Published: 24 March 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Furnishing a Library

School libraries are changing fast. Like classroom designs, they have to meet very different needs than they once did, and with that change comes a necessary shift in bookcase options. Before you design a new school library or offer a facelift to the old one, though, exploring the many choices available to you is a good idea. Take a look:

Single or Double Faced: Depending on the layout of your library, you may want to go with single or double faced book cases. Single faced are those that have a back panel with shelving on a single side. They work best against the walls of your library space. Double faced shelves have panels on both sides for sturdy book storage that makes the most of the available space in your library. You may need a combination of the two to achieve the right layout.
Construction Materials: Today’s school libraries are as much about feel as they are about the contents of the library itself, and going with bookcases that are a bit different can give you that warm feel you want. Wooden bookshelves offer you a classic look that comes in a number of different finishes. Steel bookcases are lighter and less expensive and can sometimes come in non-traditional finishes like school colors. You can also choose from newer options like those with wood and steel for the classic look without the cost.
Shelves: You typically have the option of going with adjustable or fixed shelving with each book case purchase. Adjustable shelves give you flexibility to change the layout at some point in the future to help make your library a bit different every single year. Fixed shelving, though, may be a must in elementary library settings so students can reach the bookcases.

No matter what bookcases you choose, let us help. Contact us today to reach a personal project manager who can help you select the right layout for your space.

Published: 18 March 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Seating Solutions

Flexibility – it’s key for many facilities these days. From auditoriums to meeting spaces, the ability to configure and reconfigure means more options with every event. For most, that flexibility can only be achieved through portable seating, but the last thing you want people to think of when they consider your space is hard metal folding chairs. Wondering how you can move things to an entirely different level? Custom portable seating can help, particularly if you incorporate these three options:

Contour Foam: Think all portable seating has to mean discomfort? Think again. Adding contour foam to your seats means one of the most comfortable portable seating experiences of your life. Plush softness means exceptional comfort, no matter how long the meeting or event.

Cup Holders: Adding an armrest complete with cup holder means more convenience for guests and patrons. Your guests will be able to concentrate on what’s most important, not whether their beverages are safe from a certain fall or spill. It could also save your janitorial staff from ongoing problems, as cup holders reduce the likelihood of messes they must later clean up.

Logos: You want people to remember your facility long after they leave, and adding logos to your seats will give you that personal touch you want. Branding is becoming increasingly important, even in venues like yours, and adding your personal logo to the back of your portable seating means the chance to put your brand out there a bit more with every event.

No matter what you’re planning to host, the metal folding chairs of yesterday should stay a thing of the past. Instead, choosing to go with custom portable seating that actually works for guests and patrons can help you do more with your facility. To explore your options now, contact us to chat with a personal project manager.

Published: 10 March 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Gym and Sports Equipment

Investing in new wall padding for your gym is an absolute must to help protect your athletes. Simply purchasing the first option you see, though, just won’t work. Instead, a bit more effort needs to go into your selection. Consider this:

Your Wall Padding Has to Be a Perfect Fit: No two gyms are the same, and it can be tough to get the right fit for yours. Work with a company that offers custom measuring solutions to help ensure you get the fit you need. Don’t forget to ask about custom configurations to work around doors, outlets, and other features of your gym.
Your Wall Padding Has to Be Safe: There are lots of wall padding options out there, but not all of them will protect your athletes. Don’t go for the flimsy stuff just because it leaves a little wiggle room in your budget. Instead, select wall pads that are made for maximum protection.
You Need Help: You may need installation help. You may need service and support. You may need help instantly or you may need help in a year. Sooner or later, though, you’re going to have a question or concern, and you’ll need a team to turn to who has been there over the years for facilities just like yours. Select only a provider who will be there again and again, no matter what you need.
Your Wall Padding Has To Look Amazing: Think you have to go with something boring for your wall padding? Think again. From bright colors to logos and other sources of inspiration, your wall padding can enhance the entire look of your facility, so don’t choose anything that won’t do exactly that and allow you to imagine the design possibilities.

Ready to get the right wall padding to meet your needs? Contact us today to learn more.

Published: 4 March 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Bleacher seating

Complying with ADA regulations in a gymnasium or arena setting can be nothing short of frustrating. After all, few bleacher systems have the ability to ensure you’re giving everyone the seating opportunities needed, and while you certainly don’t want to exclude any patrons, landing on the perfect solution can be frustrating. Finally, there’s one option you can look to for easy ADA compliance – Flex-Row systems by Hussey Seating.

What Is It?

Imagine traditional bleacher seating with one integral change, you can eliminate parts of the first row to help give you a number of different seating options. Push in a few seats or several. Flex-Row puts the options back in your hands.

Discover The Hidden Power

Flex-Row seating systems mean an endless variety of options on the first row. You can lock in different layouts for every single game, giving you a number of different ADA solutions. Entire parts of the first row are removable, so whether you have a challenging event that needs something a bit different, you need room for a scoring table, or you need wheelchair space for patrons, you have the options at your fingertips. Perhaps the best part of this equation is that if you need only a single row of seating, Flex-Row is still operational with the rest of the system in the fully closed position. It’s not only the best way to make certain your facility remains ADA compliant, but it’s also the best way to make certain you have the flexibility you need for almost any event or sport that you need to host.

Flex-Row systems mean more choices, no matter what activities or events you plan to host. To learn more about how Flex-Row systems might fit in with your seating plan, contact us today. We offer a level of personalized service few others in the industry can match.

Published: 25 February 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Seating Solutions

A Quick Guide to ADA Compliant Seating

You want your seating area to be accessible to all patrons, but that isn’t quite as easy as it seems, particularly if you’re working with an outdated facility or older seating solutions. As you work to revise your facility to meet the needs of even handicapped patrons, what exactly should you build into your plans? This guide can help you make sense of today’s ADA requirements so everyone can enjoy your facility.

Understanding the Definition

An accessible seat is one that has been specifically designed for wheelchair use and includes features like an accessible approach space, location at grade, cleared floor space, and larger dimensions. One companion seat should be provided for every accessible seat. Keep in mind that while you can add designated aisle seats for use by those who have disabilities but are not wheelchair bound, they cannot be deemed “accessible” seats.

There are specific size guidelines with accessible seating. Wheelchair spaces have to be 36 inches wide and 48 inches deep if they can be entered from the front or back. If you have two spaces side by side, each one must be 33 inches in width. In the event you have a space that can only be entered from the side, it has to be 60 inches deep.

Seating Placement

The goal of all accessible seating is to ensure those patrons who need it get the same experience other audience members do. As such, you need to think about equivalent lines of sight, viewing angles, and the best location of seats for those patrons. If you have luxury boxes or something similar, making a percentage of those ADA compliant is a good idea, and even required in many cases.

Total Seats Available

ADA guidelines state that the number of accessible seats is based on the total number of seats in your venue. Depending on the type of facility you currently have as well as the overall number of seats, that could fall between one and five percent. Often individual removable seats can be placed in these accessible seating areas, though, to make the seats sellable in the event they are not needed by a person with disabilities.

Providing the Right Information

Don’t forget to make the information about accessible seats available, too. Using the same text and visual representations you do for your normal seating areas, you’ll want to provide enough information to allow those who wish to purchase accessible seats to determine whether they meet his or her needs. If you include maps or seating configuration displays in your sales literature, you’ll want to note the accessible seating information there as well.

Following ADA seating guidelines not only helps ensure that you won’t be fined for noncompliance, but it also helps to make certain that all of your patrons will be able to enjoy your facility, no matter what their disabilities.

Published: 20 February 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Casework & Millwork

How often do you notice the little things in an office? It may actually be more often than you think. The smallest details can leave an impression on potential team members, clients, and more. Nowhere is this more true than in the woodwork you choose to grace your offices. Go fast and cheap and people will think the same of your company. Choose to make it count, and the professionalism your office will exude is certain to be immeasurable. High quality architectural woodwork says a lot about how much you care about your office surroundings, and Carroll Seating Company can help you make the right impression from the outset.

The Perfect Finish

Whether you’ve just finished a full office remodel or you’re moving into a brand new space, the finishing touches mean so much to the space. Choosing to go with custom architectural woodwork means significantly altering the aesthetics of the whole space. By adding the right designs to your offices, you’re creating accents that can be both functional and beautiful at the same time.

The Ideal Team

Not every team, though, can give you the look you want. Only a group with the experience of Carroll Seating Company has the extensive knowledge you need to build out intricate, functional designs that will complement your company’s image. From the moment you contact us, you’ll know a very different experience is in store for you. We offer a dedicated project manager, a vast selection of ideas and products, and the significant skill necessary to tackle even the toughest projects from start to finish. To learn more about our architectural woodworking services or any of our previous project designs, contact us today to get started. We’ll be happy to come up with the ideas necessary to help get your dreams off the ground.

Published: 16 February 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Gym and Sports Equipment

For your team, not just any equipment will do. After all, you can’t expect real results with second rate equipment. Instead, you need top of the line gear to get the best possible outcome for every single season. It’s why Performance Sports Systems is one of the highest rated gymnasium products companies in the country, and we can help you get exactly what you need. Perfect for schools, churches, health clubs, and even parks and recreation facilities, we meet the needs of a number of markets every year.

The Performance Sports Systems Difference

All of the equipment offered by this amazing company’s manufactured to exacting standards, and the result is a level of safety and reliability you simply can’t get with other brands. For nearly a century, Performance Sports Systems has been custom-manufacturing options for a variety of sports including baseball, football, volleyball, soccer, and tennis. They continue to innovate their catalog to help athletes, coaches, and team owners ensure they have better equipment at every turn.

Quality Comes First

At Performance Sports Systems, quality is an integral part of every system design. Each piece is rigorously tested for strength and safety. It also meets all seismic requirements in the state of California. Additionally, it’s custom manufactured to accommodate a given facility’s conditions while ensure the strength necessary to handle the stress of competitive use is still part of the equation.

Get Ready For A Big Difference

If you’re ready for sports equipment that actually meets your needs, you’re ready for Performance Sports Systems. Contact us today to learn more about what a difference this company can make in everything you do. With a dedicated project manager for every account and options that will take you from product selection to installation and through service, we’re here to help your gym reach its full potential. To learn more, give us a call now.

Published: 10 February 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Locker Solutions

In almost any setting, metal lockers can be the right choice. A staple for schools and daycares, they’re hardly just for children. Many of the world’s toughest jobs demand secure lockers including police and fire personnel. Military bases often use them for various reasons, and even everyday locations like stores and fitness centers utilize these essential storage tools. For each of these uses, and more, there’s a metal specialty locker to fit the bill. As you work to decide what might be right for your facility, you may want to consider the following.

Wall Mounted or Free Standing: Metal specialty lockers come in two basic forms, those that stand on their own and those that are wall mounted. While free standing lockers have the obvious advantage of being able to reconfigure your space at any time, wall mounted lockers are a great choice in many different situations. Often they can give you the valuable floor space you need for other applications.

Locker Size: Lockers are hardly stuck in the standard five foot size. Instead, you can go much smaller or quite a bit bigger, depending on your needs. If you need lockers to store athletic gear, for instance, you may want to go with a double width locker. If you’re looking to go with a space saver, lockers that run just a foot or two in height may fit the bill perfectly. Look carefully at exactly how you plan to use these lockers, then decide what size may work best for you.

Security Options: Some lockers were made for school locker rooms. Others were made to hold evidence for use at a later time. The higher the level of security necessary for the locker contents, the more shopping you may want to do. Lockers specifically designed to hold firearms, evidence, and other dangerous materials are out there, but you must realize the locker’s purpose and search for the ideal solution.

Specialty metal lockers are widely available, and at Carroll Seating Company, we can help you find exactly what you need. Contact us today for more information.

Published: 3 February 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Casework & Millwork

Shared work surfaces are often a must in today’s increasingly small work areas, but that, in and of itself, creates a problem. They can be a breeding ground for all sorts of issues, including viruses as well as the germs and bacteria that so often cause infections. In an office setting, that means far less productivity. In a lab setting, it’s nothing short of devastating. Is there an answer that doesn’t mean adding a second facility? Absolutely – antimicrobial work surfaces.

Are They Really Better?

Antimicrobial work surfaces really are far better. They’re designed to help prevent the growth of 99% of the most common forms of bacteria found to inhabit work surfaces including rhinovirus, Staph, and even Pneumonia. Even if you’re currently using one of the many antimicrobial products on the market today to help kill germs on surfaces, you’re just not doing enough. It could take up to ten minutes to fully sanitize a work space from one user to the next. While sanitizing wipes can certainly do the job, do you actually have that much down time in any given day? By completely inhibiting the growth of bacteria and germs in the first place, antimicrobial work surfaces are a far more effective solution.

Perhaps the best part of these surfaces is the level of durability you’ll see. As resistant to surface wear as any other product on the market, you’ll find the perfect way to make your offices or lab look great while still keeping the workspace as clean and healthy as possible.

Ready to get started? Contact us today to learn more about the best solution to reducing the spread of germs in your facility. Whether you’re looking for an entirely new look to your office or you just want to accomplish this singular goal, we can help.

Published: 28 January 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Seating Solutions

Learning in the 21st century has become a fairly hot topic in recent days. Students now simply don’t need the same skills students did just a few decades ago, so classrooms and other learning areas prize critical and creative thinking with collaboration to ensure students have the necessary skills to move forward in life. Unfortunately, most schools are set up for a very different kind of learning. Flexibility and information literacy aren’t always part of the classroom layout, so while teachers and administrators are rethinking the curriculum, they have to be rethinking the layout of a classroom as well. These design ideas can help you rethink your learning spaces.

Classroom Flow: Collaboration has to be at the forefront of everything your teachers do in the classroom. As a result, you have to create spaces that are ready to foster creative energy in groups. The classic desks and chairs don’t always work well for that. Instead, comfortable tables and chairs that are configurable for a variety of projects tend to work well. Open spaces also work well so students feel like they can move among groups to get projects completed.

Multimedia Friendly: Technological and face to face learning have to work well in the 21st century classroom, so every design you create needs to be ready to integrate technology at a moment’s notice. Whether that means projectors so students can see an instructor’s screen, data connections for students, or even simply space to use tablets and laptops, classrooms should be as wired for technology as they are for students. Don’t forget to factor lighting into this equation, as something as simple as the screen in the wrong place in the afternoon could make a room completely unusable.

Classroom Look: The aesthetic appeal of a classroom has to play a central role in 21st century learning design as well. The goal is to build a student-centered experience where kids feel comfortable enough to learn. That means both a physical and mental sense of ease, and a big part of that comes from the choices you make. Everything from the color of classroom walls to the flooring choices to the furniture you fill the room with can contribute to it, so ensure you’re working toward harmony with teach of the choices, as well as a level of simplicity so the classroom can be easily repurposed in the future as learning needs change.

Good designs can be difficult to achieve in today’s learning environment, which is a big part of the reason you may want to choose a trusted guide to help you through the experience. Carroll Seating can help. The premier school furniture company, we have the project managers, design experts, and catalog to help you build the perfect classroom to meet your needs. Contact us today to learn more.