CareHomeDeskCareHomeDeskA room-by-room specification guide covering flooring, wall finish, furniture, window treatments, lighting and fittings -- with the hoist clearance, fire rating and infection control requirements built in.
A resident bedroom specification brief should answer five questions before any product selection begins: What is the dependency profile of the likely resident? (High dependency residents need more hoist clearance, lower furniture, profiling bed compatibility.) Is this a dementia unit? (Colour contrast, pattern avoidance and navigation aids are design requirements, not preferences.) What is the fire compartmentation requirement? (All products must meet relevant fire class for the location.) What is the refurbishment budget per room? (8,000-15,000 is the typical range for a full bedroom refurbishment including en-suite.) What is the room void period available? (This drives the choice between wet trades and dry installation systems.) Answer these questions first. Every product choice follows from them.
Specify LVT (Amtico Signature or Karndean Van Gogh, 0.55mm wear layer) in glue-down installation for the bedroom. Glue-down is more stable than floating under wheelchair and walking frame traffic and eliminates the flexing noise that floating floors develop over time. Prepare the subfloor to 3mm under 2m straight edge tolerance before installation -- this is non-negotiable for LVT longevity. In the en-suite, specify safety vinyl (R10 minimum) or a seamless panel floor system if the room is a step-in shower wet room. At the room entrance from the corridor, install a recessed entrance mat or specify a contrasting tile strip to prevent moisture tracking from the corridor into the bedroom.
Specify a washable, wipeable water-based emulsion with a mid-sheen finish for walls. Use a warm domestic palette rather than institutional neutrals -- the DSDC design guide recommends colours from the warm side of the spectrum (terracottas, warm creams, sage greens, warm blues) for dementia units. Ensure the wall colour provides at least 30 LRV points of contrast with the door. Retain a data sheet for the paint used in each room -- you need this for future touching in and for fire performance documentation.
Specify a wall panel system in preference to tiles for all care home en-suites. For premium rooms: Multipanel Classic MDF-core panel in a realistic stone or marble finish. For speed-of-installation: Aqua 5mm PVC panel installed over existing tiles. In either case, specify the full manufacturer trim system. The shower area must be fully sealed and the panel to floor junction must be waterproofed with a compatible sealant -- do not rely on the trim system alone for watertightness.
Specify care-sector fitted furniture (Grant or equivalent) rather than domestic flat-pack. The construction differences matter: fire-rated cores, hoist clearance of minimum 200mm under all floor-standing units, damp-wipe surface finish that withstands twice-daily cleaning, anti-ligature handle options for appropriate rooms. Measure the room before ordering -- care home bedrooms are rarely standard sizes. A fitted wardrobe that is 50mm too wide means the hoist cannot pass. Commission a furniture drawing before sign-off.
Specify anti-ligature blinds (Luxaflex Healthcare or equivalent) in all bedrooms and communal areas. The cord-free operation removes the strangulation risk flagged in CQC safer environments guidance. Specify a blackout blind for bedrooms -- residents sleeping in a room with light-excluding curtains or blinds have significantly better sleep quality, which reduces agitation and improves health outcomes. Choose a fabric with appropriate fire rating (BS 5852 Crib 5 for upholstered surfaces in care homes).
Bedroom lighting should be layered: a main ceiling fitting on a dimmer switch (residents often prefer low light in the evening and overnight), a bedside reading light on a separate circuit, and a low-level nightlight or illuminated light switch for night-time navigation. All fittings should be IP44 rated as a minimum in rooms where spills and cleaning are routine. In en-suites, IP65 minimum for all fittings. LED throughout -- lower energy cost, lower heat output, longer lamp life, reduced maintenance burden.
In the en-suite, specify TMV3-listed thermostatic taps (Bristan Care or equivalent) on any basin where a vulnerable or cognitively impaired resident may have unsupervised access. For resident rooms where the occupant is lower dependency and supervised, Bristan Prism domestic-style lever taps provide a more residential aesthetic at lower cost. Ensure the toilet seat contrasts with the pan and the surrounding wall by at least 30 LRV points -- a white seat on a white toilet against a white wall is effectively invisible to a resident with dementia.
Each room should have a door sign that includes both the room number and a personalised element -- a photograph of the resident, a significant object, or a colour associated with the resident. This is a DSDC-recommended navigation aid for residents with dementia who may not reliably read numbers. The sign should be positioned at 1.5m centre height and should contrast with the door by at least 30 LRV points. Inside the room, consider a memory box by the door displaying personal photographs and objects -- this both personalises the space and helps the resident identify their room.
CareHomeDesk gives you compliance checklists, maintenance logs, and contractor management tools built around exactly this kind of knowledge.