ensure that your bathroom and the toilet partitions offer enough privacy and security for occupants to use comfortably. Keeping reading to check out some great bathroom privacy ideas!
Determining Any Weaknesses in Privacy & Security
While you may think that your bathroom is confidential enough for you, you may want to take a closer look to notice some of the weak spots that hinder one’s privacy. This may include visible vantage points above or below the stall. However, it can also include the separation in the stall’s pieces, which may provide a clear view in between the door and the frame. If you notice these imperfections and issues, you should start thinking of ways to correct them so occupants can go to the bathroom worry-free.
Bathroom Privacy Ideas to Get Started
Here are some bathroom privacy ideas to get your gears turning and a full bathroom plan if you’re starting from scratch:
- Add peel-and-stick frosted privacy glass over windows.
- Separate your space with folding restroom privacy screens.
- Find the right stall that offers ample privacy.
- Sightlines can be removed through shiplap cut edges.
- Angled doors and hidden hardware offer extra privacy to guests.
Bathroom Stalls with Ample Privacy
Some bathroom stalls on the market can offer your guests ample privacy. Their sightlines can easily be removed through a shiplap cut edge. Once closed, these partitions provide zero visibility due to the cut edges perfecting shutting out the seam.
Other HDPE toilet stalls, like Aria Partitions®, are specifically designed to provide each occupant with the higher privacy. Aria Partitions will provide you with innovative designs like overlapping edges, continuous edge mounted hinges and floor mounted side panels to keep these partitions as secure and private as possible.
Using HDPE for Private Partitions
HDPE plastic can be tailored to fit any design for your facility’s restroom. Whether you’re going for free-standing stalls, between-walls, open-ends, or alcove-style partitions, you’ll be happy to know that HDPE can be a versatile material to utilize in your restroom for your custom partitions. HDPE can be produced in a variety of different sizes, so you can figure out the best options to provide a secure toilet stall for your occupants who hold privacy very high.
It’s no secret that people want privacy when they’re using a public restroom. If you’re looking for ways to make your facility’s restroom more private for the occupants, check out the eBook Restroom Design for Commercial Facilities from your friends at Scranton Products.
Scranton Products’ Aria Partitions™ were awarded a 2018 Architectural Products Magazine “Product Innovation Award” (PIA), judged by a group of 16 industry professionals. The program annually honors innovation in the development and refinement of building-related products, while recognizing outstanding manufacturer new product introductions.
“Building on the success of last year’s program, our eighth edition of this award proves commercial building manufacturers are committed to, and are working arduously toward, delivering more sustainable products, as well as products that deliver better performance and affordability,” said Jim Crockett, editorial director, Architectural Products Magazine.
“We are very honored to have Aria among the innovations in this year’s PIA Awards,” said Rob Donlon, vice president of sales & marketing at Scranton Products. “The recognition emphasizes the overall quality and innovation of this product line. Our goal is to make Aria Partitions the industry standard for safety, comfort and stylish elegance in commercial restrooms nationwide.”
Designed with striking aesthetics and offering countless options for making every restroom a one-of-a-kind creation. The award highlights the beauty and privacy of a partition system that can be customized with 17 innovative door designs, 7 panel designs and 27 rich colors & textures to create aesthetics that rise well above traditional commercial restroom styles. In addition to reducing intrusive sightlines, the partitions’ continuous edge-mounted hinges eliminate the need for unsightly face-mounted hardware.
The 2018 Product Innovation Awards from Architectural Products will be announced in the publication’s November issue. To learn more about Scranton Products’ new Aria Partitions please visit scrantonprodu1.wpengine.com or call 800-445-5148.
Lockers are a necessity for schools of all kinds. As a facility manager, it’s your responsibility to maintain them properly throughout the years, and they require a certain amount of upkeep, such as fixing dents in lockers, tightening latches, and scrubbing away rust. Unless you have plastic lockers, they also need to be painted every once in a while, so they can continue retaining the aesthetics of your school.
However, when it comes to painting metal lockers, there are a few important steps you’ll need to take. To successfully paint your school’s lockers, you’ll need to follow these crucial steps.
Picking the Right Time to Paint
When it’s a busy school day, finding the time or the space to paint any metal lockers can be tricky. That’s why it’s always good to embark on a locker painting project during a holiday break or during the summer, when there’s only a few faculty and staff in the school. That way, you won’t have a lot of interference with rows of students heading to class. It’s also beneficial during a low occupancy day because of the VOC emissions that will be put off from the painting.
Choosing the Right Place
Now that you’ve got your time to paint, you need your place. Find an open area in the school that you can paint. It will allow you to have the room to paint multiple lockers, so you can start getting the job done. That way, you can reinstall the lockers quickly. You can paint the lockers where they stand, but you’ll need plenty of tarp or drop cloth coverage to prevent any paint from getting on the floor or the wall.
Painting Your Lockers
Before you start painting the metal lockers, you’ll want to use a paint primer that’s designed for metal. It will help the paint stick while providing some much-needed protection to the paint once it dries. Before beginning to apply the primer or the paint, you’ll need to make sure that the lockers are cleaned thoroughly, so there aren’t any imperfections once you’re completed. When you paint the lockers, you’ll need to apply multiple coats to make sure that the color matches on each locker.
Why Plastic Lockers are Better
Metal lockers are very durable and reliable storage compartments for the students. Sometimes, though, their maintenance, care, and upkeep outweigh their usefulness compared to plastic lockers. The constant maintenance and repainting certainly adds to the locker’s costs. What you need is a reliable locker that doesn’t require the constant upkeep while retaining its appearance and durability.
HDPE plastic school lockers are a great place to start because they don’t require a paint job. They’re available in a variety of homogenous colors that will stand up to the elements. Plastic lockers don’t require as much up keep as metal lockers, and can actually outlast metal lockers because they don’t rust. If there’s graffiti present, too, it can simply be wiped away.
Do you want to learn more about HDPE plastic lockers and how they can save you time and money with your school and maintenance? Check out this free eBook, The Ultimate Guide to HDPE Plastic Lockers, from your friends at Scranton Products.
When you’re the building manager for a school, you know that there’s no escaping routine maintenance. It’s a necessary ingredient to running a functional building. However, as a facility manager, it’s imperative to stay ahead of any mechanical failures, repairs, and otherwise lengthy maintenance projects. What you need to do is come up with a preventative maintenance plan for your school to help you stay on top of everything.
Here’s a few helpful tips and tricks on getting the right preventative maintenance plan together.
Rally the Team
The first step towards executing the proper preventative maintenance plan is having a team of professionals to rely on to help you see your plans through. As the facility manager, you can’t be everywhere at once to spot any minor issues that could develop into a major problem. However, when you have members of your staff that are just as dedicated to staying on top of maintenance, your plan can proceed with great results. Through coordination and communication, tackling any major issues will be a lot easier.
Determine Your School’s Weaknesses
In order to stay on top of issues with preventative maintenance, you need to figure out the areas that are most likely to result in problems. This includes checking your HVAC system to ensure that it’s operating at capacity, your water system to find any impurities, and, of course, the bathrooms. Your school’s bathrooms and locker rooms are susceptible to mold growth, specifically with the partitions, which can reduce the air quality and result in an unpleasant odor.
Luckily, materials like HDPE plastic partitions are durable, solid, and impenetrable to mold and mildew, so you can passively keep your bathroom from sprouting mold by utilizing this solid plastic. This material can even be used for lockers to replace the metal ones that are in your school. Metal can dent, get rusty, chip its paint, and even get covered in graffiti. HDPE plastic lockers are impact-resistant, and when it comes to graffiti, all it takes is a simple wipe to remove it. You don’t have to add a fresh coat of paint to this material because it will keep its aesthetics intact while cutting down on your maintenance costs and time.
Plan the Schedule
It’s important that you coordinate your maintenance plan with the school schedule to determine the best time to complete certain projects. Throughout the school year, getting major projects completed can be difficult because the school is at its highest occupancy. Also, heavy-duty maintenance can be a major distraction during lessons.
Save any major maintenance projects for summer. Given that there are many fewer occupants in the building, getting the projected completed will be a lot easier during the summer. Winter break is another window for projects, but make sure you can determine what can be done given the amount of time you have to complete it.
By planning out your preventative maintenance, you’ll be able to keep your school in great condition with all of its systems functioning properly.
Want to learn more about preventative facility maintenance? Download this free eBook, The Ultimate Guide or Facility Maintenance & Property Solutions, from your friends at Scranton Products.
As a facility manager, there are many ways that you can make your commercial bathroom a little more comfortable. Softer lighting tends to work, as do air fresheners. However, one of the biggest complaints that occupants have of the restrooms in their office building is the lack of privacy with the toilet partitions. This a common issue among many commercial bathrooms, and the demand for improvements on toilet compartment privacy has been on the rise.
Below, we’ll state the common problems with toilet compartment privacy, and we’ll even list some helpful solutions to help you get started on making your facility’s restroom more comfortable and private for your occupants.
Problems with the Lack of Privacy in Commercial Restrooms
You’d think that toilet stalls are private enough, but there are a few factors that may have been overlooked when you ordered your partitions. The major complaint is the gap between the door and the actual partition. While some gaps vary in size, the issue still remains that there’s a gap that provides an unwanted view inside of the stall when the door is closed. No one likes being watched, or being visible while they’re going to the bathroom.
Another issue is the open space from the floor to the bottom of the partition. While this isn’t as bad as the door gap, it’s still unsettling that your feet are clearly visible when you’re in the stall. Some stalls are even short, which can create an uncomfortable scenario when the occupant in the next stall happens to be taller than the actual partitions.
Choosing Better Materials
When you’re faced with an issue of privacy, or lack thereof, you’ll need to find the route of the problem. Most commonly, the stalls that you have in your facility face the gap dilemma. One way to combat this is by choosing different toilet partitions.
Hiny Hiders and Eclipse Partitions® provide excellent privacy with occupants. Their design incorporates the shiplap cut edges, so when the door to the partition is closed, it’s closed tightly and reduce any gaps or unwanted sightlines. These partitions can be customized to fit the overall design or size of the restroom in your facility.
These toilet partitions also have a variety of benefits because they’re made from HDPE. This solid plastic provides a more durable material that is resistant to scratches, dents, and impacts. These stalls can even hold up to constant moisture exposure and won’t absorb any that would otherwise create mold. Common restroom partitions have a paper core that can absorb the moisture and sprout mold, which is hard to get out. So, those kinds of stalls are inevitably replaced, which can be costly over time. HDPE plastic simply lasts longer and requires less maintenance.
Are you considering making the jump to HDPE to make your toilet partitions more private and comfortable? Check out this free eBook, The Professional’s Guide to Commercial Bathroom Renovations and Remodels, from your friends at Scranton Products.
Scranton, PA, Oct. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Scranton Products, a world leader in restroom partitions and lockers, has combined striking aesthetics and enhanced privacy with the introduction of its new line of Aria Partitions®. Specifically developed for restroom privacy and
beauty, each system is available with 17 innovative door designs, 7 panel designs and 27 rich colors and textures, rising above typical, commercial restroom styles.
Aria Partitions offer an enhanced level of comfort and privacy that add elegance, warmth, and charm to virtually any enclosed or private room. This includes making a bold statement that distinctly elevate standard restroom interiors with captivating, beautiful designs and simple sophistication.
“From hospitality to hospitals and institutions, restrooms often create a lasting impression,” said David Casal, Director of Sales Administration, Scranton Products. “With unlimited design options, Aria Partitions are perfect for creating one-of-a-kind restrooms that really standout from common designs for innovative facilities that really want to make a statement and impress patrons. Say goodbye to large sight lines, boring flat doors and large gaps and hello to stylish elegance.”
In addition to removing sightlines to ensure higher privacy, Aria Partitions are designed with a continuous edge-mounted hinge. This provides increased privacy as well as improved aesthetics because there is no face mounted hardware as seen on traditional partition systems. The system also comes with a shoeless pilaster which makes it easier to clean and provides a much more elegant design. Optional engraved designs on doors and side panels add the ultimate design element turning your partition system into the highlight of the room.
To learn more about Scranton Products’ new Aria Partitions please visit www.scrantonproducts.com or call 800-445-5148.
About Scranton Products:
With more than 30 years of experience, Scranton Products provides “Innovative Solutions for a Better Future,” with innovative, creative designs that create a lasting impression. The industry leader in plastic bathroom partitions and lockers, Scranton Products bathroom partitions and lockers are constructed from premium, American-made solid plastic for unmatched durability that stands up to dents, scratches, corrosion, graffiti and mildew. When you purchase Scranton Products, you are investing in peace of mind. With endless design options and an array of designer colors and textures, Scranton Products installs confidence and elegant style in every project.
