Floor covering

Can anyone suggest a more suitable solution than vinyl tiles and
in what colour.

Hi Andrew,

I’ve got linoleum in a uniform green colour. Apart of being
not-so-much toxic, stones (take a tanzanite of 20cts …) will
not break when they fall down like on ceramic, and on the
uniform colour, you will find small items more easily. There
will be scratches and marks from hot metal, however.

In France, there are still workshops that use a kind of grating
made from wood, which is removed at intervals to recover lost
items.

Regards, Markus