Although there are edgeless panels, many raised floor panels are manufactured with a plastic trim piece along each edge. This floor panel trim edge provides physical protection for the edge of tile as well as an esthetic value. Trim edge is necessary to maintain the proper integrity of an access flooring system. Missing trim edge causes gaps between flooring tiles which can leak chilled air, allow the floor tiles to shift, and provide a generally poor appearance.

Floor panel trim edge replacement is generally sold in conjunction with regular data center maintenance services. Data Clean can also provide trim edge for customer replacement. There are many different types of trim edge and some types are quicker and easier to install than other types. The four common categories of trim edge are: C-Type snaps on and is the easiest to install. Channel-lock slides on an is somewhat more difficult to install. Captive trim is used on newer wood-core tiles and is held in position by the metal pan of the tile. Top-Set is by far the most difficult and time-consumming trim edge to replace. It is actually glued on and preparation and dry time are critical. Within each of these categories, there are many different sizes and colors available.

Missing and broken trim edge is easy to visually detect during a site audit. Missing or broken trim is replaced along an entire side of the panel. Thus, a panel with no trim edge will require four new pieces. If your facility has had multiple upgrades and contains different flooring systems, it is important to check the samples from all the different systems. Tiles which are reasonably identical on the top, may be quite different on the sides and bottom. The same is true for perforated vent tiles versus solid surface field tiles.

The best way to be sure you get the right trim edge is to get a sample to Data Clean. There are literally hundreds of different trim edge styles.