What Are Anti-Slip Tiles?

Anti-slip tiles aren’t a standard feature you’ll see with most homes. An increasing amount of homeowners are choosing to have them installed in many parts of their homes where there is a risk for slipping and injury. This is for extra safety and peace of mind.

Here’s what you should know about anti-slip tiles and why they’re a good idea for the safety of your home.

What Are Anti-Slip Tiles?

Anti-slip tiles are different to normal porcelain or ceramic floor tiles. Normal floor tiles are notoriously slippery and might lead to serious accidents or falls. On the other hand, anti-slip tiles have been treated with a coating that reduces the slipping risk. These tiles work well in areas that might be exposed to water or moisture, which can increase slippage.

What Are They Made Of?

Common materials used for anti-slip tiles are porcelain and ceramic. These tiles have been made with a better grip in mind. This better grip will reduce the risk of slipping where they are installed. Anti-slip tiles can also be made out of more rough materials. These materials will naturally reduce the risk of accidents in the same way.

Can You Use Anti-Slip Tiles in the Kitchen or Bathroom?

Yes! Anti-slip tiles are commonly recommended kitchen and bathroom installations. These are the most common areas of the house where slip-and-fall accidents occur.

Most customers choose to re-do their entire kitchens or bathrooms with anti-slip tiles. However, it is an option to re-tile a section of the floor instead, such as a walkway.

Where Else Are Anti-Slip Tiles Useful?

There are many other places in the house where anti-slip tiles can be useful. For example, washrooms are another common room of the home that are prone to water spills. Outside areas aren’t immune to the same problem. The area around a swimming pool is another common space where accidents happen due. This is usually due to running and slipping up.

Also, areas that get a lot of rain outside might want the installation of anti-slip tiles on them to make the tiling experience a safer one.

The installation of anti-slip tiles can therefore be essential in these areas of the home.

Are There Other Times Where Anti-Slip Tiles Are Important?

If people have had a fall before and would like to reduce the chances of this happening again, anti-slip tiles would be the first recommendation by tilers.

The installation of anti-slip tiles can also be considered essential in any areas that will be used by older people, children, or people with mobility impairments.

If you’ve recently had any kind of surgery that impairs your movement, or has a long healing time with lifelong consequences (like a hip replacement), anti-slip tiles are also recommended.

What Are The Anti-Slip Tile Classification Numbers?

Anti-slip tiles have tile classification numbers: But what are they for?

These numbers are called the individual tile’s anti-slip grading, and there are a few reasons why it’s considered important when choosing your tiles. The grading gives you the guarantee that the tiles have been certified and tested as safe for use.

The higher the number, the more resistance against slipping the tiles offer. An expert can help you to choose the right type of tiles for your installation, with the right grading and material for your environment.

What Are Anti-Slip Coatings?

If you’ve done some reading about anti-slip tiles already, you’ll have heard of anti-slip coatings as an alternative to tiles. Many people opt for the slightly cheaper option to re-tiling.

This option is to coat the existing tiles in their house with an anti-slip material that promises the same job. However, these coatings can be unreliable. So anti-slip tiles are recommended more than coatings.

Why Are Anti-Slip Tiles Better Than Coatings?

Always choose tiles when you have the option, even if you believe that coatings might be a cheaper option. Coatings are rarely a better option and can in fact work out to more effort than just having the entire floor re-installed with anti-slip tiles.

Coatings don’t offer the necessary amount of slip resistance, and they haven’t been graded in the same way that anti-slip tiles have. Where a coated area gets a lot of foot traffic, the coating can wear off, and you’re unlikely to notice or see it until an accident actually happens.

Installing anti-slip tiles from the start ensures a clean finish, a brand new floor and a reduced likelihood of slip-and-fall accidents in your space compared to coatings.

Watch Our Video

Want to know more about anti-slip tiles and how they work? Watch our video on anti-slip tiles – or get in touch with Atlas Ceramics and find out how we can help you with premier quality tiles and their installation.