Tower Lifts
Tower Lifts
Lift Interior Refurbishment
Give Your Lift an Upgrade – Expert Interior Refurbishment
Lift interiors get tired and grubby in just the same way that any other interior does. Regular users may not notice the gradual decline, but visitors and clients certainly will. Passengers tend to spend most of their time in lifts avoiding eye contact with fellow passengers. Which gives them plenty of time to examine the worn flooring, and scratched side panels.
Lift interior refurbishment is one of the most cost-effective ways to lift the perception of your entire building. Since 2006, the Tower Lifts team has been modernising commercial lifts across the UK, combining bespoke design with durable engineering. When refurbishing your lift car, we focus on high-traffic materials that stay looking good, ensuring your first impression is always a professional one.
A Guide to Lift Interior Refurbishment
Lift interior refurbishment is the process of updating the cabin’s look and operations without having to replace the entire mechanical system. It’s a flexible solution – you can choose a targeted “refresh” of specific high-wear areas or a complete overhaul of the “skin” of the lift.
For most commercial property managers, the goal is threefold:
- Improve building perception
- Ensure durability,
- Maintain safety compliance.
When planning your upgrade, we recommend focusing on these six high-impact areas:
1. Wall Panels – Balancing Durability with Design
Walls take the most punishment from luggage, trolleys, and daily footfall. For high-traffic lifts, we suggest industrial-grade plastic laminates or brushed metals. These are reassuringly tough, as well as being hygienic and easy to maintain.
Specialist Tip – If your cabin feels cramped, install large-format mirrors or light-reflective panels to instantly double the perceived space.
2. Flooring – Safety Meets Style
Lift floors suffer from outdoor debris and moisture. To prevent slips, we suggest a high-quality rubber or textured vinyl. If you are aiming for a premium feel, resin-engineered stone or polished concrete provides a luxury aesthetic without the weight issues of traditional marble.
3. Lighting & Ambiance
Old, flickering fluorescent tubes can make passengers feel uneasy. Modern LED systems are the standard for a reason – they are energy-efficient and mimic natural light. For a truly modern feel, consider dynamic lighting that adjusts its “warmth” throughout the day to match your building’s reception area.
4. Colour Palettes – Setting the Mood
Colour is a powerful tool for influencing passenger psychology. While neutral greys and metallics offer a timeless, professional feel, we often recommend “wayfinding” palettes – using specific floor colours to help orient visitors.
Specialist Tip – Warmer tones can make a large, cold lift feel more intimate, while cool blues and whites create a sense of clinical cleanliness and efficiency.
5. Smart Control Panels
Your COP (Car Operating Panel) is a focal point for users. Replacing dated buttons with sleek, anti-vandal stainless steel or intuitive digital touchscreens enhances the “tech-forward” feel of your building.
Compliance Note – Tower Lifts refurbishers ensure all new panels feature tactile indicators and high-contrast displays to meet the latest accessibility standards.
6. Branding & Signage – A Captive Marketing Opportunity
Your lift is a unique space where you have a passenger’s undivided attention for 15 to 45 seconds. We can integrate your corporate identity through subtle glass etching, custom-branded control panel backlights, or high-definition digital screens. Beyond the ‘look’, clear, high-contrast signage for floor directories ensures your passengers feel at ease when travelling in your lift.
The Impact of Bespoke Lift Car Interiors
A bespoke lift interior is one of the most effective ways to increase the perceived value of a commercial property. When you step away from standard solutions, you gain the freedom to specify materials that blend perfectly with your building’s overall style and aesthetic.
Whether you’re aiming for a stripped-back industrial look or a more traditional, high-end feel, we focus on the details that your clients will notice. We can help you choose a style that reflects the standards of your building and makes the right impression from the moment the doors slide open.
At Tower Lifts, we manage the entire creative process, ensuring that even the most ambitious designs meet strict weight and safety regulations. We can even transform standard components into design features, such as retro-style toggle buttons or immersive “halo” lighting. This level of detail turns a lift journey into an experience that sticks in the mind.
Lift Refurbishment FAQs
No doubt you have many questions about the process of lift interior refurbishment. Here are the things we most regularly get asked by clients before we start a project.
For a standard interior refurbishment (walls, floors, and lighting), you can usually expect the lift to be out of action for 3 to 5 working days. If you have multiple lifts, we stage the work so that your building is accessible throughout.
Yes, and this is where specialist expertise is vital. Every lift has a strict Safe Working Load (SWL). Adding heavy materials like solid marble or thick steel can impact the lift’s performance and safety. We calculate the weight of every component – from the LVT flooring to the LED panels – to make sure that your lift remains fully compliant and operates smoothly.
A cosmetic refurbishment doesn’t usually trigger a new LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) inspection, provided the structural integrity of the lift hasn’t changed. However, we always recommend a post-refurbishment check if we’ve replaced heavy components or altered the control interface.
Yes. If your lift is mechanically sound but looks dated, a “skin-deep” refurbishment provides the visual impact of a brand-new lift at a fraction of the cost. We can work strictly on the cabin aesthetics while your existing motor and cables continue to do the heavy lifting behind the scenes.
Why Choose Tower Lifts?
When you partner with Tower Lifts, you’re not just getting a cosmetic upgrade – you’re tapping into two decades of certified engineering expertise. Every refurbishment we undertake is governed by a quality framework certified to ISO 9001:2015, which means you get a reliable, high-standard service from your first enquiry to the final sign-off.
On-site, your people and property are our priority; we strictly adhere to ISO 45001 health and safety standards to ensure a safe, disciplined working environment. Our status as a LEIA member and Constructionline Gold approved supplier is your guarantee that we don’t just care about the finish – we care about the engineering excellence that keeps your building moving.