A Guide on Commercial Non-Slip Flooring

In this day and age, everyone wants their commercial vinyl flooring to look gleaming and highly polished. Government buildings, retail shop floors, office blocks and hotel lobbies are all environments where you’ll see commercial vinyl flooring in place. A shiny, polished surface communicates cleanliness and good hygiene, along with an attention to detail.    

When it comes to flooring, architects are, of course, concerned with aesthetics as well as functionality. The real-world, day-to-day use of commercial non-slip flooring requires that it be safe as well as attractive, and this is where the benefits of a non-slip coating really shine through.

Let’s have a look at some of the science behind commercial non-slip vinyl flooring solutions:

Increasing Reflectivity whilst Reducing Friction

In 1948, the United States Department of Commerce issued a detailed study on walkway slipping. It examined the mechanics of walking in relation to slippage, as well as how to create devices to test this correlation. To take their measurements, researchers installed a mechanical heel on a pendulum.

1. The slipperiness of a surface is effectively assessed by its coefficient of friction. It is referred to as Amontons’ First and Second Friction Laws, although Wired also states that the contact area also matters. The friction test is only valid if everyone is wearing the same footwear.
2. At its most basic level, anything with a coefficient of less than 0.5 is slick, while anything with a coefficient of 0.5 to 1.0 offers traction.
3. The other factor is reflectivity, often referred to as gloss. A reflectivity meter, which measures how much light bounces back off a surface, is used to determine glossiness. Reflectivity, which is measured on a 0-100% scale, is highly influenced by surface texture differences.
4. Anything with a reflectivity of more than 60% is glossy, whereas anything with a reflectivity of 90-100% is reflective.
5. To retain traction, most commercial non-slip flooring is glossy but not reflecting.

Let’s have a look at some different flooring solutions.

Gleaming, shiny commercial vinyl flooring is very popular today as we’ve covered, and it is possible to achieve an ideal balance between gloss and traction with a commercial non-slip flooring by employing natural materials, synthetics and coatings. If you’re not sure exactly which product is most appropriate for your working environment, reach out to a flooring supplier near you for help and advice.

Eco-Grip Flooring is a truly innovative commercial flooring solution. It’s affordable, easy to install and is highly effective at reducing slips in the workplace.