What Are the Different Types of Non-Slip Floor Treatments?

Posted by Web Team on February 22, 2021 with 0 Comment

When it comes to finding the right non-slip floor treatments for your needs, there are a lot of things to consider. While many people’s first thought is aesthetics, the effectiveness of the treatment being applied should also be a focus.

There are several different treatments available to increase the slip resistance of your surfaces. These can include:

Non-slip paint
Acid etching treatments
Shot blasting
Anti-slip coating
Grinding
Adhesive strips
And more

So which is right for you? As the experts in anti-slip solutions and tile treatments, Slip Doctors Sydney explores some of these methods below to help you gather information on the best ways to increase floor safety. As effectiveness will vary depending on the surface and other factors, you shouldn’t make a final decision until you’ve spoken to one of our expert team!

The various non-slip floor treatment methods

Increasing the slip resistance of floors can be done in a number of ways. Certain treatments provide different slip resistance levels, which is why it is vital to speak to the experts to ensure you have the right one for your needs.

Not all solutions will be appropriate for your location, which trims your options down a little. It is also important to consider your budget. The main anti-slip and non-slip treatments available include the following:

Anti-slip paint

Anti-slip paint is one of the fastest and simplest methods to reduce slipping potential. It has a quick application process and is durable enough to last you for quite a few years. It has very little downtime and provides some of the highest levels of safety and peace of mind.

This can also be a very cost-efficient solution. You can obtain a free sample before deciding whether or not this is right for you.

Acid Etching

This solution eats into the surface of your flooring, increasing the roughness and micro-porosity. There is a risk that the surface could discolour and you will need to alter the way you clean your flooring.

Coatings

Coatings are often a polymer such as epoxy or polyurethane that have a level of grit embedded in them. The slip resistance is relative to the size and packing structure of the grit, often available in varying degrees.

Shot Blasting

This method involves a material that is shot against the floor’s surface to increase the slip rating. This is generally used in more industrial environments such as large commercial areas like car parks.

Grinding

This anti-slip treatment involves large diamond grinding pads which ground the surface to increase roughness. Similar to shot blasting, the aesthetics and cleanability of the flooring will be affected.

Adhesive Strips

Adhesive strips have grit embedded in them and are easy to apply but may require replacement on a regular basis. This is a customizable option for a range of different spaces but it does create a specific aesthetic that may or may not suit your tastes.

Deciding which treatment is best for you

The best way to decide which treatment is best for your situation is slip resistance and any other relevant characteristic that affects your specific floor surface’s form and function. For example, these can include:

Cost
Cleanability
Mechanical properties
Adhesion to surface
Aesthetics

The effectiveness of the various treatments and coatings mentioned above is rated against the Australian Standard AS 4360 Risk Management. This provides a systematic approach to help you evaluate the various options available.

Anti-slip vs Non-slip

The terms anti-slip and non-slip are somewhat misleading as every surface will have a degree of slippage regardless of how slip resistant the surface is. This means that there may be instances on a “non-slip” surface where someone could slip and fall.

Anti-slip and non-slip should be considered a preventative measure as opposed to total slip and fall prevention. In knowing this, it is important to keep an eye out for companies or products that do, in fact, claim their treatment is completely slip-proof via a guarantee or warranty.

Independent NATA accredited slip resistance testing is the best way to confirm the slip resistance of a surface. It is recommended that this testing be performed every three months to ensure the flooring is still suitable to prevent slips or falls.

Get the answer with a test sample

There is no better way to find out if a flooring treatment will work for you then trying it out! At Slip Doctors Sydney, we’ll pop out and run a test sample on your flooring so you can see first-hand if it will work for you.

This is a free service with no obligation to move forward. We want to ensure that you are not only happy with your non-slip floor treatment but that it will perform the function it is meant to. Speak to us today about organising your sample and get a definitive answer on whether or not a non-slip floor treatment will work for you.

Speak to the non-slip floor treatment experts in Sydney today

Slip Doctors Sydney is one of the leading providers when it comes to anti-slip solutions and tile treatments. With years of experience providing the best solutions for residential and commercial industries, our obligation-free quote and sample is the best way to go about choosing the right treatment for you.

We work hard to ensure you are satisfied with the chosen non-slip tile treatment to your tile. Our team works closely with you to handle the whole process of applying anti-slip treatment to your floors, giving our industry-leading knowledge and recommendations to ensure your safety.

Call us for a sample today and take the proper steps to ensure those who use your property are protected. When it comes to safety, no corners should be cut. Trust the experts for total peace of mind.

The Best Anti Slip Treatment for Ceramic Tiles

Posted by Web Team on January 28, 2021 with 0 Comment

Ceramic tiles have been utilised for construction, flooring and art for thousands of years. Some of the earliest references to ceramic tiles go back to the 4th century BC in the Middle East and found their way to Europe via the Roman empire.

This robust, versatile and artistic building material has stood the test of time and is still a leading material used for flooring around the globe to this day. Although technologies, production, firing and finishing methods have developed over thousands of years, the product itself has remained relatively the same.

Whether your residential or commercial property has a classic or contemporary decor, ceramic tiles are versatile in that they can be left to show their natural rustic beauty, or be painted and glazed with striking colours, gloss finishes and ornate artistic designs.

Advantages of ceramic floor tiles

Using ceramic tiles for your commercial or residential flooring offers many benefits, including ecological sustainability. Ceramic is most commonly made from various natural clays dug straight out of the earth. It is then fired at a high temperature until it becomes hard and durable.

Some of the other benefits that ceramic tiles offer include:

Water resistance
Hardwearing and scratch-resistant
Easy to maintain
Hypoallergenic
Naturally cooling
Environmentally friendly and sustainable
Recyclable and more

Ceramic tiles are also easy to replace if one does happen to crack, and have the potential to add value to your property.

For all their positives, however, ceramic tiles can present a significant slip-hazard when dirty or wet, and they have caused their fair share of minor and sometimes severe injury over the years.

This hazard has prompted ingenious inventors around the world to develop non-slip solutions that do not compromise the aesthetic of the ceramic tiles designs and finishes.

Read on to learn more about non-slip treatments for tiles, and how the team here at Slip Doctors Sydney remain at the forefront of anti-slip treatment technology.

The science of slipping

Slipping occurs when there is an intense decrease in the coefficient of static friction between a moving person and the supporting surface on which they are walking or standing.

People often have mild slips that do not result in a fall and forget about it not long after. When a more intense slip occurs, it usually happens faster than a person’s nervous system can respond, resulting in a very swift and violent descent.

Ceramic tiles are strong and sturdy, but often do not provide a high friction surface, making them incredibly slippery when wet, or when incompatible footwear makes contact. Anti-slip treatments can be applied to ceramic tiles to increase the surface’s general friction without negatively affecting the tiles finish and grouting colour.

Slippery statistics

Most people have slipped over at least once or twice in our lives, and even if we are lucky enough not to suffer any physical injury, there is usually some hurt pride or bruised ego.

Slipping over is not something to be laughed off. Preventable slips and falls result in thousands of severe injuries every year; some even resulting in death.

Some of the most common injuries caused by falls on slippery floors include:

Head injuries
Musculoskeletal injuries
Broken bones
Cuts and bruises
Fractures and dislocations
Fatalities

People aged 65 and over account for approximately 95% of all fatal falls; the highest mortality rate in those aged 85-years and over. These accidents occurred both at home and in professional care facilities. In the workplace, the figures are also a cause for concern.

In Australia between the years 2003 to 2015, falls caused the death of 386 workers. 23% led to serious claims worth millions, negatively affecting those injured, their families, and financially devastating some businesses.

Between 2002 and 2005, the estimated annual costs for these unnecessary deaths was $250 million, and a further $1.28 billion for hospital admissions, excluding indirect costs. These are concerning statistics, especially in the knowledge that many of these falls could have been avoided.

The team here at Slip Doctors Sydney take these figures seriously and we do our bit to help prevent these unfortunate and sometimes fatal incidents from occurring through our commitment to remaining at the cutting edge of anti-slip treatments and applications.

The best anti-slip treatment for ceramic floors

With these statistics in mind, it is relieving to know that there is a solution to slippery ceramic floor tiles. There is a range of leading clear-coat products that can increase the coefficients of static friction on your flooring.

These solutions can be customised to any ceramic tile flooring in both residential and commercial properties.

Examples of property owners that could benefit from ceramic floor anti-slip treatments include:

Homeowners
Residential property owners
Apartments and hotels
Restaurants, cafes and eateries
Bars, pubs and clubs
Entertainment and event venues
Retail shops and shopping centres
Hospitals and medical facilities
Pools and sporting facilities
Disability and aged care facilities

These solutions can be applied to general access areas or increase safety in wet areas like kitchens, bathrooms and pools.

Traditional anti-slip solutions could be time-consuming and expensive, with strong chemical smells and requiring extensive drying time. The industry-leading anti-slip solutions we use here at Slip Doctors Sydney are ready for use immediately and come with quality guarantees for product quality, effectiveness and service.

Some of the benefits of having your tiles treated by the team here at Slip Doctors Sydney include:

2-year guarantee with an expected lifetime of around five years or more between applications.
The floor is ready to use immediately after treatment.
Does not affect the aesthetic of your tiles
Effective in all wet areas
Ease of cleaning
Complies with all Australian OH&S standards

Ready to know more?

Our anti-slip solutions are non-slip treatments, not coatings, ensuring reliable and effective grip for the application’s lifespan. By utilising our professional services for your non-slip treatments, you will also receive our customer services and quality of work guarantees.

Our expert anti-slip treatments professionals also offer non-slip solutions for all other floor types, including:

Natural stone
Vinyl
Timber
Epoxy
Concrete and more

We are available 24-hours a day and can provide a no-obligation free quote and onsite demo. If you are looking for the best anti-slip treatment, Sydney and greater NSW, call the friendly staff here at Slip Doctors Sydney today to arrange a consultation.

Anti Slip Flooring Is A Must For Supermalls

Posted by Web Team on January 25, 2021 with 0 Comment

With the advancement of technology, the human race is building big mansions and huge shopping malls, etc. We do not ever consider how many details need to be taken care of behind these projects.

Starting from the architectural design to each and every fire exit, everything needs special attention. One of the most important points to be considered for these building projects is the slippery floor. Slippery floors can be very hazardous especially for commercial buildings.

If you visit a supermall you will see most of them have those slippery floors and you need to be extremely cautious about treading on them. Especially children and older people are more prone to slipping and falling on such surfaces. To avoid accidents due to slip and fall, the supermalls should take precaution and use anti-slip floor coating.

Let us see some details over anti-slip floor coating. Epoxy on slip coating is one of the best ways to prevent falls caused due to slippery surfaces. This is a paint that is easy to apply and available in different colors too. It can be used both indoors as well as outdoors.

There are some limitations too for using these anti-slip floor coatings. If the surface on which you are applying it has the tendency to accept rising moisture then this coating will be spoiled.

Again if the surrounding relative humidity is over 75% at application time then also some problems may appear. The same thing can happen in places having temperatures less than ten-degree centigrade.

Two methods for anti-slip floor coating:

1) The coating is applied in steps so that the original floor is no longer viewable. Mainly quartz aggregate is used. It should be taken care of so that there is no lump of aggregate left after the application.

After application, the floor should be left to dry up. After that, the loose aggregate over the surface needs to be removed. If some of these loose parts cannot be moved it needs to be ensured that it gets blended with the surface.

2) This method uses a self-levelling layer as the first coat and then the aggregates are scattered onto it. After this, another layer of coating is required as the final touch.

Hence the supermalls can be places where everyone can go around freely and safely if the mall management just takes small but significant actions towards using an anti-slip floor coating.

Slip Doctors Sydney is one of the leading providers of anti-slip solutions and tile treatments. We have years of experience in this field, providing the best solutions for both residential and commercial industries. We are the leading providers of non-slip treatment for tiles in Sydney.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Anti Slip Floor Treatment for Aged Care Facility

Posted by Web Team on January 6, 2021 with 0 Comment

The wet areas in retirement homes and Australian aged care facilities unless laid after 2010 may not comply with current AS4568 2013 Slip Resistance standards. Up until 2010 these surfaces only had to demonstrate compliance to a “duty of care” and or local council requirement.

The result of this minimum compliance was the continuing increase in slip fall incidents being reported. Fortunately compliance prior to 2010 included the installation of support rails and special access fittings has helped in limiting these incidents.

As Insurance and Public Liability providers continued to monitor slip fall incidents it became obvious that their existing clients whose flooring did not meet the newer standards were exposing the provider and the Aged Care Facility to an increased risk of litigation, as well as potential injury to the aging clients in residence.

These risks to the aged residents were being realized in significant increases in slip fall accidents resulting in the long term or sometimes fatal injuries. The most common outcome of these falls were hip replacement surgeries, which often leads to a series of more serious health issues in this age group.

Ceramic tiles and vinyl flooring typically used in these older special access bathrooms, kitchens and public areas often exhibit a very low SCOF (Surface Co-Efficient of Friction) and there was little formal documented data to support the inherent slip risk, particularly when they were exposed to water contamination from spills or transfer from shoes or wet weather gear..

Today however there is ample documentation from not only Standards Australia, the C.S.I.R.O but many Insurance companies that have taken the time to investigate the underlying cause of these accidents.

It is now incumbent for Aged Care Facilities in Australia to conduct formalized NATA testing at their site to identify any areas of risk and then to ensure they undertake proactive actions to minimize these risks. In most states, this NATA testing is available for both pre and post-treatment.

Correct risk management will provide solutions that will drastically reduce these risks. In carrying out these works facility managers in demonstrating their “duty of care” compliance will also meet their insurance coverage requirements.

With improved health care and lifestyle, the average life expectancy continues to grow significantly. Unfortunately, the frailty and motor skills deteriorate correspondingly. These increases not only force Aged Care Facilities but society, in general, to take additional precautions to ensure slip fall accidents are kept to a minimum.

Slip Doctors Sydney is one of the leading providers of commercial anti-slip solutions and tile treatments. We have years of experience in this field, providing the best solutions for both residential and commercial industries. We are the leading providers of non-slip treatment for tiles in Sydney.