A large empty surface nobody is using — and unlike a wall, people walk toward it.
Floor graphics put your message where people are already looking. In a shop, in a lobby, on a trade show aisle or along a warehouse route, the floor is a large empty surface that nobody is using — and unlike a wall, people walk toward it rather than past it.
Caspian Signs & Graphics prints and installs floor graphics for retail, offices, events and industrial sites in Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver and across British Columbia. The printing is done in our own shop, and the material is chosen for the floor you actually have — which is the part that decides whether the graphic lasts a month or a year.
This is the whole job in one sentence: a floor graphic is only as good as its grip on that particular surface. The same print that lasts a year on sealed concrete will lift at the corners within a fortnight on unsealed concrete, and will not stick to carpet at all.
| Sealed concrete & polished floors | The best surface. Smooth and non-porous, so a floor vinyl with a textured laminate bonds well and lasts. |
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| Unsealed or raw concrete | Porous and dusty. Adhesive has nothing solid to grab. Needs cleaning and sealing first, or a heavier material rated for rough surfaces. |
| Vinyl, lino & sheet flooring | Works well. Watch out for recently waxed floors — the graphic bonds to the wax rather than the floor, and then lifts with it. |
| Tile | Fine on large-format tile. On small tile with deep grout lines the graphic bridges the gaps and gets kicked up at the edges, so the layout should avoid crossing them where possible. |
| Carpet | Standard floor vinyl will not stick. Carpet needs a specific carpet-adhesive graphic, which is a different material entirely. |
| Wood & laminate | Usually fine, but the removal matters — the wrong adhesive can lift finish off a wood floor. Tell us the floor is wood before we choose. |
| Outdoor & sidewalk | Needs a heavy anti-slip material made for it. Rain, grit and freeze-thaw are hard on anything lighter. |
When you ask for a quote, tell us what the floor is made of and whether it has been cleaned, sealed or waxed recently. It changes the material and it changes the price, and it is the single most common reason floor graphics fail early.
A floor graphic is something people stand on, which makes it a safety item rather than just a print. Proper floor media has a textured, slip-resistant laminate on top — it is not a wall vinyl laid on the ground. Anyone offering you a cheaper floor graphic is usually offering you a wall material, and a smooth printed film on a floor in a city where people come in from the rain with wet shoes is a hazard, not a saving.
We use material made for floors, with a textured surface rated for walking traffic. It is a small part of the cost and it is not a place to economise.
Indoors on a suitable floor, a properly specified floor graphic handles six months to a year of normal traffic comfortably, and often longer in a lower-traffic area such as an office lobby. In a doorway, in a lift, or anywhere people pivot rather than walk straight, it wears faster — a turning foot does far more damage than a passing one.
Two Vancouver-specific points. Entrance graphics take the worst of it here because of the rain: grit tracked in on wet shoes acts like sandpaper, and the first metre inside a door is the hardest-working floor in the building. And winter salt is hard on anything near an exterior door. If you want a graphic right at an entrance, expect to replace it more often than one further inside, and plan the budget around that rather than being disappointed.
| Retail — Robson, Metrotown, Oakridge, Park Royal | Promotional graphics and aisle direction. Usually short campaigns, replaced each season. |
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| Office lobbies — downtown & Burnaby towers | A logo inside the entrance and floor identification. Lower traffic, so these last well. |
| Warehouses — Big Bend, Still Creek, Richmond | Safety zones, pedestrian walkways and forklift routes. Heavy-duty material, and the floor almost always needs cleaning first. |
| Trade shows — Convention Centre, PNE | Aisle markers and booth graphics, applied and removed within the run of the show. |
| Clinics & medical — Broadway, Cambie | Directional graphics guiding patients between reception and treatment areas. |
| Presentation centres & sales suites | Guiding visitors through a display suite. See sales centre graphics. |
Not if the right material is used. Proper floor media has a textured anti-slip laminate rated for foot traffic. A wall vinyl laid on a floor is slippery, which is why we do not use one.
Yes, but it needs a carpet-specific material — standard floor vinyl will not adhere to carpet at all. Tell us the floor is carpet when you ask for a quote.
Six months to a year indoors on a suitable floor with normal traffic, longer in quieter areas. Doorways, lifts and anywhere people turn rather than walk straight will wear faster.
On sealed concrete, vinyl and tile, no. On wood and on recently waxed floors there is more risk, which is why we want to know the surface before choosing the adhesive. We remove old graphics and deal with the residue properly.
Almost always the surface. Unsealed concrete, a recently waxed floor, or small tile with deep grout lines are the usual culprits, closely followed by a graphic installed on a floor that was not properly cleaned first.
Yes. The vertical face of each step is printed so the whole flight reads as one image from the bottom. It is one of the most effective and least used surfaces in a building.
Yes, with a heavier anti-slip material made for exterior use. Expect a shorter life than indoors, because rain, grit and winter salt are hard on anything on the ground.
We print and install floor graphics, directional markings, safety zones, stair risers and anti-slip floor decals for retail, offices, warehouses and events across Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver and the rest of British Columbia.
Caspian Signs & Graphics carries liability insurance and WorkSafeBC coverage, so your project is protected from start to finish.
Or call +1 236-591-3235 — we answer during shop hours.
Also see: Large Format Printing | Wall Graphics | Office Graphics | Trade Show Displays | Wayfinding Signage | Sign Shop in Vancouver, BC